This will be the third time since 2011 that we have discussed inadvertent contact with overhead electrical lines. Once in 2011, again in 2017, and now once again in 2025. Why do we talk about the same subject three times every five years or so? Simply put, we aren’t making enough progress (in my opinion) on this particular electrical hazard. …
Looking Ahead Five Years…Electrical Infrastructure and NFPA 70E
Prelude and Overview The electrical power services market should see tremendous growth over the next five years. The legal and regulatory requirements, the need for qualified electrical workers, and the requirement that the workers are properly trained and educated are paramount. When it comes to electrical safe work practices, the use of NFPA 70E as a roadmap to success is …
The Importance of NFPA 70E to OSHA Violations and Fines
You have probably seen OSHA’s recent guide titled Protecting Employees for Electric-Arc Flash Hazards. If not, you can find it here: https://www.osha.gov/electrical/flash-hazards. OSHA produced the guide to assist employers and employees in understanding and protecting against arc flash hazards, which brings about an interesting thought about OSHA and its relationship to NFPA 70E. It reminds us of how important it …
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, Why Does Informative Annex Q Matter at All?
We’ll get to the punch line first. Your personal safety relies on one person and one person only….and that person is you. Look in the mirror — that’s it. Electricity is a powerful force — one that helps us each and every day in all that we do. With that power comes an element of significant risk: severe injury or …
Learning the Basics: How to Overcome Barriers to Learning Key Aspects of NFPA 70E
There is no better electrical safety standard than NFPA 70E, Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace. It’s a work practices document, composed and approved through consensus and input from a wide range of subject matter experts and members of the public. It follows the ANSI standards-making process with an end goal specifically designed to protect personnel from the hazards …
NFPA 70E and Condition of Maintenance: Do You Know About Informative Annex S?
Condition of maintenance: It’s a term found in NFPA codes and standards, but do you really understand what it means? If not, check out Informative Annex S Assessing the Condition of Maintenance, in the 2024 edition of the NFPA 70E.
NFPA 70E Requirements: The Baker’s Dozen of Electrical Safety
First published in 1979, NFPA 70E, Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace, has evolved tremendously over the years and is arguably the premier electrical safety work practices standard available to the electrical worker. The current 2024 edition is 113 pages, three chapters, and 19 Informative Annex sections. Many sources of information and safety knowledge are embedded in these pages, …
Utilize a Great Resource: NFPA 70E Handbook for Electrical Safety in the Workplace
You may have seen my LinkedIn post about this, but we’ll expand further with some examples to highlight this resource for a better understanding of NFPA 70E. There were two points to the message: Edited by Dean Austin, Chris Coache, and Corey Hannahs, the authors do a great job of providing usable information to us, the electrical workers. It was …
The Future of Electrical Safety and Maintenance Standards
What does the future hold for our industry — especially when it comes to those all-important standards that ensure reliability, protect property, and help us to avoid injury or death? As we revise and update codes and standards from NETA, NFPA, IEEE, ASTM, NEMA, CSA, and OSHA, I think we should all read this very carefully, especially the summary. WHAT …
Electrical and Thermal Burns: Why Is This an Important Topic in NFPA 70E?
How much heat does it take to burn unprotected skin? Not very much, right? We’ve all had it happen to us: Just stay outside in the sun for a short amount of time with unprotected skin, and there you have it — a burn to your skin. Now, place unprotected skin in front of a potential source of great heat, …
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