The IEEE and the Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) have worked together to develop a system for electrical safety standards in Pakistan. The new Pakistan Electric and Telecommunication Safety Code (PETSAC-2014) is based on the National Electrical Safety Code (NESC), which the IEEE has managed since 1972. NESC provides rules for safe practices “during the installation, operation, or maintenance of electrical supply and communication lines, equipment, and associated work practices employed by a public or private electric supply, communications, railway, or similar utility in the exercise of its function as a utility,” according to the IEEE standards association. This is one of the oldest and most universal safety codes; it has been in continuous use since August 1914.
The PEC plans to hold workshops and seminars across the country, with the code being made fully effective within six months. “PETSAC-2014 provides a unified system of safety standards for safeguarding human lives and reducing material loss,” said Engr Jawed Salim Qureshi, chairman, Pakistan Engineering Council. “The prime objective of PETSAC-2014 is to help reduce fatal and non-fatal occupational accidents among directly exposed workforce and the general public and to contribute to the safety of valuable assets of the concerned utilities. PEC highly appreciates the support extended by the IEEE Standards Association for development of PETSAC-2014.”
