Page 58 - OHS, June 2023

PPE: ELECTRICAL SAFETY The Key to Safety During Lockout/Tagout One critical element of protection during LOTO procedures is the use of arc-rated flame resistant clothing. BY SCOTT MARGOLIN In the electrical industry, you have probably heard the phrase “we don’t work energized.” But is this statement accurate? The answer is almost always no, due to a common misunderstanding of what qualifies as energized work. Both OSHA and NFPA 70E have rules to address this issue, including lockout/tagout (LOTO) for OSHA and Electrically Safe Work Condition (ESWC) for 70E. Simply turning off a breaker is not enough, since all but one step in the process is considered energized work according to both standards. To create a de-energized work condition, a qualified person must follow a multi-step process that includes physically locking out the system with a signed tag, testing for absence of voltage and testing the voltmeter in a live system to confirm it works. All these steps require arc-rated flame resistant (AR/FR) clothing and other PPE since they are considered energized work. Reversing the process by removing the lock, restoring power and theDirector/Shuttertock.com confirming the presence of voltage are also considered energized work. Depending on how you count the steps, six out of the seven steps required by OSHA and 70E are considered energized work. Do you still think you do not work energized? Here is our favorite question: Do you own a voltmeter? If you said yes, you work energized. What Qualifies as de-Energized Work? From both a standards and practical/PPE perspective, little of what is called “de-energized work” qualifies as such. Unless you are pulling wire in new construction that is not connected to the grid and has no temporary power, most of every job you perform is energized work. Therefore, according to NFPA 70E, it is critical to establish an ESWC before performing work on electrical conductors or circuit parts operating at voltages equal to or greater than 50 volts. 56 Occupational Health & Safety | JUNE 2023 www.ohsonline.com