Safety card
Dock and shore-power safety, in plain words
When to call 911, and what we'll tell you. Everything below the card is checked against a source.
Fire, smoke or a burning smell
Call 911 first. If it is safe to reach, switch off the breaker that feeds it.
Sparks, or a hot or scorched pedestal, panel or outlet
Switch off the breaker if it is safe to reach, stay clear of it and call us the next working day.
Water near wiring
If it is safe, switch off the breaker. Don't go near it until it has been looked at.
Someone has had a shock
Call 911.
Source ledger
What we say, and where each line comes from
These are the statements we make about docks and shore power. Each was read in the source named beside it before it went on this site.
| Where it comes from | What we say | |
|---|---|---|
| Swimming near a powered dock | Where it comes fromElectric Shock Drowning Prevention Association, “Preventing ESD” (electricshockdrowning.org) | What we sayDon't. Nobody should swim in or near a marina, dock or boatyard where AC power is in use, even when the water looks calm. |
| Salt water as an exception | Where it comes fromSteve D’Antonio, Waterway Guide, “Electric Shock Drowning and Electrocution Prevention” | What we sayIt isn't one. Nearly all recorded cases were in fresh water, but the author we read says salt water is not safe either, and that there are no exceptions. |
| A detector with a green light | Where it comes fromElectric Shock Drowning Prevention Association, “Preventing ESD” | What we sayA green light on a leakage detector doesn't make the water safe to swim in. |
| Ground-fault protection at the pedestal | Where it comes fromNFPA 70, Article 555, section 555.35, as summarized by EC&M magazine, “NEC Requirements for Marinas and Boatyards” | What we sayThe model electrical code asks for ground-fault protection on each boat receptacle that trips at 30 milliamps or less, and 100 or less on the feeder to the dock. Your county's adopted edition decides what applies to you. |
| Pedestal height | Where it comes fromNFPA 70, Article 555, section 555.33, as summarized by EC&M magazine | What we sayReceptacles on a fixed pier sit at least 12 inches above the pier surface. |
| The boat's own protection | Where it comes fromElectric Shock Drowning Prevention Association, “Preventing ESD” | What we sayA boat with AC power should carry an equipment leakage circuit interrupter or an isolation transformer, checked by an electrician trained in boat wiring standards. |
| Asking your marina | Where it comes fromElectric Shock Drowning Prevention Association, “Preventing ESD” | What we sayAsk the marina whether qualified electricians who know NFPA 303 and NFPA 70 inspect it regularly, and whether ground-fault protection is on its shore-power pedestals and wiring circuits. |
| Leakage checks on a busy dock | Where it comes fromNFPA 70, Article 555, section 555.35, as summarized by EC&M magazine | What we sayWhere more than three receptacles supply boats, the model code asks for a leakage measuring device made for marinas. |
Held back
Claims we couldn't check, so they aren't here
A claim that we read second-hand, or in only one place we couldn't open, stays off the site until we have seen it in the source.
What to do if you feel a tingle in the water
Advice about swimming away from a dock, or rescuing someone, shows up on several pages. We couldn't find it in a source we could open, so we give none.
Trip levels for a boat's own protection
We read the boat standard's numbers only through other writers. Until we have the standard itself, we say a boat should have the protection and leave the figures to the boat's electrician.
Which code edition your county has adopted
The edition decides what applies to your dock. We read the model code through a trade magazine's summary, so we confirm the adopted edition with the county at the walk.
How we check
How a claim gets onto this site
We read the source, not a summary of it where we can. We write down the page and the date we read it. If two sources disagree, or we can only find one, the claim waits.
The steps
We find the source: a standards body, a safety association or a code summary
We read the line, and write the claim in plain words
We keep the source name beside it, here and in your estimate
Anything we can't check goes in the held-back list
Seen a claim about your dock that doesn't add up?
Send it to us. If we can find the source, we'll tell you what it says. If we can't, we'll say that too.