A letter to OSHA’s Directorate of Enforcement Programs (DEP) regarding the agency's requirements and the National Fire Protection Association's (NFPA) 70E-2004, Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace, posed the following question:
Electrical safety in the workplace is an important topic that is addressed by NFPA 70E, Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace® (2015 edition). This document addresses arc flash and shock hazards, and there is a need for more factual incident data on the actual hazards that may be experienced when equipment faults or adverse electrical events occur.
OSHA authorized the National Fire Protection Association, or NFPA, to develop the 70E standard in 1976 due to the sheer numbers of lives lost due to electrocution and arc flash incidents.
It's a reasonable question. If you don't know what it is, how can you know if you need it or not? Arc flash testing is the process of determining the arc rating for materials and equipment to be used in electrical hazardous environments. Arc ratings are important in assisting companies and manufacturers in staying compliant with OSHA regulations and in keeping their workforce safe in a potential arc flash situation.
Three key factors can determine the intensity of an arc flash harm on you: The quantity of fault current available in your system; the time until an arc flash fault is cleared; your distance from an arc.
A rule to establish standards for combustible dust that’s been in the works since 2009 is scheduled to move closer to completion in 2014, with a proposed draft regulation due this spring.
What are the NFPA standards that address combustible dust issues? Tony and Mike: In trying to sort through the list of combustible dust standards, a good starting point for every EHS professional is NFPA 654, the Standard for the Prevention of Fire and Dust Explosions from the Manufacturing, Processing and Handling of Combustible Particulate Solids.
An Internet forum discussion… Sadly, there are not many that would. NFPA 70E arc flash is probably one of the most misunderstood safety requirements in industry today. When I do run in to companies that have enough knowledge to be dangerous, typically their span of PPE is a set of level 2 rubber gloves and training is a 30-second video of what an arc flash is.
Adapting to the safe work practices of NFPA 70E likely means some major changes in how your electrical workers have done things in the past. Your electrical workers likely didn’t think twice about opening an energized 480 volt electrical panel. Now with standards in place, they must first determine arc flash hazard levels, PPE, safety boundaries and fill out an energized work permit.
The short answer is, yes. OSHA requires industrial plants to adhere to the arc flash standards set forth by the National Fire Protection Association in the publication known as NFPA 70E.
