ELECTRICAL- SAFETY RELATED WORK PRACTICES
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Electricity is accepted as a source of power without much thought to the hazards encountered. Some employees work with electricity directly, as is the case with engineers, electricians, or people who do wiring, such as overhead lines, cable harnesses, or circuit assemblies. Others, such as office workers and salespeople, work with it indirectly. OSHA's electrical standard address’s concerns that electricity has long been recognized as a serious workplace hazard, exposing employees to dangers as electric shock, electrocution, fires and explosions. This program addresses electrical safety requirements that are necessary for the safeguarding of employees in their workplaces.
2.0 SCOPE
This program covers electrical safety work practices for qualified and unqualified persons. Qualified persons are those who are familiar with the construction and operation of the equipment and the hazards involved. They are permitted to work on or near exposed energized parts and have been trained in avoiding electrical hazards. Unqualified persons are those with little or no such training.
3.0 WORK PRACTICES FOR QUALIFIED AND UNQUALIFIED EMPLOYEES
Work practices are covered for qualified and unqualified persons who work on, near, or with the following installations:
1. Premises wiring. Installations of electric conductors and equipment within or on buildings or other structures, and on other premises such as yards, parking lots, and industrial substations.
2. Wiring for connection to supply. Installations of conductors that connect to the supply of electricity.
3. Other wiring. Installations of other outside conductors on the premises.
4. Optical fiber cable. Installations of optical fiber cable where such installations are made along with electric conductors.
4.0 OTHER COVERED WORK BY UNQUALIFIED PERSONS
These provisions also cover work performed by unqualified persons on, near, or with the following installations:
5.0 EXCLUDED WORK BY QUALIFIED PERSONS
This program does not apply to work performed by qualified persons on or directly associated with the following installations:
1. Generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity (including communication and metering) located in buildings used for such purposes or located outdoors. (This work is covered by OSHA 1910.269).
a. Work on or directly associated with installations of utilization equipment used for purposes other than generating, transmitting, or distributing electric energy (such as installations which are in office buildings, warehouses, garages, machine shops, or recreational buildings, or other utilization installations which are not an integral part of a generating installation, substation, or control center) is considered premises wiring and is covered by this program.
b. For work on or directly associated with utilization installations, an employer who complies with the work practices of 1910.269 (electric power generation, transmission, and distribution) will be deemed to be in compliance with this program. The requirements of this program apply to all work on or directly associated with utilization installations, regardless of whether the work is performed by qualified or unqualified persons.
c. Work on or directly associated with generation, transmission, or distribution installations includes:
2. Installations of communication equipment to the extent that the work is covered under OSHA 1910.268.
3. Installations in ships, watercraft, railway rolling stock, aircraft or automotive vehicles other than mobile homes and recreational vehicles.
6.0 TRAINING
General
1. The training required by this section shall be of the classroom or on-the-job type. The degree of training provided shall be determined by the risk to the employee.
2. Training will be performed by the Safety Office and Departmental Supervisors. Training records will be maintained by the Safety Office.
3. Training will be performed before the employee is assigned duties involving work around or on electrical systems.
4. Retraining will be performed if supervision or the Safety Office determines that the employee does not have the necessary knowledge or skills to safely work on or around electrical systems.
Scope
1. The training requirements contained in this section apply to employees who face a risk of electric shock that is not reduced to a safe level by the electrical installation requirements of the National Electric Code and OSHA Standards.
2. Employees in the following occupations must be trained. Other employees who may reasonably be expected to face comparable risk of injury due to electric shock or other electrical hazards must also be trained.
3. Workers in these groups do not need to be trained if their work or the work of those they supervise does not bring them close enough to exposed parts of electric circuits operating at 50 volts or more to ground for a hazard to exist.
Content of training
1. Employees shall be trained in the safety-related work practices required by this program that pertains to their respective job assignments.
2. Unqualified persons shall be trained in any electrically related safety practices which are necessary for their safety.
3. Qualified persons shall, at a minimum, be trained in the following:
4. Qualified persons whose work on energized equipment involves either direct contact or contact by means of tools or materials must also have training in the proper use of special precautionary techniques, personal protective equipment, insulating and shielding materials, and insulating tools.
7.0 WORK PRACTICES
General
Safety-related work practices shall be employed to prevent electric shock or other injuries when work is performed near or on equipment or circuits which may be energized. The specific safety-related work practices shall be consistent with the associated electrical hazards.
1. Deenergized parts. Live parts to which an employee may be exposed shall be deenergized unless deenergizing introduces additional or increased hazards or it is infeasible due to equipment design or operational limitations. Live parts that operate at less than 50 volts to ground do not need to be deenergized if there is no increased exposure to electrical burns or explosions due to electric arcs.
a. Examples of increased or additional hazards include interruption of life support equipment, deactivation of emergency alarm systems, shutdown of hazardous location ventilation equipment, or removal of illumination for an area.
b. Examples of work that may be performed on or near energized circuits because of infeasibility due to equipment design or operational limitations include testing of electric circuits that can only be performed with the circuit energized, work on circuits that form an integral part of a continuous industrial process that would need to be completely shut down in order to permit work on one circuit or piece of equipment.
2. Energized parts. If the exposed parts are not deenergized other safety-related work practices shall be used to protect employees who may be exposed to the electrical hazards. These work practices shall protect employees against contact with energized circuits directly with any part of their body or indirectly through some other conductive object. The work practices used shall be suitable for the conditions under which the work is performed and the voltage level of the exposed electric conductors or circuit parts.
Working on or near exposed deenergized parts
1. Application. This section applies to work on exposed deenergized parts. Conductors and parts of electric equipment that have been deenergized but have not been locked or tagged out in accordance with this section shall be treated as energized parts.
2. Lockout and Tagging. While any employee is exposed to electrical equipment or circuits which have been deenergized, the circuits energizing the parts shall be locked out or tagged or both in accordance with this section. The requirements shall be followed in the order in which they are presented.
a. Procedures. A written copy of these procedures shall be made available to employees.
b. Deenergizing equipment. Safe procedures for deenergizing circuits and equipment shall be determined before circuits or equipment are deenergized.
c. Application of locks and tags
A lock and a tag shall be placed on each disconnecting means used to deenergize circuits and equipment on which work is to be performed. The lock shall be attached so as to prevent persons from operating the disconnecting means unless they resort to undue force or the use of tools.
Each tag shall contain a statement prohibiting unauthorized operation of the disconnecting means and removal of the tag.
If a lock cannot be applied, a tag may be used without a lock.
A tag used without a lock, shall be supplemented by at least one additional safety measure that provides a level of safety equivalent to that obtained by use of a lock. Examples of additional safety measures include the removal of an isolating circuit element, blocking of a controlling switch, or opening of an extra disconnecting device.
A lock may be placed without a tag if only one circuit or piece of equipment is deenergized, the lockout period does not extend beyond the work shift, and employees exposed to the hazards associated with reenergizing the circuit or equipment are familiar with this procedure.
d. Verification of deenergized condition. The requirements of this section shall be met before any circuits or equipment can be considered deenergized.
A qualified person shall operate the equipment operating controls or otherwise verify that the equipment cannot be restarted.
A qualified person shall test the circuit elements and electrical parts of equipment to which employees will be exposed and verify that the circuit elements and equipment parts are deenergized. The test shall also determine if any energized condition exists as a result of inadvertently induced voltage or unrelated voltage backfeed even though specific parts of the circuit have been deenergized and presumed to be safe. If the circuit to be tested is over 600 volts, nominal, the test equipment shall be checked for proper operation immediately after this test.
e. Reenergizing equipment. These requirements shall be met, in the order given, before circuits or equipment are reenergized, even temporarily.
A qualified person shall conduct tests and visual inspections, as necessary, to verify that all tools, electrical jumpers, shorts, grounds, and other such devices have been removed, so that the circuits and equipment can be safely energized.
Employees exposed to the hazards associated with reenergizing the circuit or equipment shall be warned to stay clear of circuits and equipment.
Each lock and tag shall be removed by the employee who applied it or under his or her direct supervision. However, if this employee is absent from the workplace, then the lock or tag may be removed by a qualified person designated to perform this task provided that the employer ensures that the employee who applied the lock or tag is not available at the workplace, and the employer ensures that the employee is aware that the lock or tag has been removed before he or she resumes work at that workplace.
There shall be a visual determination that all employees are clear of the circuits and equipment.
Working on or near exposed energized parts
1. Application. This section applies to work performed on exposed live parts (involving either direct contact or by means of tools or materials) or near enough to them for employees to be exposed to any hazard they present.
2. Work on energized equipment. Only qualified persons may work on electric circuits that have not been deenergized. Such persons shall be capable of working safely on energized circuits and be familiar with the proper use of special precautionary techniques, personal protective equipment, insulating and shielding materials, and insulated tools.
3. Overhead power lines. If work is performed near overhead lines, the lines shall be deenergized and grounded, or other protective measures shall be provided before work is started. If the lines are deenergized, arrangements shall be made with the person or organization that operates the electric circuits to deenergize and ground them. If protective measures, such as guarding, isolating, or insulating, are provided, these precautions shall prevent employees from contacting the lines directly with any part of their body or indirectly through conductive materials.
a. The work practices used by qualified persons installing insulating devices on overhead power transmission or distribution lines are covered by OSHA 1910.269 . Unqualified persons are prohibited from performing this type of work.
b. When an unqualified person is working in an elevated position near overhead lines, the location shall be such that the person and the longest conductive object he or she may contact cannot come closer to any unguarded, energized overhead line than the following distances:
c. When an unqualified person is working on the ground in the vicinity of overhead lines, the person may not bring any conductive object closer to unguarded, energized overhead lines than the distances given above. For voltages normally encountered with overhead power line, objects which do not have an insulating rating for the voltage involved are considered to be conductive.
d. When a qualified person is working in the vicinity of overhead lines, whether in an elevated position or on the ground, the person may not approach or take any conductive object without an approved insulating handle closer to exposed energized parts than shown in the following table unless:
APPROACH DISTANCES FOR QUALIFIED EMPLOYEES
| Voltage range | Minimum approach distance |
| 300V and less | Avoid contact |
| Over 300V, not over 750V | 1 ft. 0 in. |
| Over 750V, not over 2kV | 1 ft. 6 in. |
| Over 2kV, not over 15kV | 2 ft. 0 in. |
| Over 15kV, not over 37kV | 3 ft. 0 in. |
| Over 37kV, not over 87.5kV | 3 ft. 6 in. |
| Over 87.5kV, not over 121kV | 4 ft. 0 in. |
| Over 121kV, not over 140kV | 4 ft. 6 in. |
e. Any vehicle or mechanical equipment capable of having parts of its structure elevated near energized overhead lines shall be operated so that a clearance of 10 ft. is maintained. If the voltage is higher than 50kV, the clearance shall be increased 4 in. for every 10kV over that voltage. However, under any of the following conditions, the clearance may be reduced:
f. Employees standing on the ground may not contact the vehicle or mechanical equipment or any of its attachments, unless:
g. If any vehicle or mechanical equipment capable of having parts of its structure elevated near energized overhead lines is intentionally grounded, employees working on the ground near the point of grounding may not stand at the grounding location if there is a possibility of overhead line contact. Additional precautions, such as the use of barricades or insulation, shall be taken to protect employees from hazardous ground potentials, depending on earth resistivity and fault currents, which can develop within the first few feet or more outward from the grounding point.
4. Illumination. Employees may not enter spaces containing exposed energized parts, unless illumination is provided that enables the employees to perform the work safely. If there is a lack of illumination or an obstruction prevents observation of the work, employees may not perform tasks near exposed energized parts. Employees may not reach blindly into areas which may contain energized parts.
5. Confined or enclosed work spaces. When an employee works in a confined or enclosed space (such as a manhole or vault) that contains exposed energized parts, the employee shall use, protective shields, protective barriers, or insulating materials as necessary to avoid inadvertent contact with these parts. Doors, hinged panels, and the like shall be secured to prevent their swinging into an employee and causing the employee to contact exposed energized parts.
6. Conductive materials and equipment. Conductive materials and equipment that are in contact with any part of an employee's body shall be handled in a manner that will prevent them from contacting exposed energized conductors or circuit parts. If an employee must handle long conductive objects (such as ducts and pipes) in areas with exposed live parts, work practices (such as the use of insulation, guarding, and material handling techniques) shall be instituted that will minimize the hazard.
7. Portable ladders. Portable ladders shall have nonconductive siderails if they are used where the employee or the ladder could contact exposed energized parts.
8. Conductive apparel. Conductive articles of jewelry and clothing (such a watch bands, bracelets, rings, key chains, necklaces, aprons, cloth with conductive thread, or metal headgear) may not be worn if they might contact exposed energized parts. However, such articles may be worn if they are rendered nonconductive by covering, wrapping, or other insulating means.
9. Housekeeping duties. Where live parts present an electrical contact hazard, employees may not perform housekeeping duties at such close distances to the parts that there is a possibility of contact, unless adequate safeguards (such as insulating equipment or barriers) are provided. Electrically conductive cleaning materials (including conductive solids such as steel wool, metalized cloth, and silicon carbide, as well as conductive liquid solutions) may not be used in proximity to energized parts unless procedures are followed which will prevent electrical contact.
10. Interlocks. Only a qualified person may defeat an electrical safety interlock, and then only temporarily while he or she is working on the equipment. The interlock system shall be returned to its operable condition when this work is completed.
8.0 USE OF EQUIPMENT
Portable Electrical Equipment
1. Application. This paragraph applies to the use of cord and plug connected equipment, including extension cords.
2. Handling. Portable equipment shall be handled in a manner which will not cause damage. Flexible electric cords connected to equipment may not be used for raising or lowering the equipment. Flexible cords may not be fastened with staples or otherwise hung in such a fashion as could damage the outer jacket or insulation.
3. Visual inspection. Portable cord and plug connected equipment and extension cords shall be visually inspected before use for external defects (such as loose parts, deformed and missing pins, or damage to outer jacket or insulation) and for evidence of possible internal damage (such as pinched or crushed outer jacket). Cord and plug connected equipment and extension cords which remain connected once they are put in place and are not exposed to damage need not be visually inspected until they are relocated.
a. If there is a defect or evidence of damage that might expose an employee to injury, the defective or damaged item shall be removed from service, and no employee may use it until repairs and tests necessary to render the equipment safe have been made.
b. When an attachment plug is to be connected to a receptacle, the relationship of the plug and receptacle contacts shall first be checked to ensure that they are of proper mating configurations.
4. Grounding type equipment.
a. An extension cord used with grounding type equipment shall contain an equipment grounding conductor.
b. Attachment plugs and receptacles may not be connected or altered in a manner which would prevent proper continuity of the equipment grounding conductor at the point where plugs are attached to receptacles. Additionally, these devices may not be altered to allow the grounding pole of a plug to be inserted into slots intended for connection to the current-carrying conductors.
c. Adapters which interrupt the continuity of the equipment grounding connection may not be used.
5. Conductive work locations. Portable electric equipment and extension cords used in highly conductive work locations (such a those inundated with water), or in job locations where employees are likely to contact water, shall be approved for those locations.
6. Connecting attachment plugs
a. Employees' hands may not be wet when plugging and unplugging flexible cords and cord and plug connected equipment, if energized equipment is involved.
b. Energized plug and receptacle connections may be handled only with insulating protective equipment if the condition of the connection could provide a conducting path to the employee's hand (if, for example, a cord connector is wet from being immersed in water).
c. Locking type connectors shall be properly secured after connection.
Electric power and lighting circuits
1. Routine opening and closing of circuits. Load rated switches, circuit breakers, or other devices specifically designed as disconnecting means shall be used for the opening, reversing, or closing of circuits under load conditions. Cable connectors not of the load break type, fuses, terminal lugs, and cable splice connections may not be used for such purposes, except in an emergency.
2. Reclosing circuits after protective device operation. After a circuit is deenergized by a circuit protective device, the circuit may not be manually reenergized until it has been determined that the equipment and circuit can be safely energized. The repetitive manual reclosing of circuit breakers or reenergizing circuits through replaced fuses is prohibited.
a. When it can be determined from the design of the circuit and the overcurrent devices involved that the automatic operation of a device was caused by an overload rather than a fault condition, no examination of the circuit or connected equipment is needed before the circuit is reenergized.
3. Overcurrent protection modification. Overcurrent protection of circuits and conductors may not be modified, even on a temporary basis.
Test instruments and equipment
1. Use. Only qualified persons may perform testing work on electric circuits or equipment.
2. Visual Inspection. Test instruments and equipment and all associated test leads, cables, power cords, probes, and connectors shall be visually inspected for external defects and damage before the equipment is used. If there is a defect or evidence of damage that might expose an employee to injury, the defective or damaged item shall be removed from service, and may not be used until it is repaired and tested for safety.
3. Rating of equipment. Test instruments and equipment and their accessories shall be rated for the circuits and equipment to which they will be connected and shall be designed for the environment in which they will be used.
Occasional use of flammable or ignitable materials
1. Where flammable materials are present only occasionally, electric equipment capable of igniting them shall not be used, unless measures are taken to prevent hazardous conditions from developing. Such materials include, but are not limited to: flammable gases, vapors, or liquids; combustible dust; and ignitable fibers or filings.
9.0 SAFEGUARDS FOR PERSONNEL PROTECTION
Personal Protective equipment
1. Employees working in areas where there are potential electrical hazards shall use electrical protective equipment that is appropriate for the specific parts of the body to be protected and for the work to be performed.
2. Protective equipment shall be maintained in a safe, reliable condition and shall be periodically inspected or tested, as required by OSHA 1910.137.
3. If the insulating capability of protective equipment may be subject to damage during use, the insulating material shall be protected. (For example, an outer covering of leather is sometimes used for the protection of rubber insulating material.)
4. Employees shall wear nonconductive head protection wherever there is a danger of head injury from electric shock or burns due to contact with exposed energized parts.
5. Employees shall wear protective equipment for the eyes or face wherever there is danger of injury to the eyes or face from electric arcs or flashes or from flying objects resulting from electrical explosion.
General protective equipment and tools
1. When working near exposed energized conductors or circuit parts, employees shall use insulated tools or handling equipment if the tools or handling equipment might make contact with such conductors or parts. If the insulating capability of insulated tools or handling equipment is subject to damage, the insulating material shall be protected.
2. Protective shields, barriers, or insulating materials shall be used to protect employees from shock, burns, or other electrically related injuries while the employee is working near exposed energized parts which might be accidentally contacted or where dangerous electric heating or arcing might occur. When normally enclosed live parts are exposed for maintenance or repair, they shall be guarded to protect unqualified persons from contact with the live parts.
Alerting techniques
The following alerting techniques shall be used to warn and protect employees from hazards which could cause injury due to electric shock, burns, or failure of electric equipment parts:
1. Safety signs and tags. Safety signs, safety symbols, or accident prevention tags shall be used where necessary to warn employees about electrical hazards which may endanger them, as required by OSHA 1910.145.
2. Barricades. Barricades shall be used in conjunction with safety signs where it is necessary to prevent or limit employee access to work areas exposing employees to uninsulated energized conductors or circuit parts. Conductive barricades may not be used where they might cause an electrical contact hazard.
3. Attendants. If signs and barricades do not provide sufficient warning and protection from electrical hazards, an attendant shall be stationed to warn and protect employees.