NFPA 70E – 2009 Updates and Revisions Introduction

Electrical safety is a prime consideration of any contractor, employee or risk manager working in an industry where high voltages are a fact of life.  Whether it is on the floor of a packaging plant, perched in a cherry picker in front of a utility pole, or even installing a 220v line in a new home, electrical contractors must remain vigilant in order to avoid the kinds of serious injuries that could result from even a momentary lapse of attention near an energized circuit.

Since 1979, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has teamed with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) to develop and maintain a safety standard aimed at protecting the health of those working with electricity, whether it be as contractors or in their day-to-day employment.  Known as NFPA 70E, the standard initially dovetailed with OSHA’s electrical safety regulations and requirements but has since then grown and expanded through seven editions, with the latest being released in 2009.

Most risk managers are intimately familiar with the previous edition of NFPA 70E, but the most recent update does call for important changes to be made in the workplace.  The new sections of the standard affect both how workers interact with the equipment they are servicing or installing as well as the types of tools and gear they use while doing their jobs. Some areas which were considered to be duplicates of requirements already provided in the National Electric Code have been removed from the standard, but more important are the additions and changes that have been made.  These will require that current risk management plans be revised and updated in order to comply with the new regulations, as well as further safeguard the lives of electrical workers in an organization.

An overview of the differences between the older NFPA 70E standard and the newest iteration reveals that the most significant changes have been made across a diverse range of safety areas.  Individual safety standards that involve dealing with arc flash hazards and personal protective equipment have been revised, as have several organizational-level practices related to training, contractor relationships, equipment labeling and overall safety program validation..  This means that risk managers must communicate the updated standard not only to individual employees and contractors present onsite, but also decision makers and management touched by the wider impact of NFPA 70E-2009’s implications at a company policy level.

Workplace safety is essentially a contract between the site manager and workers who each pledge to respect the service standards expected of each in order to keep the workplace free from any accidents or hazardous situations that could result in injury or death.  By ensuring that those involved in the maintenance and installation of onsite electrical equipment are aware of the changes made the NFPA 70E, as well as demonstrating that their organization has taken the initiative to respect the new requirements on the administrative and corporate end, risk managers can help to create as safe an environment as possible within the confines of their facility.