This document provides a summary of an expert presentation on NFPA 70E electrical safety standards. The presentation covers key topics including safety work practices, arc flash analysis, shock protection boundaries, arc flash boundaries, hazard risk categories, energized work permits, and personal protective equipment requirements. The document defines important terms, outlines employer and employee responsibilities for electrical safety, and summarizes requirements for establishing electrically safe work conditions, risk assessments, training, and selecting personal protective equipment to safely perform energized electrical work.

1. NFPA 70E®
–2015
Electrical Safety
Standard for
Electrical Safety
in the
Workplace®
2015 Edition
1
Presented by: R Scott Young
Industrial Safety Institute

2. Topics covered today
• Safety related work practices
• Arc flash analysis and the Tables
• Shock protection boundaries
• Arc Flash Boundaries
• Hazard risk categories
• Appendix
• Energized work permit
2

3. • Recognizing the hazards:
– Exposure
– Electrical hazard
– Arc Flash hazard
3

4. 4

7. 7

8. • A Safe Work Area requires focus on the three
most common factors for electrical accidents.
According to OSHA these include:
– Equipment
– Environment
– Employee Work Practices
8

9. • It is the Employer’s Responsibility to
Provide:
– Safe work – Equipment
– Safe work – Environment
– Safe work Practices
• Documentation
• Training
9

10. • It is the Employee’s responsibility to:
– Use the Equipment Provided
– Pay attention to the Environment
– Use the Safe Work Practices (procedures) Provided
by the Employer
10

11. Safe Electrical Work Practices
Shall be Used
• Avoid
– Shortcuts
– Cord and Plug
– Failure to de-energize
– Unsafe tools
– Horseplay
11

12. 90.2 Scope
 Covered. The standard addresses electrical
safety related work practices safety-related
maintenance requirements, and other
administrative controls
• Covered (examples)
• Public and Private Premises (commercial & industrial)
• Installations
• Electric utilities for ALL facilities other than
communications, metering, generation, control,
transformation, transmission, or distribution
Informational Note
12

13. 90.3 Arrangement
 Chapter 2 applies to safety-related maintenance
requirements for electrical equipment and
installations in workplaces
 Informative Annex F, Risk Assessment Procedure
13

14. Chapter 1
Safety-Related
Work Practices
Article 100
Definitions
14

15. Definitions
New definitions
• Hazard
• Hazardous
• Risk
• Risk assessment
15

16. Definitions
• Boundary, Arc Flash
• Calculated for 2nd degree burn–1.2 cal/cm2
 Boundary, Limited Approach. An approach
limit at a distance from an exposed energized
electrical conductor or circuit part within
which a shock hazard exists.
16

17. Definitions
 Boundary, Restricted Approach. An
approach limit at a distance from an
exposed energized electrical conductor or
circuit part within which there is likelihood
of electric shock, due to electrical arc-over
combined with inadvertent movement, for
personnel working in close proximity to
the energized electrical conductor or circuit
part.
 Note: Prohibited Approach has
been removed
17

18. Chapter 1
Safety-Related Work
Practices
Article 110
General Requirements
for Electrical
Safety-Related Work
Practices
18

19. 110.1 Electrical Safety Program.
 General. Employer shall
 document an overall electrical safety program
appropriate to the risk associated with electrical
hazards.
 implemented as part of the electrical safety and
health program
 Maintenance. The electrical safety program
shall include elements that consider condition
of maintenance of electrical equipment and
systems.
19

20. 110.1 Electrical Safety Program.
 Awareness and Self-Discipline. The electrical
safety program shall
 provide an awareness of the potential
electrical hazards
 provide the required self discipline for all
employees
 Instill safety principles and controls
20

21. 110.1 Electrical Safety Program.
 Electrical Safety Program Procedures. An
electrical safety program shall identify the
procedures to be utilized before work is started
by employees exposed to an electrical hazard
21

22. 110.1 Electrical Safety Program.
 Risk Assessment Procedure. An electrical
safety program shall include a
 risk assessment procedure that addresses employee
exposure to electrical hazards.
 shall identify the process to be used by the employee
before work is started to carry out the following:
 Identify hazards, Assess risks, Implement risk control
according to a hierarchy of methods
22

23. 110.1 Electrical Safety Program.
 Job Briefing. Before starting each job
 Briefing shall cover
 hazards associated with the job
 work procedures involved
 special precautions
 energy source controls
 PPE requirements
 the information on the energized electrical work permit, if
required
 Additional job briefings shall be held if changes occur during
the course of the work.
23

24. 110.2 Training Requirements
 Type of Training
 On the Job / Classroom or both
 Emergency Response training
 Contact Release
 First Aid, Emergency response and Resuscitation
 Trained in First Aid, Cardiopulmonary
Resuscitation(CPR), Automatic External Defibrillator
(AED)
 Annual employer certification and documentation of
training required
24

25. 110.2 Training Requirements
 Employee Training.
 Qualified Person (cont.)
 Skills to:
 Make decisions for job planning and personal
protective equipment (PPE)
 Perform the job safety planning, Identify electrical hazards,
Assess the associated rise
 Select the appropriate risk control methods from the
hierarchy of controls identified in 110.1(G), including
personal protective equipment
25

26. 110.2 Training Requirements
 Unqualified Person trained for their safety
 Retraining
 Retraining in safety-related work practices and
applicable changes in this standard shall be
performed at intervals not to exceed three years.
26

27. Chapter 1
Safety-Related Work
Practices
Article 120
Establishing an
Electrically Safe Work
Condition
27

28. 120.2 – Application of Lockout/Tagout
Principles of Lockout/Tagout Execution
Retraining
Retraining shall be performed:
When procedures are revised
At intervals not to exceed 3 years
Training Documentation.
Employer shall document employee training
shall be made when employee demonstrates proficiency
shall contain the content of the training, employee’s name,
dates of training
28

29. Chapter 1
Safety-Related Work
Practices
Article 130
Work Involving
Electrical Hazards
29

30. 130.2 Electrically Safe Working Conditions
Energized Work
Normal Operations
Shall be permitted where all of the following conditions are
satisfied the equipment
 is properly installed
 is properly maintained
 doors are closed and secured
 All equipment covers are in place and secured
 no evidence of impending failure
30

31. 130.2 Electrically Safe Working Conditions
Energized Electrical Work Permit
 Energized electrical work permit shall be required in
accordance with 130.2(A), under the following conditions:
 Work performed within the restricted approach boundary
 Employee working near equipment not exposed but an
increased likelihood of injury from arc flash hazard exists
31

32. 130.3 Working While Exposed to Electrical
Hazards
General
Safety-related work practices shall
– be used to safeguard employees electrical conductors
and circuit parts
– be determined before exposure to shock or arc flash
hazard (using risk assessment)
– ONLY qualified persons permitted to work on energized
electrical conductors and circuit parts – put in electrically
safe work condition
32

33. 130.4 Approach Boundaries to Electrical Circuit
parts or Conductors for Shock Protection
Shock Risk Assessment.
A shock risk assessment shall be used to determine the
voltage to which personnel will be exposed
Boundary requirements
Necessary PPE
33

34. 130.4 Approach Boundaries to Electrical Circuit
parts or Conductors for Shock Protection
Shock Protection Boundaries
Limited Approach Boundary
 Unless permitted by 130.4(C)(3)
Restricted Approach Boundary
Tables 130.4(D)(a) & (b)
34

35. 130.5 Arc Flash Risk Assessment
Documentation
 Documentation required on all arc flash risk
assessment.
35

36. 130.5 Arc Flash Risk Assessment
Arc Flash PPE
– One of the following methods shall be used, either but
not both:
• Incident Energy Analysis Method
• Engineering calculations (Annex D)
• Arc Flash PPE Category Method
– Table 130.7(C)(15)
– Table 130.7(C)(16)
36

37. 130.7 Personal and Other Protective Equipment
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Selection of Personal Protective Equipment When
Required for Various Tasks
 Incident energy analysis required by 130.5(C)(1)
 (AC equipment) When selected in lieu of the incident
energy analysis of 130.5(C)(1), Table 130.7(C)(15)(A)(a)
shall be used When arc flash PPE is required, Table
130.7(C)(15)(A)(b) shall be used to determine the arc flash
PPE category
 See Informational Notes.
 (DC equipment)
37

38. An incident energy analysis shall be required in accordance with
130.5 for the following:
•Tasks not listed in Table 130.7(C)(15)(A)(a)
•Power systems with greater than the estimated maximum
available short-circuit current
•Power systems with longer than the maximum fault
clearing times
•Tasks with less than the minimum working distance
130.7 Personal and Other Protective
Equipment
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
38

39. 39

40. 40

41. 130.7 Personal and Other Protective Equipment
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Arc flash PPE category identified from Table 130.7(C)(15)(A)
(b) or Table 130.7(C)(15)(B),
Table 130.7(C)(16) used to determine the required PPE for
the task.
Table 130.7(C)(16) lists PPE based on arc flash PPE
categories 1 through 4.
41

42. 42

43. 130.7 Personal and Other Protective Equipment
Alerting Techniques
1) Safety Signs and Tags
 Per ANSI Z535
1) Barricades –if arc flash boundary > limited approach,
shall not be put closer than Arc flash boundary
2) Attendants
3) Look-Alike Equipment
Standards for Other Protective Equipment
– See Table 130.7(F)
43

44. Personal Protective Equipment
Category specific
Arc-Rated Clothing
 ARC 1 – minimum 4 cal/cm2
 ARC 2 – minimum 8 cal/cm2
 ARC 3 – minimum 25 cal/cm2
 ARC 4 – minimum 40 cal/cm2
44

45. Chapter 3
Safety Requirements for
Special Equipment
45

46. Batteries and Battery Rooms
• Scope
– Practical safeguarding of employees
– Batteries that exceed 50 volts, nominal
• Definitions specific to article
• Safety procedures
– General safety hazards
– Battery risk Assessment
– Electrolyte Hazards
– Cell Flame Arresters & Cell Ventilation
46

47. Informative
Annexes
A – P
47

48. R. Scott Young
Industrial Safety Institute
WWW.IndustrialSafetyInstitute.com
Ph 813.732.6445
Email: Rsyisi@gmail.com
Questions?