Qualified Persons

There is nothing wrong with a qualified person.  Qualified persons, on the other hand, are another matter.  Qualified persons annoy my sister.  They also annoy my technical writing buddy.

Okay.  I am not suggesting that actual people-type persons are annoying my sister and my friend.  It’s the term “persons” that melts their ice cubes.  “Why aren’t they qualified people or qualified personnel?” my sister will ask.

I should explain.  This is all related to those times when I ask my sister or my friend to proof-read the various training documents I produce.

The term “qualified persons” is full tilt Code-speak.  Electric Code.  Example: Only qualified persons are allowed to access energized equipment.

The National Electrical Code thrives on this stuff.

I clearly recall the first time I cracked open a Code book and read a few sections.  “Geez, I hope if there is an English version of this available,” I thought.

Nope.  The Code is the Code, as electricians say.  The whole “persons” thing is part of the Code wanting to emulate old-timey English legal writing.  And the National Electrical Code, as adopted by local authorities having jurisdiction, is a legal document.

Yesterday, as I sat in a Code training class watching Power Point slides, I giggled to myself each time qualified persons appeared on the screen.  To hell with the rest of the world: qualified electricians are persons. 

--Mitchell Hegman