I think most would use a pop up receptacle:
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That’s correct. Face up receptacles are prohibited from being installed in a countertop.
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Is there any requirement for those pop-up gadgets to be “spill proof” when recessed? I think most people would rather have those instead of side-mounted receptacles anyway, but my concern would be spilled liquids running in and messing up the workings.
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The receptacle needs to be listed for use in work surfaces or countertops. There is no NEC specific requirement for it to be spill proof however that is likely part of the listing of the device.
2023 NEC:
210.52(C)(3)3. In a work surface using receptacle outlet assemblies listed for use in work surfaces or listed for use in countertops.
406.5(G) Receptacle Orientation
(1) Countertop and Work Surfaces
Receptacles shall not be installed in a face-up position in or on countertop surfaces or work
surfaces unless listed for countertop or work surface applications.
Counter (Countertop). A fixed or stationary surface typically intended for food preparation and
serving, personal lavation, or laundering or a similar surface that presents a routine risk of
spillage of larger quantities of liquids upon outlets mounted directly on or in the surface.
(CMP—2)
Informational Note No. 1: See UL 498, Receptacles and Attachment Plugs, and UL 943,
Ground-Fault Circuit Interrupters, which establish the performance evaluation criteria and
construction criteria.
Informational Note No. 2: See 406.5(E), 406.5(G)(1), and 406.5(H) for information on
receptacles for counters and countertops distinguished from receptacles for work surfaces.
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Part of the listing requirements for popup receptacles are its spill resistance characteristics. Countertop are 128 ounces while work surface is reduced to 64 ounces.
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I respectfully disagree. As part of its substantiation for the change, NEC Code Making Panel 2 cited Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) data showing that between 1991 and 2020, an estimated 9,700 people, many of them children, were treated in United States emergency departments for burns and other injuries after pulling on or running into power cords plugged into receptacle outlets installed below island and peninsula work surfaces.
You’re enitiled to disagree but that is less than one a day over a 30 year period with mostly minor injuries and no one died. I’ll stand by my original assessment.
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I have seen that quote a couple of times, including in the code update commentary. But I haven’t been able to find the original source from CPSC. Does anyone have better Google skills for a link to their documentation?
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Hi Michael. I have the same issue. I am not sure if it is published data. According to Eaton, CPSC brought the data to the NEC, but I have not found a publication.
Rationale for change
During the 2023 Code cycle, the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) brought data to the panel that demonstrated a significant number of injuries where children were pulling appliances off of these surfaces. A task group was assembled between the first and second draft to address this data. The CPSC data showed reports beginning in 1991 and they were specifically asked to research and find data that preceded 1991 to determine if these statistics preexisted the requirement for a receptacle at these locations within the National Electrical Code. The CPSC was not able to uncover statistics that preceded this date.
NEC 2023 Receptacles – countertops and work surfaces
Here are some reports. I suspect you may have to contact them directly.
I got the answer. I will start recommending Tesla Coils in the attic space to alleviate the use of all wired appliances. Done!
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That’s where I got to as well. My abnormal/suspect data alarm goes off with descriptions that say “we couldn’t find data before a date, which just happens to be when something changed, and we believe the change has caused x”. I’m not a data scientist or conspiracy kinda guy, but I did take multiple stat and econometric courses. A lot of the numbers like this that are floating around are just not very good or significant, or don’t show a causal link. But they get used to set rules and policy anyway…
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Google still censors data. They have not joined the Facebook bandwagon of, “Now we believe in freedom of speech.” Their AI model is to make available that informatyion that THEY (google) think is relevant to your search.
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