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Electrical Safety in the Workplace
Ten Important Changes to the NFPA 70E Standard
2012 Edition
By
October, 2011
David Burtt, President
JADE Learning, Inc.
About the NFPA 70E Standard
In October of 2011, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) released the 2012 edition of
NFPA 70E: Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace ®. NFPA 70E is the industry standard for
preventing injury and loss of life while working with electricity and electrical equipment.
Approximately 30,000 nonfatal electrical shock accidents and 1,000 electrocution fatalities occur
each year, over half of them while servicing energized systems of less than 600 volts. More than
2,000 people each year are admitted to burn centers with severe arc flash burns. 1
NFPA 70E emphasizes working on energized equipment only when it is absolutely necessary and
provides guidelines for effective Lockout/Tagout procedures. When live work cannot be avoided,
NFPA 70E outlines procedures for determining hazards, hazard boundaries, personal protective
equipment (PPE), and safe work practices.
A quality safety program with training on NFPA 70E can help employees safely complete the
following tasks:
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Implement and follow Lockout/Tagout procedures (simple and complex).
Identify hazard categories.
Understand Arc Flash and Shock Protection Boundaries.
Select Appropriate PPE for the hazard category.
Follow safe work practices when working on energized equipment.
Enforcement
Using NFPA 70E to design and implement a company-wide safety program can help you meet
OSHA requirements in 29 CFR 1910. While NFPA 70E is not required for OSHA compliance, OSHA
has stated employers can use industry standards, such as NFPA 70E, as a guide in making hazard
analyses and selecting safe work practices. NFPA 70E has similar standards to those enforced by
OSHA. For example:
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Employers are required to perform a hazard assessment to determine appropriate PPE—29
CFR 1910.132 (d)(1).
Employees shall be trained in and familiar with safety-related work practices that pertain to
their job assignments—29 CFR 1910.332 (b)(1).
Employees shall use electrical protective equipment appropriate for the specific parts of the
body for the work being performed—29 CFR 1910.335 (a)(1)(i).
Employees shall wear protective equipment for the eyes or face wherever there is danger of
injury to the eyes or face—29 CFR 1910.335 (a)(1)(v).
Training on NFPA 70E and implementing its guidelines can prepare a company to meet each of
these and other applicable OSHA requirements.
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NFPA 70 E, 2012, Annex K
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Ten Important Changes in the 2012 Edition
As with the 2009 edition, the majority of changes relate to safe work practices and are found in
Chapter 1, Safety-Related Work Practices.
1.
Employees must be retrained every three years. Article 110.2(D)(3)—Previously this was
required every five years. You must document the date of the training, who attended the
training, and the content of the training.
2.
Individual control for lockout/tagout is no longer permitted. Article 120.2(D)— Individual
control allowed a lockout/tagout device to be omitted if the disconnecting means was next
to the equipment being serviced, and the disconnecting means was in clear view to the
qualified person performing the work. Now there are only two types of lockout/tagout:
Simple lockout/tagout and Complex lockout/tagout.
3.
An energized electrical work permit is now required when working within the limited
approach boundary or the arc flash boundary. Article 130.2(B)—The arc flash boundary
may be further away from the equipment than the limited approach boundary.
4.
A new Table has been added that defines the approach boundaries for working on
energized direct-current voltage systems. Article 130.4(C)(b)—The new edition recognizes
work on energized DC conductors and sets approach boundaries for shock protection.
Hazard/risk categories for arc flash protection are also established for DC systems.
5.
Arc flash hazard analysis is now required for systems 50 volts and greater. Article 130.5—Arc
flash analysis used to be required only for circuits rated 240 volts or greater. If you are working on
systems between 50 and 240 volts you will need to conduct an arc flash hazard analysis, or use
tables in 70E, to determine the arc flash boundary, the incident energy at the working distance
and the personal protective equipment that people within the arc flash boundary are required to
use. Table 130.7(C)(15)(a)or(b) and Table 130.7(C)(16) can still be used to determine the arc flash
boundary if the job at hand matches the task in the table.
6.
The Arc Flash Boundary is no longer set at 4 feet. Article 130.5(A)—The Arc Flash Boundary
is set at 1.2 cal/cm2 for systems 50 volts and greater. Previously, the arc flash boundary was
set at 4 ft. for systems between 50 volts and 600 volts, if any combination of fault
current/clearing time was not greater than 100kA cycles. An incident energy level of 1.2
cal/cm2 is the threshold between a 1st degree and 2nd degree burn.
7.
Arc flash labeling based on the 2009 edition will no longer be sufficient. Article 130.5(C)—
More information is required on arc flash labels. Each label must have the nominal system
voltage, arc flash boundary, and one of the following: (a) available incident energy and
corresponding working distance, (b) Minimum arc rating of clothing, (c) required level of
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PPE, (d) highest hazard/risk category for the equipment. Arc flash labels applied before
September 30, 2011 do not need to be changed.
8.
Hazard and risk category classifications for different tasks in Table 130.7(C)(15)(a) now
include assumptions such as maximum short circuit current available, maximum fault
clearing time, and the minimum working distance. Table 130.7(C)(15)(a)—If the installation
does not conform to the assumptions given in the Table, the actual hazard/risk category
may be higher than what is listed in the Table. The maximum short circuit current available,
the maximum fault clearing time and the minimum working distances have been added to
Table 130.7(C)(15)(a).
9.
The hazard/risk category 2* has been deleted. Table 130.7(C)(15)(a); Table 130.7(C)(16)—
Now there are five categories of hazard/risk, 0-4. The 2* category had slightly different
requirements for head and face protection. Tasks which were rated 2* are now rated
hazard/risk category 2.
10. Category 2 type tasks now require an arc-rated flash suit hood or arc-rated face shield and
arc-rated balaclava. Table 130.7(C)(16)—A balaclava is a sock hood that protects the neck
and head, except for the facial area of the eyes and nose.
Solutions
Initial training and retraining every three years is not only a requirement; it is a best practice for
building and reinforcing safety skills among your work force. Only with proper training can your
employees implement and follow strict Lockout/Tagout procedures to ensure that those working
on de-energized systems can do so with comfort and confidence. When you must work on
energized equipment, your employees must be trained to set accurate hazard boundaries and
select the right PPE for the task.
About the Author
David Burtt has been in the electrical trade since 1978. He has worked as an electrical contractor,
maintenance electrician, shop supervisor, and electrical instructor. Mr. Burtt has been teaching
continuing education courses on the National Electric Code since 1990. He is currently approved
to offer continuing education courses in Alaska, Arkansas, California, Delaware, Florida, Idaho,
Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Montana, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma,
Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. He is a
member of the National Fire Protection Association, the International Association of Electrical
Inspectors, and the American Society for Training and Development.
JADE Learning provides electrical safety training for public and private facilities, including:
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