NFPA 70E®, Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace, is an indispensable, ongoing work in progress. Approximately every three years, it is updated to incorporate the latest electrical safety research, risks, work practices, electrical designs, and personal protective equipment (PPE) to reduce the number of deaths and injuries caused by shock, electrocution, arc flash, arc blasts and fires.
Much is learned every year. When the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) initiated the voluntary standard at OSHA’s request in 1979, its first edition only addressed electrical shock. It wasn’t until the 1995 edition that arc flash hazards were recognized, and numerous workplace safety requirements have since been added. Each new edition succeeds in further improving electrical safety in the workplace and makes the prior version obsolete.