Revision 12/06 Electrical Safety Program

Revision 12/06 General company policy

The purpose of this program is to inform interested persons, including employees, that our company is complying with the OSHA Electrical Safety Standard at §1910.333 by determining that this workplace needs written procedures for preventing electric shock or other injuries resulting from direct/indirect electrical contacts to employees working on or near energized or deenergized parts. This program applies to all work operations at ____________ where employees may be exposed to live parts and/or those parts that have been deenergized.

____________ has overall responsibility for coordinating safety and health programs in this company. 

____________ is the person having overall responsibility for the Electrical Safety Program. ____________ will review and update the program, as necessary.

Copies of the written program may be obtained from ____________ in ____________. Under this program, our employees receive instructions in the purpose and use of energy control procedures, as well as the other required elements of the Control of Hazardous Energy standard. This instruction includes the deenergizing of equipment, applying locks and tags, verifying deenergization, and equipment reenergizing.

We encourage all suggestions because we are committed to creating a safe workplace for all our employees and a successful electrical safety program is an important component of our overall safety plan. We strive for clear understanding, safe work practices, and involvement in the program from every level of the company.

Revision 12/06 Hazard analysis report

To determine areas of ____________ that need to be included in the Electrical Safety Program, ____________ has conducted a hazard analysis of our workplace. This analysis located in ____________, has provided us with information identifying which departments have equipment using electricity, various types of wiring installations, and the types of employee functions that must be covered by the Electrical Safety Program. The departments/areas of our company identified as having electrically operated equipment and/or wiring installations are ____________.

Electrically operated equipment that must be deenergized before work can be done on it and where it is located includes ____________.

Employees of our company who are qualified to work on, near, or with energized electric circuits and equipment are ____________.

Employees working on, near, or with energized electric circuits and equipment who have limited knowledge of electrical circuitry are ____________.

Revision 12/06 Training program

Every employee in our company who faces the risk of electric shock from working on or near energized or deenergized electrical sources receives training in electrical related safety work practices pertaining to the individual’s job assignment.

The goal of our electrical safety training program is to ensure that all employees understand the hazards associated with electric energy and that they are capable of performing the necessary steps to protect themselves and their co workers.

Our electrical training program covers these basic elements:

• Lockout and tagging of conductors and parts of electrical equipment.
• Safe procedures for deenergizing circuits and equipment.
• Application of locks and tags.
• Verification that the equipment has been deenergized.
• Procedures for reenergizing the circuits or equipment.
• Other electrically related information which is necessary for employee safety.

In our facility, all the persons working on or near energized or deenergized electric sources are considered “qualified” to work safely with electrical energy and have received the appropriate training and certification to do so. In addition to the basic training elements, our “qualified” employees are trained in the skills and techniques necessary to identify exposed live parts, determine nominal voltages, and clearance distances and corresponding voltages. This group of employees has also received additional training that includes ____________.

The format we follow for our training program is ____________.

The procedures we follow when training new employees who will be working on or near electrical equipment or circuitry are ____________. When changes involving electrical elements occur in our company, we provide additional employee training to ensure the safety of all affected workers. In this case, we follow these procedures: ____________.

____________ conducts the electrical safety training for all employees. Every employee who participates in the Electrical Safety Program receives a certificate which they sign verifying that they have completed the course, that they understand the information presented, and that they will follow all company policies and procedures regarding electrical safety. These signed certificates of training as well as all training materials and documentation are kept by ____________.

Revision 12/06 Lockout/tagout program

It is our company’s policy that circuits and equipment must be disconnected from all electric energy sources before work on them begins. We use lockout and tagging devices to prevent the accidental reenergization of this equipment. These lockout and tagging procedures are the main component of our electrical safety program. The safety procedures that make up our lockout and tagging program include these elements:

• Deenergizing circuits and equipment. We disconnect the circuits and equipment to be worked on from all electric energy sources and we release stored energy that could accidentally reenergize equipment.
• Application of locks and tags. Only authorized employees are allowed to place a lock and tag on each disconnecting means used to deenergize our circuits or equipment before work begins. Our locks prevent unauthorized persons from reenergizing the equipment or circuits and the tags prohibit unauthorized operation of the disconnecting device.

• Verification of deenergized condition of circuits and equipment. Prior to work on the equipment, we require that a “qualified” employee verifiy that the equipment is deenergized and cannot be restarted.
• Verification of deenergized condition of circuits and equipment. Reenergizing circuits and equipment. Before circuits or equipment are reenergized, we follow these steps in this order:
  • A “qualified” employee conducts tests and verifies that all tools and devices have been removed.
  • All exposed employees are warned to stay clear of circuits and equipment.
  • Authorized employees remove their own locks and tags.
  • We do a visual inspection of the area to be sure all employees are clear of the circuits and equipment.

In addition to these lockout/tagout elements, we ____________.

____________ are the employees trained and authorized to deenergize, verify, and reenergize electric circuits and equipment in our company.

Revision 12/06 Enforcement

Constant awareness of and respect for electrical hazards, and compliance with all safety rules are considered conditions of employment. Supervisors and individuals in the Safety and Personnel Department reserve the right to issue disciplinary warnings to employees, up to and including termination, for failure to follow the guidelines of this program.

Revision 12/06 Appendix

We have attached to this plan any lists, samples, or procedures we thought would ensure better understanding of our written program.

How Shocks Occur | Electrical Hazards

Electricity travels in closed circuits, and its normal route is through a conductor. Electric shock occurs when the body becomes a part of the electric circuit. The current must enter the body at one point and leave at another. Electric shock normally occurs in one of three ways. Individuals, while in contact with the ground, must come in contact with:

1. Both wires of the electric circuit,
2. One wire of an energized circuit and the ground, or
3. A metallic part that has become “hot” by contact with an energized conductor.

The metal parts of electric tools and machines may become energized if there is a break in the insulation of the tool or machine wiring. The worker using these tools and machines is made less vulnerable to electric shock when there is a low-resistance path from the metallic case of the tool or machine to the ground. This is done through the use of an equipment grounding conductor, a low-resistance wire that causes the unwanted current to pass directly to the ground, thereby greatly reducing the amount of current passing through the body of the person in contact with the tool or machine. If the equipment grounding conductor has been properly installed, it has a low resistance to ground, and the worker is protected.

Severity of the shock

The severity of the shock received when a person becomes a part of an electric circuit is affected by three primary factors:

• Amount of current flowing through the body (measured in amperes),
• Path of the current through the body, and
• Length of time the body is in the circuit.

Other factors that may affect the severity of shock are the frequency of the current, the phase of the heart cycle when shock occurs, and the general health of the person.

The effects of electric shock depend upon the type of circuit, its voltage, resistance, current, pathway through the body, and duration of the contact. Effects can range from a barely perceptible tingle to immediate cardiac arrest. Although there are no absolute limits or even known values that show the exact injury from any given current, the table below shows the general relationship between the degree of injury and amount of current for a 60-cycle hand-to-foot path of one second’s duration of shock.

The table also illustrates that a difference of less than 100 milliamperes exists between a current that is barely perceptible and one that can kill. Muscular contraction caused by stimulation may not allow the victim to free himself or herself from the circuit, and the increased duration of exposure increases the dangers to the shock victim. For example, a current of 100 milliamperes for three seconds is equivalent to a current of 900 milliamperes applied for .03 seconds in causing ventricular fibrillation. The so-called low voltages can be extremely dangerous because, all other factors being equal, the degree of injury is proportional to the length of time the body is in the circuit.

LOW VOLTAGE DOES NOT IMPLY LOW HAZARD!

A severe shock can cause considerably more damage to the body than is visible. For example, a person may suffer internal hemorrhages and destruction of tissues, nerves, and muscles. In addition, shock is often only the beginning in a chain of events. The final injury may well be from a fall, cuts, bums, or broken bones.

Effects of electric current in the human body 

Current	Reaction
1 Milliampere	Perception level. Just a faint tingle.
5 Milliamperes	Slight shock felt; not painful but disturbing. Average individual can let go. However, strong involuntary reactions to shocks in this range can lead to injuries.
6-25 Milliamperes (women)	Painful shock, muscular control is lost.
9-30 Milliamperes (men)	This is called the freezing current or “let-go” range.
50-150 Milliamperes	Extreme pain, respiratory arrest, severe muscular contractions[*]. Individual cannot let go. Death is possible.
1,000-4,300 Milliamperes	Ventricular fibrillation. (The rhythmic pumping action of the heart ceases.) Muscular contraction and nerve damage occur. Death is most likely.
10,000-Milliamperes	Cardiac arrest, severe burns and probable death.
[*]If the extensor muscles are excited by the electric shock, the person may be thrown away from the circuit. Source: W.B. Kouwenhoven, Human Safety and Electric Shock, Electrical Safety Practices, Monograph, 112, Instrument Society of America, p. 93. (Papers delivered at the third presentation of the Electrical Safety Course given in Wilmington, DE, in November 1968.)

How Electricity Acts | OSHA

Electricity is essential to modern life, both at home and on the job. Some employees work with electricity directly, as is the case with engineers, electricians, electronic technicians, and power line workers. Others, such as office workers and sales people, work with it indirectly. As a source of power, electricity is accepted without much thought to the hazards encountered. Perhaps because it has become such a familiar part of our surroundings, it often is not treated with the respect it deserves.

To handle electricity safely, it is necessary to understand how it acts, how it can be directed, what hazards it presents, and how these hazards can be controlled. Operating an electric switch may be considered analogous to turning on a water faucet. Behind the faucet or switch there must be a source of water or electricity, with something to transport it, and with pressure to make it flow. In the case of water, the source is a reservoir or pumping station; the transportation is through pipes; and the force to make it flow is pressure, provided by a pump. For electricity, the source is the power generating station; current travels through electric conductors in the form of wires; and pressure, measured in volts, is provided by a generator.

Resistance to the flow of electricity is measured in ohms and varies widely. It is determined by three factors:

• Nature of the substance itself,
• Length and cross-sectional area (size) of the substance, and
• Temperature of the substance.

Some substances, such as metals, offer very little resistance to the flow of electric current and are called conductors. Other substances, such as bakelite, porcelain, pottery, and dry wood, offer such a high resistance that they can be used to prevent the flow of electric current and are called insulators.

Dry wood has a high resistance, but when saturated with water its resistance drops to the point where it will readily conduct electricity. The same thing is true of human skin.

When it is dry, skin has a fairly high resistance to electric current; but when it is moist, there is a radical drop in resistance. Pure water is a poor conductor, but small amounts of impurities, such as salt and acid (both of which are contained in perspiration), make it a ready conductor. When water is present either in the environment or on the skin, anyone working with electricity should exercise even more caution than they normally would.

OSHA's Electrical Standards

OSHA's general industry electrical standards, found in Subpart S, §1910.301 through §1910.399 are based on the National Fire Protection Association's Standard NFPA 70E,Electrical Safety Requirements for Employee Workplaces, and the National Electrical Code (NEC). In addition to general industry, they apply to shipyard employment, longshoring, and marine terminals.

OSHA also has electrical standards for construction, but recommends that employers in this industry follow the general industry electrical standards whenever possible for hazards that are not addressed by their industryspecific standards.

The electrical standards help minimize potential electric-related hazards by specifying safety aspects in the design and use of electrical equipment and systems. Currently, the standards cover only those parts of any electrical system that an employee would normally use or contact. For example, the exposed and/or operating elements of an electrical installation — lighting, equipment, motors, machines, appliances, switches, controls, and enclosures — must be constructed and installed so as to minimize workplace electrical dangers.

OSHA Revises Design and Installation Requirements

On February 14, 2007, OSHA issued a revised standard for the design and installation of electric equipment. It is the first revision to the electrical installation requirements since 1981. The changes reflect current industry practices by drawing heavily from the 2000 edition of the National Fire Protection Association's (NFPA) Electrical Safety Requirements for Employee Workplaces (NFPA 70E), and the 2002 edition of the National Electrical Code (NEC).

 The revised provisions, which were effective August 13, 2007, are intended to help eliminate inconsistencies and confusion between OSHA's requirements and many state and local building codes which have adopted updated NFPA and NEC provisions. They also address stakeholder requests to revise the standard so that it conforms with the most recent edition of NFPA 70E with requirements for:

• Identifying multi-wire branch circuits;
• Providing signage for on-site emergency power sources; and
• Marking and listing power sources for power-limited fire alarm circuit power sources.

For workplaces covered by the changes, the impact is far-reaching. "Qualified" employees have new "workmanship" requirements and new rules for replacing equipment. "Unqualified" employees (such as safety supervisors) have new requirements for locking out and tagging disconnecting means for certain electrical equipment.

Qualified versus Unqualified Workers

For some time, OSHA has divided employees into two groups regarding the training and experience levels needed to work on electrical systems. OSHA uses the term "qualified" and "unqualified" to distinguish between those employees.

The qualified person must know when, where, and how to place barriers; how to lockout and tag a disconnecting means; and how to work on the system. Some new requirements specifically for qualified employees address:

• Workmanship when installing electrical equipment such as rat's nest and wiring packed too tight (fire hazard).
• Working space around electrical equipment (elbow room).
• Procedures for replacing electrical equipment such as new receptacles.

Unqualified employees, those that do not work directly with electrical systems, still have to be able to recognize electrical hazards, stay clear of barricaded areas when qualified employees are working on electrical systems, and recognize appropriate lockout/tagout implementation. Additionally, they have to ensure that portable tools and extension cords are plugged into Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCIs) and that equipment with flexible cords (i.e., the cords that came with the equipment) are plugged directly into a receptacle.

The following section provides an overview of basic electrical safety for individuals with little or limited training or familiarity with electrical hazards. The concepts and principles presented will help further an understanding of OSHA's electrical safety standards.