Electrical protective equipment

All electrical protective equipment (e.g., circuit breakers, fuses, bus bars, and motor starters) is rated for maximum short circuit currents by NEMA standards. Proper selection of equipment must be based on available short circuit currents. 

If your employees work where there are potential electrical hazards, you must provide them with electrical protective equipment. You must use equipment appropriate for the body parts needing protection and the work being done. 

As this Toolbox Talk is an introduction to construction of electric power transmission and distribution lines and equipment, you may want to discuss your company safety and other rules that apply to these work situations. Include basic safe work practices and procedures and emergency procedures. Discuss possible scenarios where an employee could be exposed. The idea is to help employees recognize and know how to avoid hazards. Have personal protective equipment, electrical protective equipment, and special tools on hand to aid in your talk. 

Personal Protective Equipment — Electrical Protective Equipment... 

Workers exposed to electrical hazards face a risk of death or serious injury from electric shock. According to the Bru eau of Labor Statistics, there were 192 and 170 fatalities involving contact with electric crurent in 2008 and 2009, respectively. About half of these fatalities (89 in both years) occrured in construction. OSHA explains that the use of properly designed, manufactured, and cared-for electrical protective equipment helps protect employees from this risk. 

While OSHA has long had an Electrical Protective Equipment Standard for general industry at 29 CFR 1910.137, it took until 2014 for the agency to issue its Electrical Protective Equipment Standard for construction at 29 CFR 1926.97. This construction regulation applies not only to the design, manufactm-e, and proper care of this equipment in electric power transmission and distribution work but also in all construction work involving electrical hazards. 

Paragraph (b) addresses the design and manufacture of electrical protective equipment other than the rubber insulating equipment addressed in (a). Paragraph (b) covers plastic guard equipment, insulating barriers, and other equipment. 

Paragraph (c) addresses the in-service care and use of electrical protective equipment to help ensure that it retains its insrdating properties. 

There are no specific training requirements for electrical protective equipment in the OSHA construction regulations however, it is important to train your employees to know ... 

During electrical protective equipment safety talks, you may want to review the electrical hazards most commonly found at your jobsite(s) and present examples of the types of electrical protective equipment you require at your company. Inform trainees where to find the equipment class and type markings and what they mean. Instruct trainees never to use defective or damaged electrical protective equipment, and show them photos of damage or defects, so employees know what to look out for. 

Proper in-service care and use of electrical protective equipment. 

Knowing the basics about your electrical protective equipment. 

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ASTM Standards for Electrical Protective Equipment for Workers, ASTM International, 2012. 

ASTM FI 236-96 (2012), Standard Guide for Visual Inspection of Electrical Protective Rubber Products, presents methods and techniques for the visual inspection of electrical protective equipment made of rubber. This guide also contains descriptions and photographs of irregularities that can be found in this equipment. 

ASTM F819-10, Standard Terminology Relating to Electrical Protective Equipment for Workers, includes definitions of terms relating to the electrical protective equipment covered under this section. 

Note to paragraph (a) Paragraph (d) of 1926.95 sets employer payment obligations for the personal protective equipment required by this subpart, including, but not limited to, the fall protection equipment required by paragraph (b) of this section, the electrical protective equipment required by 1926.960(c), and the flame-resistant and arc-rated clothing and other protective equipment required by 1926.960(g). 

Unless the employee is using electrical protective equipment, air is the insulating medium between the employee and energized parts. The distance between the employee and an energized part must be sufficient for the air to withstand the maximum transient overvoltage that can reach the worksite under the working conditions and practices the employee is using. This distance is the minimum air insulation distance, and it is equal to the electrical component of the minimum approach distance. 

New OSHA Rulemaking Electric Power Generation, Transmission, and Distribution and Electrical Protective Equipment. 3... 

General industry and construction standards for electrical protective equipment are also revised under the final rule. The new standard for electrical protective equipment applies to all construction work and replaces the existing construction standard, which was based on out-of-date information, with a set of performance-oriented requirements consistent with the latest revisions of the relevant consensus standards. The new standards address the safe use and care of electrical protective equipment, including new requirements that equipment made of materials other than aibber provide adequate protection from electrical hazards. 

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) updated its Electric Power Generation, Transmission, and Distribution and its Electrical Protective Equipment standards, further improving safety protections for America s workers. The updated standards harmonize construction and general industry requirements so that the same rules apply generally to the same kinds of work. In... 

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