Employers and employees in the electrical industry will benefit from a fact sheet and slide presentation on OSHA’s Electrical Standard Subpart S (29 CFR 1910) developed by the Independent Electrical Contractors, Inc. (IEC) through a recently renewed alliance between OSHA and IEC, according to a recent OSHA press release.

The IEC fact sheet provides the electrical industry with a brief overview of the updates OSHA has made to this standard. It describes the revised standard’s application to electrical installations, equipment, zone classification and entertainment venues such as carnivals, circuses and fairs. The IEC “Arc Flash Safety” presentation focuses on hot work and arc flash hazards and addresses topics including types of electrical hazards and how to protect oneself against shock and arc flashes or blasts.

Through the Alliance renewal signed in December 2008, OSHA and IEC will continue to provide IEC members and others in the construction industry with resources to protect employees’ safety and health. The Alliance will specifically address reducing and preventing exposure to fall and arc flash hazards and electrical and motor vehicle safety issues.

“The information and tools this Alliance has developed over the past six years have provided safety and health resources to thousands of electrical industry employees,” said Acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Thomas M. Stohler. “Working together to develop and share best practices to reduce and prevent workplace injuries is an important part of OSHA’s balanced approach to safety and health.”

Additionally, through the Alliance, IEC encouraged its chapters to work collaboratively with OSHA and, as a result, a number of the association’s chapters are implementing Alliance agreements with the agency’s regional and area offices and State Plan states to focus on safety and health issues including fall, confined space entry, toxic substances and struck-by hazards.

“IEC is committed to the lives of the men and women in the electrical industry. Together, our Alliance will continue to foster an environment of improved safety for the nation’s electrical workforce,” said IEC National President Steve Wiege.

For more information, visitwww.osha.gov.