A qualified person has the necessary skills and knowledge to work safely on electrical systems. In addition, OSHA requires employees who work with electricity to be qualified and trained to work safely. These safety-related work practices include using PPE and following specific procedures to prevent electrical hazards. OSHA also requires employers to provide safety-related work practices for employees working on or near exposed energized parts.

This standard requires employers to ensure that machines or energized electric equipment are properly de-energized and locked or tagged out during maintenance, servicing, or repair to prevent accidental startup or release of stored energy. One such standard is the Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) standard. OSHA has specific standards for electrical safety that employers must follow to protect their employees from arc flashes and electric shock hazards. To prevent electric shock, workers must be provided with the appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and follow safety procedures.

This can result in internal burns, heart fibrillation, or death. Electric shock occurs when an electrical current passes through the body. OSHA considers an arc flash hazard to exist when the incident energy level is equal to or greater than 1.2 calories per square centimeter (cal/cm²).Įlectric Shock Hazard Electric shock is another significant electrical hazard workers face when working with exposed energized parts. An arc flash can occur when electricity jumps from an energized source to another point of lower resistance. It can cause significant injury to workers or even death. This article will discuss OSHA arc flash requirements and provide an overview of the keywords you should know.Īn arc flash is a sudden and violent release of electrical energy that can create intense heat, bright light, and explosive pressure. Therefore, OSHA has set guidelines that require employers to implement safety measures to protect their workers from this hazard. One such hazard is the risk of electric arc flash, which can result in significant injury or even death. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) mandates specific safe work practice guidelines for employers to ensure that employees are safe from electrical hazards. Related shock hazard approach boundaries include the limited and restricted approach boundaries, which refer to closer, more-hazardous distances from electrical equipment that require greater safety precautions in order to operate within.Electrical safety is critical to maintaining a safe and healthy work environment. Other standards require all equipment that necessitates an arc flash boundary to be clearly labeled with information stating what that boundary is, thus enabling a quick understanding of the safe working distance by anyone near the equipment. Both solutions also provide specific obligations for the PPE that must be used by individuals working within the boundary. In lieu of calculating the point at which incident energy will equal 1.2 cal/cm 2, the standard also provides a table-based solution for determining an arc flash boundary based on the properties of the electrical equipment under consideration. The NFPA prescribes specific calculations for determining the arc-flash boundary under Annex D of this standard.

It is an OSHA-recognized consensus standard therefore, the arc flash boundary has legal weight and must be observed in workplaces. Arc flash boundary is defined by the National Fire Protection Association’s 70E standard.

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