Electrical Inspection Checklist: Hospitals and Health Care

This Electrical Inspection Checklist: Hospitals and Health Care is engineered to provide an NEC compliant process to guide you in your safety inspections.

The electrical systems of hospitals and other healthcare facilities have a greater degree of complexity than the standard residential or commercial setup. Within hospital and healthcare environments, it is vital that power remains constant and there is no risk of outages or other electrical problems. 

This checklist is geared to take you through a number of general electrical checks and provide a number of location specific elements to the process embedded in. Task 4 will be your opportunity to define the scope of your inspection so that you can make the most of this template. 

This process is editable and you can add or remove steps as you please. Each inspection-specific task contains the relevant NEC section reference which applies to the action. It is recommended that you familiarize yourself with the standards before beginning any inspection. 

As you work through the checklist, you will encounter form fields where you can enter information and notes in relation to each task. The checklist will save each entry and the data can be accessed from the overview tab on the left-hand column of your template overview. 

You can also opt to print your checklist once you have completed the inspection. This will give you the option to save it as a PDF and act as an automatically generated report. 

You can also watch this video to give you a visual introduction. 

Use this section to record the key details of the inspection.

Enter your information into the form fields provided. 

An electrical inspection is normally needed to ensure the safety of others. However, it is important to make sure that your own safety is not put at risk in performing the inspection. 

You can find here our checklist for making sure you are safe before performing your inspection

Electrical Inspection Checklist

The first half of this checklist is designed to help you assess the area and risk in order to do your job safely and well. 

We recommend you run this checklist before starting any inspection.

NEC: 517.1, 517.2 

This checklist contains an overview section for healthcare facilities and includes further specialized sections including:

• Hospitals and Ambulatory Care Facilities with Critical Care Areas
• Nursing Homes and Limited Care Facilities
• Clinics, Medical, and Dental Offices
• Further Checks Applicable to All Health Care Facilities

Assess your needs for the inspection and what areas you need to cover. Utilize the checklist accordingly. 

You can use the form field below to record any notes. 

NEC: 517.13(A) and (B), 517.16

Make sure insulated copper conductors in metal raceways, or equivalent cables, are used to provide equipment grounding for branch circuits in patient care spaces.

Also, check to ensure receptacles with an insulated grounding terminal (Type IG) are not used.

NEC: 517.14, 517.18, 527.19(D)

Check for the presence of bonding between normal and essential branch circuit wiring panel boards in places where any single patient care space is being served. 

NEC: 517.10(B)(2), 517.18(A)

For each general care space patient bed location, make sure there is:

• at least two branch circuits
  • one from the normal system
  • one from the critical branch

NEC: 517.18(B), 517.30(E) 

Make sure each general space area patient bed location has a minimum of 8 receptacles.

Leave your notes in the form field below. 

NEC: 517.18(B) and (C)

Children are naturally curious and don't understand the risks they may sometimes take. It is important that there are tamper-resistant coverings in place in the pediatric locations of general care spaces.

NEC: 517.19(A), 517.30(E)

Make sure each critical care space patient bed location has:

• at least two branch circuits
  • one from the normal system
  • one from the critical branch

NEC: 517.19(A) 

Make sure each critical care space patient bed location has at least one receptacle which is supplied by a dedicated critical branch circuit. 

NEC: 517.19(B) 

Make sure that in total each critical care space patient bed location has a minimum of 14 receptacles.

NEC: 517.19(B) 

Make sure that a critical care space patient bed location has at least one receptacle which is connected to a branch circuit that is completely separate from the main branch circuit - this could be a normal or critical branch source.

Use the form field to record any notes.

NEC: 517.19(C)

Operating rooms are crucial areas where we need to be extra vigilant in ensuring standards are adhered to. Make sure there are at least 36 receptacles in each operating room. 

NEC: 517.18(B), 517.19(B)(2), 517.30(E) 

As well as providing that all patient bed location receptacles are hospital-grade, you should also ensure that all critical branch receptacles have been identified. 

NEC: 517.20, 517.21

Make sure all wet procedure locations are fitted with protection by GFCI devices. Alternatively, check for the use of isolated power systems where interruptions cannot be tolerated. 

Leave your notes below

NEC: 517.30(B)(1) 

Make sure that all of critical, life safety, and equipment branches have been adequately provided. 

NEC: 517.30(D)

On review of the load calculations for the essential electrical systems, provide that the capacity of the power sources and feeders are adequate.

NEC: 517.30(C)(1)

Given their vital importance, make sure that the critical and life safety branches are wired separately from other wiring and equipment. These branches should be seen to be independent of the other systems. 

NEC: 517.30(C)(3)

Verify that the mechanical protection for critical branch wiring is provided by nonflexible metallic raceways or Type MI cable.

Use the form field below to record any notes.

NEC: 517.32

Make sure that only loads intended to be supplied by the life safety branch are actually being supplied by the life safety branch. Ensuring its independence is vital in fulfilling its purpose. 

NEC: 517.35

Make sure the essential electrical system is being supplied by two independent sources. The secondary source which acts as the alternative should also be reviewed to judge its suitability.

NEC: 517.26 (700.28) 517.30(G)

Determine that the overcurrent protective devices of the life safety branch are selectively coordinated and that the overcurrent devices of the critical branch are coordinated to .01 seconds.

NEC: 517.41(A) 

Review the essential electrical system and make sure that both the critical and life safety branches are provided and adequate. 

NEC: 517.41(C) 

Review the load calculations as part of your assessment of the essential electrical system and determine whether or not the capacity of the power sources and feeders are adequate. 

NEC: 517.41(D)

Make sure that the life safety branch is independent of other branches and only those loads intended to be supplied by it are being supplied by it. 

NEC: 517.44

Make sure two independent sources are provided for the essential electrical system and that the alternative source is adequate for the task. 

NEC: 517.45(B) and (C)

Make sure an essential electrical system is present and functioning where it is required. 

NEC: 517.45(A) and (D)

Make sure an alternative power source is present and ensure that it has been specifically designed for the purpose. 

NEC: 517.60

Determine whether hazardous (classified) anesthetizing locations exist in the facility.

NEC: 517.61(A) and (B) 

Make sure appropriate wiring and equipment have been used in locations in and above hazardous (classified) anesthetizing locations.

NEC: 517.63(F)

Make sure that power circuits in flammable anesthetizing locations are separate and isolated from other power systems. 

Use the form field below to record any notes. 

NEC: 517.63(A)

Make sure that there are battery powered lighting units available in anesthetizing locations and that the equipment is functional.

NEC: 517.71 

Check that the supply circuits to x-ray equipment are adequate and have been wired appropriately. 

NEC: 517.72

Make sure that you check the capacity, location, and disconnecting means for x-ray equipment. 

NEC: 517.73 

Make sure that supply circuits for x-ray equipment are adequate and meet the minimum rating requirements for ampacity and overcurrent standards. 

NEC: 517.78

Make sure enclosures for high-voltage parts, and for noncurrent carrying metal parts, of X-ray equipment are safely grounded.

NEC: 517.80

Make sure that low voltage systems within patient care areas have both insulation and isolation equivalent to their power distribution systems. 

NEC: 517.160

Make sure that you check isolated power systems for:

• proper installation,
• features,
• and conductor information.

You can use the form field below to record your notes. 

NEC: 517.17

Verify second-level GFPE where applicable in hospitals and other health care facilities.

If you have any other thoughts or comments which you would like to include in your report, leave them in the form field provided. 

You can use the email widget to send a copy of your report to the key stakeholders. 

The information from your first task is being pulled into the body of the email through the use of variables. You can find more about variables on our help site. 

• Jones and Bartlett - Electrical Inspection Manual With Checklists, 2014
• The State of California, Department of Transportation - Electrical QA Inspection Manual, 2015
• Science Direct - Electrical Safety Code Manual, 2010
• NFPA - NEC Overview 
• NFPA - Changes to the 2017 NEC 

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