Many land grant colleges and universities are stewards of agricultural facilities that require reliable electrical power that is safe and sustainable for livestock and animal habitat for sporting.
The premise wiring rules for hazardous university owned buildings have been relatively stable. Electrical professionals are guided by:
Farm Load Calculations of Part V of Article 220,
Corrosion mitigation with appropriate specification of power chain wiring
Stray voltage and the equipotential plane
Interactivity with regulated utility power sources.
Public response to the First Draft of the 2026 National Electrical Code will be received until August 28, 2024. We coordinate our approach to the entire NFPA electrical suite with the IEEE Education & Healthcare Facilities Committee which meets 4 times monthly. We typically refer to previous transcripts of technical committee actions to inform any changes (improvements) that we propose, if any.
We maintain this issue on the standing agenda of our Power and Nourriture (Food) colloquia. Feel free to join us with the login credentials at the upper right of our home page.
Nikola Tesla, with his equipment / Credit: Wellcome Library, London
We collaborate closely with the IEEE Education & Healthcare Facilities Committee which meets 4 times monthly in European and American time zones. Risk managers, electrical safety inspectors, facility managers and others are welcomed to click into those teleconferences also. We expect that concepts and recommendations this paper will find their way into future revisions of US and international electrical safety codes and standards. There is nothing stopping education facility managers from applying the findings immediately.
College of Engineering and Technology, Bhubaneswar India
Abstract. Academic laboratories should be a safe environment in which one can teach, learn, and conduct research. Sharing a common principle, the prevention of potential accidents and imminent injuries is a fundamental goal of laboratory environments. In addition, academic laboratories are attributed the exceptional responsibility to instill in students the culture of the safety, the basis of risk assessment, and of the exemplification of the prudent practice around energized objects. Undergraduate laboratory assignments may normally be framed based upon the repetition of established experiments and procedures, whereas, academic research laboratories may involve new methodologies and/or apparatus, for which the hazards may not be completely known to the faculty and student researchers. Yet, the academic laboratory should be an environment free of electrical hazards for both routine experiments and research endeavors, and faculty should offer practical inputs and safety-driven insights to academic administration to achieve such a paramount objective. In this paper, the authors discuss the challenges to the electrical safety in modern academic laboratories, where users may be exposed to harmful touch voltages.
I. INTRODUCTION
A. Electricity and Human Vulnerabilities
B. Electrical Hazards in Academic Laboratories
II. ELECTRICAL SEPARATION
III. SAFETY IN ACADEMIC LABORATORIES WITH VARIABLE FREQUENCY DRIVES
IV. ELECTRICAL SAFETY IN ACADEMIC LIGHTING LABORATORIES
V. ACADEMIC RESEARCH LABORATORIES
A. Basic Rules of Engagement
B. Unidirectional Impulse Currents
VI. HAZARDS IN LABORATORIES DUE TO ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD EXPOSURE
VII. WARNING SIGNS AND PSYCHOLOGICAL PERCEPTION OF DANGER
VIII. CONCLUSION
Safety is the most important practice in an academic laboratory as “safety and productivity are on the same team”. Electrical measurement and electrically-powered equipment of various brands and models are common in both teaching and research laboratories, highlighting the need to maintaining them continuously in an electrically-safe status. Annual reports on the occurrence of electrical hazards (i.e. shocks and injuries) in academic laboratory environments primarily discover the (i) lack of knowledge on using the electrical equipment, (ii) careless use of the energized electric facilities, and (iii) faulty electrical equipment or cords. The above does call for the establishment of safety-driven codes, instructions, and trainings for the academic personnel working with or near such devices for teaching, learning, experiments, and research. This paper provided background information on the concept of electrical safety in the academic laboratories, presented the safety challenges of modern academic laboratories, and offered solutions on how enhance the lab environment and research personnel safety awareness to avoid and control electrical hazards.
Issue: [19-129]
Category: Electrical, Facility Asset Management, Fire Safety, International
Colleagues: Mike Anthony, Rodolfo Araneo, Payman Dehghanian, Jim Harvey, Massimo Mitolo, Joe Tedesco
When is it ever NOT storm season somewhere in the United States; with several hundred schools, colleges and universities in the path of them? Hurricanes also spawn tornadoes. This title sets the standard of care for safety, resilience and recovery when education community structures are used for shelter and recovery. The most recently published edition of the joint work results of the International Code Council and the ASCE Structural Engineering Institute SEI-7 is linked below:
Given the historic tornados in the American Midwest this weekend, its relevance is plain. From the project prospectus:
The objective of this Standard is to provide technical design and performance criteria that will facilitate and promote the design, construction, and installation of safe, reliable, and economical storm shelters to protect the public. It is intended that this Standard be used by design professionals; storm shelter designers, manufacturers, and constructors; building officials; and emergency management personnel and government officials to ensure that storm shelters provide a consistently high level of protection to the sheltered public.
This project runs roughly in tandem with the ASCE Structural Engineering Institute SEI-17 which has recently updated its content management system and presented challenges to anyone who attempts to find the content where it used to be before the website overhaul. In the intervening time, we direct stakeholders to the link to actual text (above) and remind education facility managers and their architectural/engineering consultants that the ICC Code Development process is open to everyone.
The ICC receives public response to proposed changes to titles in its catalog at the link below:
You are encouraged to communicate with Kimberly Paarlberg ([email protected]) for detailed, up to the moment information. When the content is curated by ICC staff it is made available at the link below:
We maintain this title on the agenda of our periodic Disaster colloquia which approach this title from the point of view of education community facility managers who collaborate with structual engineers, architects and emergency management functionaries.. See our CALENDAR for the next online meeting, open to everyone.
Supporting swimming pools with electricity involves various essential functions such as filtration, heating, lighting, and sanitation. Ensuring safety and energy efficiency is crucial, and pool owners can take steps to minimize electricity costs and environmental impact. Key points:
Filtration and Circulation: Swimming pools rely on electric pumps to circulate water through filters, removing debris and maintaining water quality.
Heating: Electric heaters or heat pumps are used to regulate water temperature for comfort, especially in colder seasons.
Lighting: Underwater and pool area lighting enhance safety and aesthetics, typically powered by electricity.
Chlorination and Sanitation: Electric chlorinators or ozone generators help maintain water cleanliness and hygiene.
Automation: Electric control systems enable pool owners to manage filtration, heating, and lighting remotely for convenience and energy efficiency.
Energy Efficiency: Pool owners can invest in energy-efficient equipment, like variable-speed pumps and LED lighting, to reduce electricity consumption and operating costs.
Operations and Maintenance: Regular electrical maintenance ensures safe and reliable pool operation, preventing electrical faults and hazards. The electricity cost for pool operation can be significant, so pool owners should consider energy-efficient practices and equipment to reduce expenses.
Education communities present one of the largest installed bases of artificially created bodies of water; the most abundance resource on earth. These bodies vary in size, purpose, and design but are all created by human intervention to serve specific needs, whether practical, recreational, or aesthetic. Safe and sustainable management of them in the Unite States are informed by best practice found in Article 680 of the National Electrical Code with scope statement below:
Construction and installation of electrical wiring for, and equipment in or adjacent to, all swimming, wading, therapeutic, and decorative pools; fountains; hot tubs; spas; and hydromassage bathtubs, whether permanently installed or storable, and to metallic auxiliary equipment, such as pumps, filters, and similar equipment.
Consultation on the First Draft of the 2026 revision closes August 24, 2024.
Today we break down the literature for building, maintaining and supporting the computing infrastructure of education settlements. We use the term “infotech” gingerly to explain action for a broad span of technologies that encompass enterprise servers and software, wireless and wired networks, campus phone networks, and desktop computers that provide administrative services and career tech video production. The private sector has moved at light speed to respond to the circumstances of the pandemic; so have vertical incumbents evolving their business models to seek conformance revenue. Starting 2023 we break down the topic accordingly:
Infotech 200: Wired and wireless infrastructure for education and administration related to teaching sciences and supporting fine and lively arts
Infotech 400: Physical system middleware for research facilities; data center location, power supply, cooling systems, fire suppression, security, monitoring and management.
The literature radiates continually by consortia, open-source, or ad hoc standards-setting domains rather than the private standards system administered by global and standards setting bodies; to wit:
The ICT domain is huge, replacing physical libraries. The foregoing is a highly curated sample.
We continue to include teaching and learning media standards on our colloquia however it is likely that will break up this topic into at least two related colloquia as 2022 proceeds; with primary focus on the design, construction and maintenance of the physical ICT infrastructure. Much depends upon the interest of our clients, colleagues and other stakeholders. We collaborate closely with the IEEE Education and Healthcare Electrotechnology Committee.
Use the login credentials at the upper right of our home page.
Campus exterior lighting systems generally run in the 100 to 10,000 fixture range and are, arguably, the most visible characteristic of public safety infrastructure. Some major research universities have exterior lighting systems that are larger and more complex than cooperative and municipal power company lighting systems which are regulated by public service commissions.
While there has been considerable expertise in developing illumination concepts by the National Electrical Manufacturers Association, Illumination Engineering Society, the American Society of Heating and Refrigeration Engineers, the International Electrotechnical Commission and the International Commission on Illumination, none of them contribute to leading practice discovery for the actual power chain for these large scale systems on a college campus. The standard of care has been borrowed, somewhat anecdotally, from public utility community lighting system practice. These concepts need to be revisited as the emergent #SmartCampus takes shape.
Electrical power professionals who service the education and university-affiliated healthcare facility industry should communicate directly with Mike Anthony ([email protected]) or Jim Harvey ([email protected]). This project is also on the standing agenda of the IEEE E&H committee which meets online 4 times monthly — every other Tuesday — in European and American time zones. Login credentials are available on its draft agenda page.
Issue: [15-199]
Category: Electrical, Public Safety, Architectural, #SmartCampus, Space Planning, Risk Management
Contact: Mike Anthony, Kane Howard, Jim Harvey, Dev Paul, Steven Townsend, Kane Howard
After athletic facility life safety obligations are met (governed legally by NFPA 70, NFPA 101, NFPA 110, the International Building Code and possibly other state adaptations of those consensus documents incorporated by reference into public safety law) business objective standards may come into play. For business purposes, the documents distributed by the National Collegiate Athletic Association inform the standard of care for individual athletic arenas so that swiftly moving media production companies have some consistency in power sources and illumination as they move from site to site. Sometimes concepts to meet both life safety and business objectives merge.
During the spring baseball season the document linked below provides guidance for illumination designers, contractors and facility managers:
Athletic programs are a significant source of revenue and form a large part of the foundation of the brand identity of most educational institutions in the United States. We focus primarily upon the technology standards that govern the safety, performance and sustainability of these enterprises. We cover the objectives of the energy conservation advocates in separate posts; notably advocates using the International Code Council and the ASHRAE suite to advance their agenda to press boxes and the entire baseball experience (interior and exterior) site in separate posts.
We collaborate very closely with the IEEE Education & Healthcare Facilities Committee where subject matter experts in electrical power systems meet 4 times each month in the Americas and Europe.
See our CALENDAR for our next Sport colloquium. We typically walk through the safety and sustainability concepts in play; identify commenting opportunities; and find user-interest “champions” on the technical committees who have a similar goal in lowering #TotalCostofOwnership.
Issue: [15-138]*
Category: Electrical, Energy Conservation, Energy, Athletics & Recreation
“Benjamin Franklin Drawing Electricity from the Sky” 1816 Benjamin West
Benjamin Franklin conducted his famous experiment with lightning on June 10, 1752.
He used a kite and a key to demonstrate that lightning was a form of electricity.
This experiment marked an important milestone in understanding the nature of electricity
and laid the foundation for the development of lightning rods and other lightning protection systems.
Seasonal extreme weather patterns in the United States, resulting in damages to education facilities and delays in outdoor athletic events — track meets; lacrosse games, swimming pool closures and the like — inspire a revisit of the relevant standards for the systems that contribute to safety from injury and physical damage to buildings: NFPA 780 Standard for the Installation of Lightning Protection Systems
This document shall cover traditional lightning protection system installation requirements for the following: (1) Ordinary structures (2) Miscellaneous structures and special occupancies (3) Heavy-duty stacks (4) Structures containing flammable vapors, flammable gases, or liquids with flammable vapors (5) Structures housing explosive materials (6) Wind turbines (7) Watercraft (8) Airfield lighting circuits (9) Solar arrays
This document shall address lightning protection of the structure but not the equipment or installation requirements for electric generating, transmission, and distribution systems except as given in Chapter 9 and Chapter 12.
(Electric generating facilities whose primary purpose is to generate electric power are excluded from this standard with regard to generation, transmission, and distribution of power. Most electrical utilities have standards covering the protection of their facilities and equipment. Installations not directly related to those areas and structures housing such installations can be protected against lightning by the provisions of this standard.)
This document shall not cover lightning protection system installation requirements for early streamer emission systems or charge dissipation systems.
“Down conductors” must be at least #2 AWG copper (0 AWG aluminum) for Class I materials in structures less than 75-ft in height
“Down conductors: must be at least 00 AWG copper (0000 AWG aluminum) for Class II Materials in structures greater than 75-ft in height.
Related grounding and bonding requirements appears in Chapters 2 and Chapter 3 of NFPA 70 National Electrical Code. This standard does not establish evacuation criteria.
University of Michigan | Washtenaw County (Photo by Kai Petainen)
The current edition is dated 2023 and, from the transcripts, you can observe concern about solar power and early emission streamer technologies tracking through the committee decision making. Education communities have significant activity in wide-open spaces; hence our attention to technical specifics.
Public input on the 2026 revision is receivable until 1 June 2023.
We always encourage our colleagues to key in their own ideas into the NFPA public input facility (CLICK HERE). We maintain NFPA 780 on our Power colloquia which collaborates with IEEE four times monthly in European and American time zones. See our CALENDAR for the next online meeting; open to everyone.
Lightning flash density – 12 hourly averages over the year (NASA OTD/LIS) This shows that lightning is much more frequent in summer than in winter, and from noon to midnight compared to midnight to noon.
Issue: [14-105]
Category: Electrical, Telecommunication, Public Safety, Risk Management
Colleagues: Mike Anthony, Jim Harvey, Kane Howard
Didn't really plan for all possibilities, did they. 🤓
Churches and chapels are more susceptible to lightning damage due to their height and design. Consider:
Height: Taller structures are more likely to be struck by lightning because they are closer to the cloud base where lightning originates.
Location: If a church or chapel is situated in an area with frequent thunderstorms, it will have a higher likelihood of being struck by lightning.
Construction Materials: The materials used in the construction of the building can affect its vulnerability. Metal structures, for instance, can conduct lightning strikes more readily than non-metallic materials.
Proximity to Other Structures: If the church or chapel is located near other taller structures like trees, utility poles, or buildings, it could increase the chances of lightning seeking a path through these objects before reaching the building.
Lightning Protection Systems: Installing lightning rods and other lightning protection systems can help to divert lightning strikes away from the structure, reducing the risk of damage.
Maintenance: Regular maintenance of lightning protection systems is essential to ensure their effectiveness. Neglecting maintenance could result in increased susceptibility to lightning damage.
Historical Significance: Older buildings might lack modern lightning protection systems, making them more vulnerable to lightning strikes.
The risk can be mitigated by proper design, installation of lightning protection systems, and regular maintenance.
Today we break form from our normal custom of assessing conceptual movement in stabilized safety and sustainability standards for education settlements and, instead, venture into a domain that will inform nearly everything we do; and with gathering pace.
We begin with the action among the experts in the organizations listed below:
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST):
NIST’s Post-Quantum Cryptography Standardization: NIST is working on standardizing cryptographic algorithms that are secure against quantum attacks. The goal is to ensure that data remains secure even with the advent of quantum computers. This involves selecting algorithms through an open competition, which began in 2016, and is still ongoing.
Quantum Information Program: NIST conducts research and develops standards related to quantum information science, including quantum computing, quantum communication, and quantum metrology.
Quantum Economic Development Consortium (QED-C):
Formed as part of the National Quantum Initiative Act, QED-C aims to enable and grow the quantum industry in the U.S. It involves various stakeholders, including industry, academic institutions, and government agencies, working together to identify and address standards and other needs to foster a robust quantum ecosystem.
National Quantum Initiative (NQI):
Established by the National Quantum Initiative Act in 2018, NQI coordinates efforts across multiple agencies, including NIST, the Department of Energy (DOE), and the National Science Foundation (NSF), to advance quantum information science. This includes the development of standards, infrastructure, and research to support quantum technologies.
International Standards:
While primarily international, organizations like the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) have working groups focusing on quantum technologies. U.S. participation in these groups helps ensure that global standards align with U.S. interests and priorities.
Federal Agencies and Research Programs:
The DOE, NSF, and other federal agencies fund research and development in quantum computing, which often includes aspects related to standards and best practices. For example, the DOE’s Quantum Information Science (QIS) Research Centers and NSF’s Quantum Leap Challenge Institutes.
Industry-Led Initiatives:
Several industry consortia and companies are actively involved in developing quantum computing standards. Organizations like the IEEE have working groups focused on quantum computing and quantum communications standards.
Overall, the U.S. approach to quantum computing standards is multifaceted, involving federal agencies, industry consortia, academic research, and participation in international standard-setting bodies.
Andrej Karpathy (Stanford, OpenAI): Introduction to Large Language Models
New update alert! The 2022 update to the Trademark Assignment Dataset is now available online. Find 1.29 million trademark assignments, involving 2.28 million unique trademark properties issued by the USPTO between March 1952 and January 2023: https://t.co/njrDAbSpwBpic.twitter.com/GkAXrHoQ9T
_-_Benjamin_Franklin_Drawing_Electricity_from_the_Sky_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg)
