Therefore, tape repairs of the jacket may not be used to repair a worn or frayed cord.Ĭan I Use Electrical Tape to Splice a Flexible Electrical Cord? OSHA standards state that flexible cords made up with wires smaller than 12-gauge shall be used only in continuous lengths without splice or tap. Taped repairs of the jacket usually will not duplicate the cord’s original characteristics in most cases neither the jacket’s strength nor flexibility characteristics will be restored. Also, the cord’s outer jacket is designed both to prevent damage to the conductors and insulators inside, and to further insulate the conductors. If we were to wrap an electrical cord with electrical tape, it could significantly change the flexibility characteristics of the cord, which in turn can affect the amount of stress in the areas adjacent to the tape this is particularly a concern with respect to the proper function of the grounding wire. That is because OSHA electrical standards require that flexible electrical cords be “approved”, and the original approval of electrical cords is based on the types of materials and construction used by the manufacturer of each cord. But there is one provision in the OSHA electrical standards which disallows the use of electrical tape to make the repair of the jacket of a worn or frayed flexible cord. Repair or replacement of the cord is also required when it’s conductor wires or their insulation inside are damaged. Ĭan I Use Electrical Tape to Repair an Electrical Cord That Has a Deep Nick or Break in the Outer Jacket? Repair or replacement of a flexible electrical cord is required when the outer jacket is deeply penetrated enough to cause that part of the cord to bend more than the undamaged part, or when the jacket is penetrated completely. It seems logical that a roll of electrical tape could be used to safely repair a frayed or damaged flexible electrical cord, or to splice two pieces of a flexible electrical cord back together I mean it’s called electrical tape, right? However, Federal OSHA electrical safety standards actually do not allow us to make a repair to a frayed or damaged electrical cord using electrical tape, nor can we use electrical tape to splice two cords together.
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