Arc Flash & Electrical Safety News

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

OSHA Reopens Record On Proposed Rule On Electric Power Generation, Transmission And Distribution

OSHA announced in the Federal Register that it is reopening the record on a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on electric power generation, transmission and distribution work and for electrical protective equipment. This limited reopening seeks to obtain comments related to how close an employee (or a conductive object that an employee is contacting) may get to an energized circuit part.

"We want to use the most accurate data available to ensure that employees are maintaining safe distances from dangerous electrical sources," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Edwin G. Foulke, Jr. "Extending this rulemaking process will provide us with the information we need to provide the best possible protection for working men and women on the job."

On June 15, 2005, OSHA published a proposed rule to revise the general industry and construction standards for electric power generation, transmission, and distribution work and for electrical protective equipment. This proposal included revised minimum approach distances (MADs), including MAD tables that can be used to determine how close an employee or a conductive object, which he or she is contacting, can get to an energized part. After the rulemaking record on the proposal closed, the technical committee responsible for developing the tables in the consensus standards on which the proposal was based discovered an error in their calculation of minimum approach distances for certain voltages. OSHA is reopening the record on this proposal only to obtain comments related to the affected minimum approach distances.

The agency will accept public comments on the proposed rule about the affected minimum approach distances until Nov. 21, 2008. Interested parties may submit comments electronically at http://www.regulations.gov, the Federal eRulemaking Portal; by sending two copies to the OSHA Docket Office, U.S. Department of Labor, Room N-2625, 200 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Room N-2625, Washington, DC 20210; or by FAX at 202-693-1648 if the comments and attachments do not exceed 10 pages. Comments must include the Agency name and Docket Number (Docket No. OSHA-S215-2006-0063) for this rulemaking.

Labels: Electrical Hazards, Electrical Safety

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OSHA To Issue Workplace Electrical Product Safety Request for Information

OSHA announced that a proposed Request for Information (RFI) related to its Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) program will be published in the Federal Register on Oct. 20, 2008. A copy of the proposed RFI currently is available on OSHA's Web site. The public comment period on the RFI will begin only after it has been formally published and will close on Jan. 20, 2009.

The RFI requests comment on a proposal submitted to the United States by the European Commission (EC) to permit the use of a Supplier's Declaration of Conformity (SDoC) as an alternative to OSHA's NRTL product-approval process for certain electrical and other products used in the workplace. The EC made its proposal through the Transatlantic Economic Council, which was established by an agreement between the U.S. and the EU signed in April 2007.

"This RFI will allow all stakeholders the opportunity to provide evidence to help OSHA better evaluate the EU's SDoC system and determine whether or not an SDoC system meets the safety requirements for the Occupational Safety and Health Act," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Edwin G. Foulke Jr.

NRTLs are independent laboratories that have met OSHA's requirements for performing safety testing and certification of electrical and other products used in the workplace. NRTLs test and certify these products to determine whether they conform to appropriate U.S. product-safety testing standards. In contrast, an SDoC is a written statement, produced by an equipment manufacturer or supplier, that a product meets or conforms to a specified test standard or a set of requirements.

Labels: Electrical Safety, General Electrical

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Thursday, October 16, 2008

Understanding OSHA Arc Flash Regulations

Here is a video from the Industrial Training University that provides a basic overview of what is required to address arc flash hazards. It covers labeling, arc flash analysis and PPE. It is just under eight minutes in length.

Labels: Arc Flash Training, OSHA Standards, Work Place Safety

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Wednesday, October 15, 2008

The Daredevil Electricians of Pakistan

A post on the "All Things Pakistan" blog caught my attention. It has a lot of pictures, as well as commentary, about the lack of safety during utility wire maintenance and repairs. One of the introductory paragraphs states:

"The daredevil mentality persists where Electricians over look safety measures thinking they know it all. They think if nothing has happened to them in all these years, then nothing will happen to them in the future because of their experience. Sometimes they even think it is below their macho image to wear protective equipment. It is true that these electricians may have knowledge of basic rules of electricity and physics but mistakes and accidents do happen and in such circumstances, I believe these guys and our utility companies (WAPDA and KESC) are very ill prepared."

Take a look. Here is the link: Daredevil Electricians

Labels: Electrical Injuries, Electrical Safety, Electrical Safety Training

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