b'ELECTRICAL CODEmaterials, roofing renewal becomes chal- immediatelybelowtheroofdeck,11Montgomery, Steve. Required Technology lenging and may even be dangerous. althoughthenon-bindinglanguageto Prevent Electrical Fire Ignitions, IAEI in Appendix B to the rule also saysMagazine: September/October 2011Where Theres Heat, Theres Fire that this should not be done until(https://iaeimagazine.org/2011/september2011/Sometimes,roofingscrewsunavoid- substantialcompletionoftheroof12 required-technology-to-prevent-electrical-fire-ignitions). ablydamagetheelectricalsystem. In 2015, the RCABC made application to the Occasionally, the damage is obviousadeckingsystem.Ironically,theseCommittee on the Canadian Electrical (CE) variousexceptionsresultinaruleCode, Part 1, to change the CE Code and intro-fastener bisects an energized conductorthatappearstofallwellshortofduce a mandatory separation space between the and the lights in the building go out. Asaligningwiththefirstfunctionalroof assembly and electrical wiring, boxes and you can imagine, its an expensive prop- luminaires. The Code Change Request (CCR) osition to repair the damage. I was toldstatement of the National Buildingwas assigned to the Section 12 Subcommittee as Code of Canada: that a building orSubject No. 4007. Rule 12-022 was adopted after ofoneinstancewhereascrewpene- itselementsmustminimizetheyears of work by the RCABC but is very different trated an electrical junction box and itsfrom what the RCABC recommended to the cover.Thefastenertrippedtheover- risk of accidental ignition (Div. A,Committee on the Canadian Electrical Code,currentprotectiondevice(notbeforeArticle 3.2.1.1.).Part 1.wiring inside the box had burned), but becausethejunctionboxcovercould not be removed to access the wiring for repairs,theelectricalrepaircontractor was forced to dismantle and replace the entire circuit.Occasionally,ascrewsimplynicks the wire, creating a high-resistance fault andresistiveheating.Resistiveheating causes more electrically generated fires than one might think. A 2008 report by the Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) in Ontario suggested that 29 per cent of theelectricalfiresfrom2002to2007 were caused by arcing and 40 per cent fromresistiveheating,buttheactual numberoffirescausedbyresistive heating might be higheras high as 58 per cent. 11Of course, the data does not suggest that the majority of fires caused byresistiveheatingwereattributed todamagefromfasteners(roofingor otherwise), but it is clear from more than a decade of changes to the U.S. National ElectricalCode(NEC)thatroofing fasteners pose a serious concern. (For more about changes to the NEC since 2008, see my full article online.)InJune2019,theCommitteeonwww.precisionmetals.catheCanadianElectrical(CE)Code, Part1votedtoadoptRule12-022. 12 Your Metal SpecialistsRule12-022(nowpartofthe2020Roof PanelsCE Code) prohibits the installation ofTested and certified byOn-Site Manufacturing - We come to youhigh-voltagecablesorracewaysinsidePre-Notched - Saving labour $$a roof system (that is, above the deckProudly made in Canadaand concealed within roofing materials).8081, 132nd St. Surrey B.C. However,therulepermitsconcealed604.594.6001installations for embedded trace heatProducing quality products for the construction industry since 1975wiringandClass2circuitswithan opencircuitvoltagenotexceeding30 volts. It also still permits the instal-lation of exposed cables or raceways www.rcabc.orgl33'