NFPA (Fire) 70E Historical

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Avoid accidents and OSHA fines with the 2009 NFPA 70E®: Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace®!

Shock, electrocution, arc flash, and arc blast are responsible for hundreds of worker deaths and thousands of injuries per year in the U.S. alone. Save lives with NFPA 70E: Electrical Safety in the Workplace, the Standard developed for OSHA that details the "hows" behind compliance with OSHA 1910 Subpart S and OSHA 1926 Subpart K.

The 2009 edition is revised to recognize new hazards and increase safety on the job.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) protects personnel and can significantly reduce the risk of injury in an arc flash. To help engineers calculate incident energy--the first step in determining the correct type of PPE for a given task-a new Annex D in the 2009 NFPA 70E consolidates all equations, adds new tables, and offers more options to detailed calculations. For example, a new utility table derived from the NEC helps utility and industrial plant workers calculate PPE based on voltage and fault current data.

Improved work practices reduce risks:

• A new requirement for Fire Rated clothing for H/R Category 1 precludes the use of cotton clothing. This change reduces the risks for second-degree thermal burns.
• An expanded Table in Article 130 covers added tasks such as thermographic imaging, and new equipment including arc-resistant switchgear.
• Added Article 350 provides first-time requirements for the protection of electrical personnel in R&D labs.
• A new exception verifies that 240 V and less power systems fed by a single transformer less than 125 kvs no longer require an arc flash hazard analysis.
• Expanded requirements for multi-employer relationships address potential areas of oversight, and improves contractor communication about electrical hazards.
• New recordkeeping requirements for training and safety program audits answer OSHA's need for records and ensure data is available when you need it.

Other changes expand your know-how:

• Easy-to-see shading identifies new or revised Standard text.
• Annex F clarifies the Hazard/Risk evaluation procedure and provides sample worksheets.
• A flow chart in Annex J helps users determine the need for an Energized Electrical Work Permit.
• Annex M helps workers and supervisors evaluate layering of PPE.
• Annex N explains safe work practices near overhead and underground lines.

Engineers, designers, risk managers, maintainers, safety directors, contractors, and owners need the 2009 NFPA 70E to improve worker safety and avoid citations, rising insurance fees, and increased workman's comp costs.