OSHA issues over $10 million in fines every year for electrical violations. With budget constraints and reduced staffs very few organizations can afford these extra costs. But when managing every safety area from environmental to industrial health, electrical safety can sometimes fall by the wayside. Staying up with changes in OSHA regulations every 10 years, the National Electrical Code every 3 years, the NFPA 70E every 3-4 years, and the NESC every 5 years can be overwhelming to say the least.

 

Understanding the relationships and functions of the different electrical safety standards is fundamental to achieving complete compliance.

OSHA

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) addresses electrical safety in several areas. 29 CFR Part 1910, Subpart S covers electrical safety for general industry and for the most part every industry specific CFR directs to this section for electrical safety requirements. There are some exceptions though. 29 CFR 1926, Subpart K is for the construction industry, 29 CFR Part 1915, 1917, and 1918 are for maritime (shipyards and platforms), 46 CFR is for the U.S. Coast Guard (includes vessels), and 30 CFR is for mining. 29 CFR Part 1910.269 applies to power generation, transmission and distribution. There are areas of interagency authority as well (for example see CPL 2.42, the Interagency Agreement Between MSHA and OSHA, or CPL 2.86, the Memorandum of Understanding Between the OSHA and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission).

Like most OSHA standards, all of these regulations provide general requirements for electrical safety but do not give specific details on how to achieve compliance. The details are left to national consensus standards such as the National Electrical Code®, National Electrical Safety Code, and NFPA 70E® Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace.

According to OSHA 1910.2(g), a national consensus standard is any standard that has been “adopted and promulgated by a nationally recognized standards-producing organization under procedures whereby it can be determined … that persons interested and affected by the scope or provisions of the standard have reached substantial agreement on its adoption.”

Because it is a federal standard, OSHA regulations are enforceable under federal law. Consensus standards are not federal standards, but they are used as part of electrical safety practices and can be referenced as part of an OSHA citation. When OSHA does not provide specific language for a recognized hazard, the General Duty Clause can be used. The General Duty Clause is found in Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, and requires that "each employer shall furnish to each of his employees employment and a place of employment which are free from recognized hazards ..." This clause is the main link between OSHA and other standards like the NEC® and NFPA 70E®. "Recognized hazards" can be those hazards that are identified by other industry codes and standards.

 

NFPA 70E®

In 1975, OSHA asked for help from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) to outline electrical safe work practices including installation requirements necessary for personnel safety. The resulting NFPA 70E: Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace® is separated into 3 chapters and 15 annexes. The NFPA 70E applies to installations that have premises wiring and connection to the supply of electricity, but not maritime, mining, rail, communications or power generation, transmission and distribution systems under the exclusive control of the electric utility.

 

National Electrical Code®

The National Electrical Code(NEC®), or NFPA 70, is a United States standard for the safe installation of electrical wiring and equipment. It is also published by the NFPA. While the NEC is not itself law, NEC use is commonly mandated by state or local law, as well as in many jurisdictions outside of the United States. The local Authority Having Jurisdiction(AHJ) inspects for compliance with these minimum standards. To find out what electrical requirements are enforced by your local AHJ search the United States, Canada, or Mexico.

National Electrical Safety Code

The National Electrical Safety Code(NESC) is the industry-accepted safety standard for overhead and underground electric utility and communications utility installations. Adopted by most states and Public Service Commissions, NESC covers electric supply and communication lines, equipment, and work practices employed by both public and private electric utility installations. The National Bureau of Standards (NBS) developed the National Electrical Safety Code® (NESC) in 1913 and in 1972, IEEE was designated as the secretariat. This standard covers basic provisions for safeguarding of persons from hazards arising from the installation, operation, or maintenance of conductors and equipment in electric supply stations, and overhead and underground electric supply and communication lines. It also includes work rules for the construction, maintenance, and operation of electric supply and communication lines and equipment.

Beating the Odds

Complete electrical compliance requires a multi-faceted approach that includes engineering controls, organization of work, training and personal protective equipment. Implementing these strategies will save you money on citations and having to get in compliance in a short time frame.

All employees must be trained to be thoroughly familiar with the safety practices for their particular jobs. Training should address safety procedures for maintenance of specific electrical equipment, general electrical safety practices and associated standards in detail. Learn more about Training

Mandated safety and health programs must provide measures to control electrical hazards. The responsibility for this program should be delegated to someone with a complete knowledge of electrical hazards, systems and work practices, and the appropriate standards. To develop your agenda, an electrical safety assessment will identify electrical safety hazards and compliance issues at your facility and provide an agenda for corrective action. An electrical safety program and procedures should address employee exposure to specific hazards that exist in your workplace. Learn more about Safety Solutions

Power systems must be analyzed to identify conditions that cause instability and hazardous workspaces. An arc flash hazard analysis defines flash protection boundaries and appropriate personal protective equipment for use by employees within the flash protection boundary in order to reduce the possibility of workers being injured by an arc flash. A protective device coordination study will reduce the amount of equipment affected by an overcurrent trip and the amount of incident energy a technician is subjected to when an arc flash occurs. A short circuit analysis will prevent extensive equipment damage and personnel injury because of underrated equipment in the event of a fault. Learn more about Power Studies

Articles

Are Technician Certification Programs a Worthwhile Investment?
OSHA has provided the industry with mandated requirements for the training and qualification of employees. Besides OSHA mandates, there are also many other benefits to having well- trained and qualified employees. It has been proven that the most effective training programs include a combination of lecture and hands-on instruction.

Electrical Hazards Analysis
As the awareness of electrical hazards increase many are puzzled by phrases like "Limited", "Restricted", "Prohibited Approach Boundary", and "Flash Protection Boundary". This article will address the requirements to perform the "Shock Hazard Analysis" and the "Flash Hazard Analysis" required by the NFPA 70E-2004, Section 110.8(B)(1), "Electrical Hazard Analysis" as well as the "Blast Hazard Analysis" and personal protective equipment requirements.

Electrical PPE 101
Do you need to protect your workers from electrical hazards while working on energized equipment? How do you figure out what you need? The National Electrical Safety Code (for utilities) and the NFPA 70E (for industry) try to make selection easier. But, in the end, virtually every facility needs an Arc Flash Hazard Analysis done there is no way around it. BUT, if you have not completed your Arc Flash Hazard Analysis yet, what do you do? In this short document, we try to give you some guidance on how to select PPE in the meantime.

Electrical Safety in Motor Maintenance and Testing
Working on motors has the same requirements as any other work that involves working on or near exposed energized and deenergized parts of electrical equipment operating at 50 volts or more. Learn what they are and how they affect motor maintenance and testing!

Electrical Safety in the Mining Industry
In resolving the issues in electrical safety in the mining industry, a path must be followed that will lead to a comprehensive analysis of the problems and hazards that exist or may exist and provide a quantified value to ensure the selection of appropriate personal protective equipment and clothing as well as safe work practices and procedures. Analysis of all three hazards: electrical shock, electrical arc flash, and electrical arc blast must be completed and steps taken to prevent injuries and fatalities.

Establishing an Electrical Safety Program
Establishing an effective electrical safety program is vital to the safety of employees. The employer is required to develop and implement an electrical safety program that addresses employee exposure to each specific hazard that exists. This program and the related training must be appropriate for all existing conditions and is required to be written, published and available to all employees who might be exposed to the hazards.

How to Develop an Effective Training Program
The typical method utilized for developing an effective training program is the "Systematic Approach to Training" or SAT, which utilizes the "Instructional Design System" or ISD methodology for performing the analysis, design development, implementation and evaluation for a training program in order to meet the specific needs of a company. The ISD provides a systematic procedure for identifying the job-related skills and knowledge necessary for performance-based training.

Rail Transit Systems and Arc Flash
As population centers grow and expand into the suburbs these systems are experiencing pressures to expand. System operators have long been keenly aware of the need to keep the trains moving and the role reliable electricity plays in that mission. Trains that fail, in-transit,present significant safety and rider convenience issues, as well as expensive recovery efforts. This critical emphasis provides incentive for management to perform electrical procedures and repairs without taking down the power (de-energizing).

 

Assessment Tests

AVO’s free assessment tests are designed to help you: determine the skill level of your technicians, test your subcontractors knowledge, help justify your training budget, or verify the skill level of a potential new hire. These tests are FREE and the scores are not recorded or used in any way. Use the latest version of Acrobat Flash – free download. Click the test title and a new browser window will open.

 

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