Starting in September, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), developer and publisher of NFPA 70E®, Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace®, will offer the opportunity to earn the new NFPA 70E Certificate of Educational Achievement* by attending a three-day seminar which concludes with an exam, according to an NFPA press release.

The first two days of the certificate program focus on applying the requirements of NFPA 70E in the workplace and the relationship between NFPA 70E and the requirements of OSHA. Topics include identifying the electrical safety hazards in the workplace; explanations of electric shock, arc flash, and arc blast and how to protect personnel against these hazards; safety policies and procedures that employers are obligated to provide for workers; and the importance of an electrically safe work condition and how it is accomplished. The third day is spent on self-assessment and problem-solving exercises, followed by an open book exam designed to test the participant’s ability to use and apply NFPA 70E.

“NFPA 70E is the only ANSI-accredited national standard on electrical safety in the workplace and is the foundation of any electrical safety program. Anyone dealing with identifying electrical hazards and implementing strategies to mitigate these hazards in the workplace understands the vital importance of NFPA 70E in making the workplace electrically safe,” said Jeff Sargent, NFPA senior electrical specialist and staff liaison to the NFPA Technical Committee on Electrical Safety in the Workplace. “This new certificate program enhances the traditional seminar experience by providing attendees with the opportunity to apply their understanding of NFPA 70E. The end result is a professional with a real-world understanding of how the standard can be implemented to make their workplace electrically safe.”

Certificate participants will earn 1.8 CEUs or 18 hours for the 3-day program. Participants choosing the 2-day NFPA 70E seminar only option will earn 1.4 CEUs or 14 hours. The opportunity to earn the new NFPA 70E Certificate of Educational Achievement will begin September 13, 2010. Courses will be offered in a variety of locations including Quincy, Mass., Secaucus, N.J., Oak Brook, Ill., and Cincinnati, Ohio.

Call 1-800-344-3555 (8:30am–7:00pm ET, Monday–Friday) to register or register online at www.nfpalearn.org

*Certificate does not fulfill all requirements of NFPA 70E 110.6(D)(1) for “Qualified Person.” For general information, including purpose and limitations of the NFPA Certificates, go to www.NFPA.org/certificate (FAQs).