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OSHA has not adopted NFPA 70E, does not mandate 70E compliance, and yet you can be cited for non-compliance!
Many OSHA regulations are written in general terms, leaving the details on how to comply up to the employer. The employer is expected to use consensus standards to help select the best method to achieve compliance with OSHA regulations. NFPA 70E is not a federal regulation, it is a "how to comply" consensus standard for specific OSHA regulations. Compliance with 70E will assure compliance with most OSHA electrical regulations.
In the event of an injury or death due to an electrical accident, if OSHA determines that compliance with 70E would have prevented or lessened the injury, OSHA may cite the employer under the "general duty clause" for not using 70E to protect the employee. In a 2003 "Standard Interpretations" letter, OSHA stated 70E can be used as evidence of whether the employer acted reasonably.
Although the best approach to electrical safety is to perform work only on de-energized equipment, this is not always practical in today's demanding workplace. When the situation demands working on energized equipment, complying with NFPA 70E will assure employers that they have provided a safe means for their employees to perform the necessary work. In doing so, an employer creates a place of employment free from recognized hazards that could cause death or serious physical harm to employees.
To protect employers, Erdman Anthony offers electrical engineering services to conduct Arc Flash studies that, when completed, bring employers into full compliance with NFPA 70E. With the aid of state-of-the-art analytical software, our seasoned professional engineers conduct comprehensive studies from site survey through label installation, providing a nearly seamless service without interruption to ongoing operations. Our services include calculating incident energy levels and defining arc flash boundaries, defining appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), evaluating protective device settings to determine ways to reduce incident energy levels, and printing of the Arc Flash labels. Our means to the end comply with the latest edition of NEC 110.16, OSHA, NFPA 70E, and IEEE 1584 standards.
Yes, you can avoid citation and, in doing so, provide a safer workplace for employees.
Click here to download and print a copy of our Arc Flash brochure
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