NFPA 70E: Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace, 2015 Edition

NFPA 70E® compliance saves lives, reduces liability, and helps avoid unexpected downtime and revenue loss. Now, the 2015 Standard takes another big step in changing the way America works.

In a fraction of a second, an electrical incident can claim lives and cause permanently disabling injuries. In fact, hundreds of deaths and thousands of burn injuries occur each year due to shock, electrocution, arc flash, and arc blast -- and most could be prevented through compliance with NFPA 70E: Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace®. Originally developed at OSHA's request, NFPA 70E responds to the latest information about the effects of arc flash, arc blast, and direct current (dc) hazards, and recent developments in electrical design and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

The 2015 NFPA 70E helps you assess electrical risks on the job, making users more aware of the potential for devastating loss.

The 2015 edition of NFPA 70E introduces a major change in how stakeholders evaluate electrical risk -- so that owners, managers, and employees can work together to ensure an electrically safe working area and comply with OSHA 1910 Subpart S and OSHA 1926 Subpart K.

• Key changes throughout the Standard replace the phrase "hazard analysis" with "risk assessment" to enable a shift in awareness about the potential for failure.
• Revisions enhance usability; such as the division of requirements in former 110.4. (C)(2) into new sections separating construction and maintenance work from outdoor work.
• Updated tables add clarity to requirements, such as the restricted approach boundary dimensions in Table 130.4 (D)(a).
• New requirement 320.3 (A)(1) covers risk assessment associated with battery work.
• New subsection in 130.2 (A)(4) provides requirements where normal operation of electric equipment is permitted.
• Informative Annex E has updated text to correlate with the redefined terminology associated with hazard and risk. This annex provides clarity and consistency about definitions as well as risk management principles vital to electrical safety.

Bring your company's electrical safety program up-to-date and give employees the know-how to be electrically safe.

If you're responsible for ensuring workers are protected from shock and arc flash hazards, use the 2015 NFPA 70E along with the 2014 NFPA 70®: National Electrical Code® (NEC®) and the 2013 NFPA 70B: Electrical Equipment Maintenance. Together, the "Big Three" help you protect your personnel and your company from tragic loss. NFPA 70E is a vital tool for contractors, risk managers, engineers, building managers, owners, and everyone concerned with ending electrical-related accidents, liability, and loss. (Softbound, 102 pp., 2015)

Table of Contents

NFPA 70E® Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace® 2015 Edition

90 Introduction

Chapter 1 Safety-Related Work Practices 
100 Definitions 
105 Application of Safety-Related Work Practices 
110 General Requirements for Electrical Safety-Related Work Practices 
120 Establishing an Electrically Safe Work Condition 
130 Work Involving Electrical Hazards

Chapter 2 Safety-Related Maintenance Requirements 
200 Introduction 
205 General Maintenance Requirements 
210 Substations, Switchgear Assemblies, Switchboards, Panelboards, Motor Control Centers, and Disconnect Switches 
215 Premises Wiring 
220 Controller Equipment 
225 Fuses and Circuit Breakers 
230 Rotating Equipment 
235 Hazardous (Classified) Locations 
240 Batteries and Battery Rooms 
245 Portable Electric Tools and Equipment 
250 Personal Safety and Protective Equipment

Chapter 3 Safety Requirements for Special Equipment 
300 Introduction 
310 Safety-Related Work Practices for Electrolytic Cells 
320 Safety Requirements Related to Batteries and Battery Rooms 
330 Safety-Related Work Practices for Use of Lasers 
340 Safety-Related Work Practices: Power Electronic Equipment 
350 Safety-Related Work Requirements: Research and Development Laboratories

Annex A Referenced Publications 
Informative Annex B Informational References 
Informative Annex C Limits of Approach 
Informative Annex D Incident Energy and Arc Flash Boundary Calculation Methods 
Informative Annex E Electrical Safety Program 
Informative Annex F  Risk Assessment Procedure 
Informative Annex G Sample Lockout/Tagout Procedure 
Informative Annex H Guidance on Selection of Protective Clothing and Other Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Informative Annex I Job Briefing and Planning Checklist 
Informative Annex J Energized Electrical Work Permit 
Informative Annex K General Categories of Electrical Hazards 
Informative Annex L Typical Application of Safeguards in the Cell Line Working Zone 
Informative Annex M Layering of Protective Clothing and Total System Arc Rating 
Informative Annex N Example Industrial Procedures and Policies for Working Near Overhead Electrical Lines and Equipment 
Informative Annex O Safety-Related Design Requirements 
Informative Annex P Aligning Implementation of This Standard with Occupational Health and Safety Management Standards 
Index