The NEC requires electrical work to be done in a neat and workmanlike manner [see Sec. 110.12] and references a couple of industry standards in the Informational Note below that requirement. Following that are two additional requirements:
- 110.12(A). The gist of this is you use the snap-in hole covers (or equivalent) to close enclosure openings such as those for raceway.
- 110.12(B). The gist of this is you properly assemble clean and undamaged parts when installing equipment.
But good workmanship means far more than this.
For example, if you install six runs of EMT along a wall, you take careful measurements, use a level when fixing the supports on each stick, and make all of bends at standard angles. The final look is neat and workmanlike.
Another example is that inside a cabinet, you route the wires in neat (there’s that word again) bundles, use a professional-grade label maker, face all of the labels in the same direction, and make the same bend in each wire as it comes out of the bundle to be terminated.
The neat appearance that is the hallmark of good workmanship may seem to come at the sacrifice of efficiency, but that isn’t so. It comes as a result of working methodically and with care, vastly reducing errors. That is the signature you want to leave on your work.
