GFI required in mechanical room?

[paul]

If outlets are in a mechanical room in a commercial setting, above unfinished concrete floor, is it a building code requirement to have the receptacles GFI protected?

210.8 of the NEC seems to say yes, but only if it is a residence. It omits the requirement for unfinished basements in commercial buildings.

Please, somebody with building code experience other than NEC help!! I thought it was a BOCA requirement, but have no BOCA experience.

I claim the contractor should put GFIs in on this concrete floored area. He says it is a good safety measure, but not required, so he won't do it under contract.

Thanks,

Paul

[Wgoodrich]

BOCA has been replaced in most states by what is called the International Building Code. BOCA was obsorbed into the International Code Council and is now a part of them.

Now to answer your question. BOCA has never addressed electrical rules in their code concerning GFI protection. The International Building Code refers you to the NEC for electrical rules also not addressing electrical rules in the IBC that replaced BOCA.

The NEC does not care if concrete floors or not. It does not require GFI protection for a mechanical room unless there is a sink with water in it. Then GFI protection is required only within 6' of that sink with water.

In a commercial setting GFI protection is only required for roof top equipment, bathrooms, entire kitchens, and outdoors. The kitchen and outdoors is a new rule found in the 2008 NEC. Before 2008 no GFI protection was required outdoor or in kitchens but now in the 2008 they are.

Hope this helps

Wg

[suemarkp]

The only other place to heck would be OHSA rules, and your state equivalent of OHSA. I'm pretty sure there are OHSA rules for GFCIs on portable generators at work sites, so they may have more GFCI rules.