Behind the Scenes of IEEE 1683: A Look into the Creation of a Standard

Electrical equipment installations and system designs that comply with well-known consensus standards and national codes will meet or exceed minimum guidelines for safety and reliability. However, many within the industry believe that further attention should be paid to the principles of safety by design and prevention through design. In response, IEEE Standard 1683 [1], has been written to address electrical safety for low-voltage motor control centers (MCs), and similar standards are in development for other types of equipment. IEEE 1683 is the first IEEE standard developed to specifically address equipment design, selection, and installation practices with an emphasis on methods to reduce exposure to shock and arc-flash hazards. This article summarizes the history and reasons that led to the development of IEEE Standard 1683 and provides an introduction to its application for safer, low-voltage MCs.