NFPA 70B and the Need for Accurate Equipment Documentation

By Heath Stephens, P.E. | Automation Solutions Director

NFPA 70B is a standard published by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) that provides recommended practices for the maintenance of electrical equipment to improve safety and reliability. NFPA 70B is often viewed as a maintenance standard focused strictly on electrical equipment, but that is not the complete picture. The intent behind the NFPA 70B standard points to a larger operational issue that many facilities still struggle with: knowing what equipment is installed, what condition it is in, and what risks it carries. Since 2023, NFPA 70B is a required standard, not just a recommended best practice.

NFPA 70, also known as the National Electrical Code (NEC), governs the design and installation of electrical systems, emphasizing proper labeling, identification, and documentation for safety. NFPA 70B addresses the inspection, maintenance, and condition of that equipment throughout its lifecycle, requiring a survey and analysis of electrical equipment and an Electrical Maintenance Program (EMP) that documents equipment condition over time. That requirement forces facilities to verify what is actually installed, and it is becoming more critical as supply chain delays, aging equipment, and cybersecurity risks make it harder to respond to failures without a clear understanding of their equipment and its condition. An up-to-date EMP is increasingly required by commercial insurance carriers as a condition of coverage.

The Gap Between Requirement and Reality

A compliant electrical survey typically involves boots on the ground — physically walking through the facility, opening cabinets, verifying nameplates, and documenting what is installed. That process creates a baseline inventory and condition assessment of all equipment. This is not a task that can be accomplished by a software tool plugged into the network to “sniff” out equipment.

Many organizations believe they already have this covered on paper — asset lists exist in systems like SAP or other CMMS platforms. The assumption is that those records are accurate, but that is rarely the case in reality.

Asset lists are often created at project turnover and never fully maintained, so they may not accurately reflect the current environment. Equipment gets replaced, modified, or abandoned. Firmware changes, spare parts strategies evolve, and undocumented workarounds accumulate over time. NFPA 70B requires verification and ongoing maintenance of that information to prevent these gaps from forming.

Electrical Equipment Is Only Part of the Picture

NFPA 70B is focused on electrical equipment, not specifically control system equipment. However, PLCs and VFDs connected to MCCs are specifically called out. Facility and building utilities are also specifically called out. Additionally, electrical systems are only one piece of the overall operation, and stopping there can leave other areas of risk unaddressed. The same survey, documentation, and maintenance approach should be applied across control systems. PLCs, HMIs, and network components all play a role in safe and reliable operations, and they introduce additional layers of risk that go beyond traditional electrical concerns:

Obsolescence risk: Equipment may no longer be manufactured or supported
Supply chain risk: Lead times for replacements may take weeks or months
Cybersecurity risk: Legacy firmware and unsupported platforms create vulnerabilities
Operational risk: Unknown dependencies can extend downtime during failures

These risks can compound when there is no clear understanding of what is installed and how it is performing. A narrow interpretation of NFPA 70B leaves significant risk unaddressed.

Applying the Survey Across Control Systems

Once the need for broader accountability is established, the next step is applying that approach in practice. Facilities that get the most value from NFPA 70B treat it as a starting point and extend the same survey and documentation approach to control systems and supporting infrastructure.

In practice, this means going beyond electrical equipment and applying the same level of care across the broader system. For many facilities, that includes:

Documenting PLCs, HMIs, drives, and network hardware
Verifying firmware versions and system backups
Identifying obsolete or unsupported components
Capturing dependencies between systems

This creates a more complete view of the plant’s operational technology environment. It also supports broader initiatives such as cybersecurity and digital transformation, where accurate asset visibility is essential.

The Cost of Incomplete Visibility

In many cases, a facility only realizes it has a problem after a failure occurs. A component that has been running quietly for years suddenly fails, only to reveal that it is obsolete, not documented, and has no available spare. What could have been a short outage turns into days or weeks of downtime while teams search for replacement parts.

A complete and accurate asset database gives facilities the ability to:

Prioritize maintenance and replacement strategies
Define spare parts requirements based on risk
Identify cybersecurity vulnerabilities and mitigation paths
Plan migrations and upgrades with fewer surprises

Without visibility into the current state of equipment, decisions tend to be reactive rather than strategic, resulting in extended downtime, rushed procurement, and missed production targets. A component that fails unexpectedly may take days or weeks to replace if it is obsolete or not stocked. In contrast, known risks can be planned for and mitigated ahead of time.

The Effective Maintenance Program

NFPA 70B requires establishing and maintaining an Electrical Maintenance Program, but the challenge for many facilities is not creating the program—it is sustaining accurate, usable information over time. The survey is not just a one-time effort; it must be maintained as equipment changes over time.

A sustainable program requires:

A living asset database that reflects current conditions
Defined processes for updating records after changes
Integration with CMMS or other maintenance systems
Clear ownership of data accuracy and maintenance

Many organizations fall short of this because they do not maintain data after the initial survey is completed. A successful program treats asset data as critical operational information, not a one-time checkbox.

Turning Compliance Into an Advantage

NFPA 70B does not have to be seen as just another compliance requirement. Facilities can use the standard as a catalyst to improve reliability, reduce risk, and support future initiatives. Extending the survey beyond electrical equipment creates a more complete understanding of the plant and enables better long-term planning.

The process starts with a clear understanding of what is in the plant, but the value comes from what is done next: identifying risk, prioritizing action, and putting a plan in place before failures force the issue.

Hargrove Controls & Automation works with clients to perform these surveys, build structured asset databases, and translate that information into actionable strategies. Whether starting from scratch or refining existing data, the goal is the same: create clarity around what is installed, understand its current condition, and plan for the future. Contact us today.