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The NFPA places ALL liability on safety on the Local Authority Having Jurisdiction! This may come as a surprise to most people, but when the NFPA disclaimer is referenced, it is very clear. If you are an Inspector, you may not realize that YOU have the authority to require the pool builders adhere to the 2005 version of the National Electrical Code, as is referenced in this Proposal form 2011, when Wayne H. Robinson, a former Chief Electrical Inspector, Author, Speaker, and Educator.

Getting Shocked on your Pool Deck? It is possible the shock is coming from stray voltage. This article contains a brief and simple explanation of stray voltage and equipotential bonding planes around swimming pools & spas, and their decks, in “ordinary” terms. This article also covers the changes to the National Electrical Code and how it affects the pool owner’s safety. At the end of the article are remedial options that have been suggested by those in the industry, to mitigate the effects of stray voltage if your deck was built without protection from stray voltage.

The 2008 National Electric Code (NEC) allows installation of an alternate means 680.26(B)(2)(b) (ground ring) around nonconductive pools, nonstructural steel and encapsulated steel swimming pools in lieu of an equipotential copper bonding grid to mitigate abnormal water-to-deck voltages around swimming pools. This allowance was not present in the previous versions of the code. There have been cases where a ground ring did not provide adequate protection for the swimmers and the public.