This single safe work practice significantly reduces the likelihood of arc-flash burn injury by reducing employee exposure to electrical hazards - i.e., exposure is limited to when the equipment is shut down and when the qualified employee verifies, by use of a test instrument, a deenergized state. For example, with respect to arc-flash burn hazard prevention, the general provisions for the Selection and use of work practices contained in §1910.333(a)(1) generally require deenergization of live parts before an employee works on or near them - i.e., employees must first render electric equipment safe by completely deenergizing it by means of lockout and tagging procedures. However, arc-flash hazards are addressed in the OSHA electrical safety-related work practices standards. OSHA's existing Subpart S, therefore, does not include a specific requirement for the use of FR clothing. Although more recent versions of NFPA 70E have included such body protection provisions, OSHA has not conducted rulemaking proceedings to update Subpart S by adopting comparable provisions specifically related to the use of FR clothing to protect against arc-flash hazards. Reply: OSHA's present requirements in Subpart S, Safety-Related Work Practices, are based on NFPA 70E-1983, which did not at that time include specific provisions for flame-resistant (FR) clothing. Question 2: Is flame-resistant clothing required for employees working on electrical installations covered by Subpart S? Although these Subpart S electrical provisions do not specifically require that electric equipment be marked to warn qualified persons of arc-flash hazards, §1910.335(b)(1) requires the use of safety signs, safety symbols, or accident prevention tags to warn employees about electrical hazards (e.g., electric-arc-flash hazards) which may endanger them as required by §1910.145. to warn and protect employees from hazards which could cause injury due to electric shock, burns or failure of electric equipment parts. OSHA believes that this information, along with the training requirements for qualified persons, will provide employees the necessary information to protect themselves from arc-flash hazards.Īdditionally, in §1910.335(b), OSHA requires employers to use alerting techniques (safety signs and tags, barricades, and attendants). However, paragraph (e) of §1910.303 requires employers to mark electrical equipment with descriptive markings, including the equipment's voltage, current, wattage, or other ratings as necessary. A requirement to mark equipment with flash hazard warnings was not included in the 1981 Subpart S revision. Reply: OSHA has no specific requirement for such marking. Question 1: When work must be performed on energized electric equipment that is capable of exposing employees to arc-flash hazards, does OSHA require the marking of the electric equipment to warn qualified persons of potential electric arc-flash hazards - i.e., as required by NFPA 70E-2004? 1 We apologize for the delay in our response. Your questions have been restated below for clarity. Thank you for your e-mail to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA's) Directorate of Enforcement Programs (DEP) for an interpretation regarding OSHA's requirements and the National Fire Protection Association's (NFPA) 70E-2004, Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |