NFPA 70E Summary

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The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has published the 2009 edition of the 70E Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplaces. This edition contains many significant changes from the 2004 7th edition. The differences, highlights and additions:

NFPA 70 (NEC) vs. NFPA 70E

What is the difference?

• NFPA 70E is tailored to fulfill OSHA’s responsibilities, that would still be fully consistent with the NEC code. The standard extracts suitable portions from the NEC Code and from other documents applicable to electrical safety and make them more usable in an industrial employer/employee atmosphere not an electrician setting.
• The NEC code is intended for use primarily by those who design, install, and inspect electrical installations (electrician by trade). OSHA’s electrical regulations address the employer and employee in their workplace. The technical content and complexity of the NEC is extremely difficult for the average employer and employee to understand
• Some of the provisions in the NEC are not directly related to employee safety and therefore are of little value to OSHA’s needs

Highlights of Changes from 2004 edition to 2009 edition:

• Updated to correlate with the latest NEC code - 2008
• Chapter 4: Installation Safety Requirements was removed entirely because it was duplicate of the NEC installation requirements. Since the NEC and NFPA 70E are on different revision cycles there was always the risk that the contents of Chapter 4 were not up to date with the NEC.
• Article 350 was added for R&D facilities
• Significant revisions to Annex D, E, F, and J
  • Annex D: Sample Calculation of Flash Protection Boundary
  • Annex E: Electrical Safety Program
  • Annex F: Hazard/risk Evaluation Procedure
  • Annex J: Energized Electrical Work Permit
• Added Annexes M, N, and O (All Non-Mandatory)
  • Annex M: Layering of Protective Clothing and Total System Arc Rating
  • Annex N: Example Industrial Procedures and Policies for Working Near Overhead Electrical Lines and Equipment
  • Annex O: Safety-Related Design Requirements
• Editorial changes to aid the reader like highlighting and gray shading within sections
• Where deletions were made from the previous edition (2004) of more than one complete paragraph it is indicated by a bullet symbol
• The index now has dictionary-style headers with helpful identifiers at the top of every index page.

NFPA 70E covers the full range of electrical safety issues, including safety related work practices, maintenance, special equipment requirements, and installation. It focuses on protecting people and identifies requirements that are considered necessary to provide a workplace that is free of electrical hazards. OSHA bases its electrical safety mandates, found in Subpart S part 1910 and Subpart K part 1926, on the comprehensive information found in NFPA 70E. NFPA 70E is recognized as the tool that illustrates how an employer might comply with these OSHA standards. The relationship between the OSHA regulations and NFPA 70E can be described as OSHA is the “shall” and NFPA 70E the “how.”

OSHA mandates that all services to electrical equipment be done in a de-energized state. Working live can only be under special circumstances. If it is necessary to work live (>50 volts to ground), the regulations outlined in NFPA 70E, Article 130 should be used as a tool to comply with OSHA mandates Subpart S part 1910.333(a)(1). Highlights of this article include:

• Shock hazard analysis (paragraph 130.2) : Determines the voltage to which personnel will be exposed, boundary requirements, and PPE necessary. Table 130.2( C ) is used to determine boundary distances.
  
• Flash hazard analysis (paragraph 130.3): Determines the flash protection boundary and PPE needed within that boundary. The flash protection boundary is determined by methods found in 130.3(A) or Annex D of the standard. Protective clothing is determined by using tables 130.7( C )(9)(a), 130.7( C )(10), and 130.7( C )(11). See question and answer number 1 for more details.

For help determining what PPE to use based on the risk factors in your workplace, there is a website that utilizes an arc calculator to help determine what PPE to use. There is a fee charged for the use of this calculator. It can be found at www.arcadvisor.com. Lab Safety Supply is referring to this website only as a reference only. We are not affiliated with www.arcadvisor.com.

Remember, OSHA only allows work on live electrical parts under two special circumstances: (1) when continuity of service is required, and (2) when de-energizing equipment would create additional hazards. In all other cases, lockout/tagout is the law.

Employers are also responsible for complying with the 2008 NEC 110.16 labeling requirements. This requires all switchboards, panel boards, industrial control panels, and motor control centers to be field marked. Any equipment installed after 2002 needs to be labeled. For equipment installed before 2002, labeling must be applied if ANY modifications or upgrades take place. Some of the labels listed below require boundary distances calculated in Article 130 of the standard. Examples of labels offered by Lab Safety Supply that meet this requirement are:

Each FR garment is assigned an ATPV rating by the manufacturer. The ATPV value represents the amount of incident energy that would cause the onset of second-degree burns. It also signifies the amount of protection the clothing affords when an electrical arc comes in contact with the fabric. Most of the industry falls into either Category 1 or 2 protection. Most uniforms already meet Category 1 or 2 requirements, but people who fall into this category typically are not covered by this standard. The employees addressed by this standard fall into Category 3 and 4. The garments must also be designed to withstand a cleaning process to remove soils and then be returned to service without damage to the fabric. The label on the garment must contain the following information: tracking ID number, meet ASTM spec F1506, name of manufacturer, size and care instructions, ATPV rating, and must meet ASTM spec f1506.

Sources for More Information

NFPA 70E Standard for Electrical Safety Requirements for Employee Workplaces, National Fire Protection Association, 1-617-770-3000.

ASTM F1506 Standard, American Society for Testing Materials, 1-610-832-9585.

Duke Power Flux Calculator. Available at Oberon:
http://www.arcflash.com/

Commonly Asked Questions

Table 130.7(C)(11) Protective Clothing Characteristics

* To obtain all the clothing options available that meet this standard, or if you have any other questions regarding protective clothing please contact Lab Safety Supply’s Technical Department at 1-800-356-2501 or via e-mail at techsvc@labsafety.com. We carry a complete line of garments that meet each risk category of this standard.

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