Understanding and Getting Involved in NFPA's Standards Development Process: Copyright Material IEEE Paper No. ESW-2021-18

Abstract

Standards developed by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) are a very important source of information for electrical safety programs and safe electrical installations for a very large number of individuals and organizations. They are widely used by many countries around the world. NFPA 70®, National Electrical Code®, (or NEC®), and NFPA 70E®, Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace® are two more commonly known examples, although there are many others. NFPA has a well-established process for the development of new standards and for periodic review and revision of existing ones. Understanding this standards development and revision process is important to everyone involved with electrical safety. It follows a defined set of rules and regulations that moves the standards through the process, and that also encourages participation from members of the public. Most people are not aware of what this process is, or that it encourages public participation. The process is open to anyone and the more involvement from affected individuals, the better the resulting standards. Everyone has their own knowledge, experiences and expertise. All are valuable and should be included in the process. The objective of this paper is to increase a person's knowledge of the process, including explaining how anyone can get involved and encouraging them to do so.