Preventative Maintenance - Effective Building Maintenance: Protection of Capital Assets - page 71

3. Apply lockout/tagout devices in accordance with a documented
and established policy.
4. Use an adequately rated voltage detector to test each phase
conductor/circuit part to verify they are de-energized.
5. Where the possibility of induced voltages or stored electrical energy
exists, ground the phase conductors or circuit parts before touching
them.
6. Each job task should be analyzed for what particular safety
hazards could be encountered. The arc flash hazard is one of the
most important of these. Per 70B-7.6, “Switchboards, panelboards,
industrial control panels, and motor control centers that are likely to
require examination, adjustment, servicing, or maintenance while
energized should be field marked to warn qualified persons of
potential electric arc flash hazards.”
These key elements are addressed in more detail in NFPA 70E-2009,
StandardforElectricalSafetyintheWorkplace . And, NFPA 70E is the ba-
sis for OSHA's current general industry standard. Referenced in OSHA
29CFR Part 1910, Subpart S, Appendix A, NFPA 70E is considered by
OSHA to be the recognized industry practice for electrical safety. In its
standard interpretation of the relevance of NFPA 70E, OSHA states, “In-
dustry consensus standards, such as NFPA 70E, can be used by employers
as guides to making the assessments and equipment selections required
by the standard.” Similarly, in OSHA enforcement actions, they can be
used as evidence of whether the employer acted reasonably.
NFPA added new training requirements to 79E, as follows: “Em-
ployees shall be trained to select an appropriate voltage-detector and
shall demonstrate how to use a device to verify the absence of voltage,
including interpreting indications provided by the device. The training
shall include information that enables the employee to understand all
limitations of each specific voltage-detector that might be used.”
And, Article 110.7(A) now requires that electrical safety programs
be documented.
Nomenclature too has changed. The terms “hot” and “live” have
been replaced with the term “energized electrical conductors or circuit
parts” throughout. And, to make the standard more specific, the term