E2 Health Care Facilities 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In a patient care area, what is the maximum allowable voltage between any two accessible conductive surfaces in a general care area?
- 25 mV
- 50 mV (Correct answer)
- 100 mV
- 500 mV
Correct answer: 50 mV
NEC 517.13 requires that the voltage between any two accessible conductive surfaces in a general care area not exceed 50 mV (millivolts).
Question 2: Which NEC article specifically covers the electrical requirements for health care facilities?
- Article 500
- Article 510
- Article 517 (Correct answer)
- Article 525
Correct answer: Article 517
NEC Article 517 covers electrical wiring and equipment in health care facilities including hospitals, nursing homes, and clinics.
Question 3: What is the minimum size equipment grounding conductor required for a branch circuit in a critical care area?
- 10 AWG copper (Correct answer)
- 12 AWG copper
- 14 AWG copper
- No minimum—it follows the standard table
Correct answer: 10 AWG copper
NEC 517.13(A) requires an insulated copper equipment grounding conductor, minimum 10 AWG, for branch circuits serving patient care areas in critical care spaces.
Question 4: In a Type 1 essential electrical system, the automatic transfer to generator power must occur within how many seconds?
- 5 seconds
- 10 seconds (Correct answer)
- 15 seconds
- 30 seconds
Correct answer: 10 seconds
NEC 517.30 and NFPA 99 require that the life safety and critical branches of a Type 1 EES transfer to alternate power within 10 seconds of normal power failure.
Question 5: A wet procedure location in a health care facility is defined as one where:
- Condensation is present on walls
- The patient is fully or partially submerged
- Liquids are intentionally used as part of the procedure (Correct answer)
- Water-based disinfectants are stored
Correct answer: Liquids are intentionally used as part of the procedure
NEC 517.2 defines a wet procedure location as one in which a procedure is performed and water or conductive liquids are intentionally used or administered.
Question 6: What type of receptacles are required in critical care patient bed locations?
- Standard duplex receptacles
- GFCI-protected receptacles
- Hospital-grade receptacles (Correct answer)
- Tamper-resistant receptacles only
Correct answer: Hospital-grade receptacles
NEC 517.18(B) requires hospital-grade receptacles at patient bed locations in critical care areas to ensure reliable connections for life-supporting equipment.
Question 7: Which branch of the essential electrical system in a hospital must power the fire alarm system?
- Critical branch
- Life safety branch (Correct answer)
- Equipment branch
- Normal branch
Correct answer: Life safety branch
NEC 517.32 specifies that the fire alarm system must be connected to the life safety branch of the essential electrical system.
E2 Health Care Facilities 2
In a patient care area, what is the maximum allowable voltage between any two accessible conductive surfaces in a general care area?