2018 NFPA 79 Electrical Standard for Industrial Machinery

NFPA 79, Electrical Standard for Industrial Machinery 2018 edition establishes mandatory electrical safety requirements for industrial machinery — from single-motor drill presses to complex automated manufacturing systems. The standard covers the full scope of machine electrical design and installation: supply circuits, disconnecting means, overcurrent protection, control circuits, grounding and bonding, operator interface devices, and programmable electronic systems. It serves as the companion standard to both NFPA 70 (NEC) and NFPA 70E, and the 2018 edition was substantially revised to align with updated NEC voltage thresholds, current terminology, and new technology requirements across all covered equipment types.

Who Uses NFPA 79

Required by electrical engineers, machine designers, OEM manufacturers, system integrators, industrial electricians, and inspectors responsible for the design, installation, and compliance of electrical systems on industrial machinery. Always verify which edition is adopted in your jurisdiction or referenced in your facility's applicable standards before purchasing.

What's New in the 2018 Edition

The 2018 edition includes significant revisions for NEC alignment, voltage threshold updates, grounding and bonding clarifications, and new technology requirements, including:

• Voltage threshold revised from 600 volts to 1000 volts throughout the standard to align with NFPA 70 (NEC).
• Revised and new definitions updated to reflect current industry terminology, with coordinated changes throughout the standard.
• Chapter 5 renamed to "Disconnecting Means" to clarify coverage of all supply circuit conductor terminations on the machine.
• New requirement that the main disconnecting means be marked "machine supply circuit disconnect" when supplying multiple disconnecting means.
• New Exception No. 2 to 5.3.1.3 permitting the machine supply circuit disconnecting means to be externally mounted up to 20 ft away.
• Revisions permitting adjustable speed drives marked "suitable for output conductor protection" to have SCPD ratings determined by the drive's rated input current.
• New surge protection device (SPD) requirement added to Section 7.8.1 to correlate with the NEC.
• Chapter 8 title revised to include "Bonding," with clarifications on grounded conductor connections to equipment grounding conductors and requirements that all parts of the effective ground-fault current path withstand the highest thermal and mechanical fault current stress.
• Chapter 11 revised to clarify working space conditions specific to industrial machines and machine tools.

Edition Advisory

The 2018 NFPA 79 is an older edition. Verify which edition is currently referenced in your facility's applicable standards and adopted in your jurisdiction before purchasing.

Stay compliant with the electrical safety requirements for industrial machinery in your facility.

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