A Better Understanding of NFPA 70E: Your Risk Tolerance 

NFPA 70E®, Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace® changed from an arc-flash hazard analysis to an arc-flash risk assessment several editions ago. Users are still having issues with the change. The most common complaint is that risk should not be a consideration when considering the electrical hazards an employee might be exposed to. Many want the standard to provide an absolute solution to what the employer should do to protect their employees. They don’t want to have to decide what to do, they want to be told what to do. They can apply the current that way if they wish. Others want guidance which is what the current edition provides. It allows for more leeway in determining the course of action to be taken for a given task on a piece of specific equipment.

The hazard analysis determined the flash boundary, the incident energy at the working distance, and the personal protective equipment (PPE) necessary. The risk assessment first determines if an arc-flash hazard exists. If the hazard exists, the risk assessment then determines appropriate safety-related work practices, arc flash boundary and PPE to be used. Both methods require that the worst-case condition be labeled on the equipment to provide appropriate warning of the hazard lurking inside regardless of the assigned task. There is not much of a difference between the two except for determining if an arc flash hazard exists for a specific task. Imagine a battery system in a room with two terminals of the dc system in another room. If the conductors from the battery system are shorted together there is a potential for an arc-flash with an incident energy of 42 cal/cm2. However, that energy level only exists if the two conductors are shorted together. The positive conductors are brought into the terminal room on the left side and the negative conductors are brought in on the right. Those two covered terminals are separated by 12 feet. The first component after the terminals is an overcurrent device which lowers the incident energy to 14 cal/cm2. The entry to room is correctly labeled to require a 42 cal/cm2 arc-rated suit as the worst-case condition regardless of the task to be performed.

Under the old system, at least a 42 cal/cm2 suit would have to be worn every time someone enters the room. Under the current method, when does the 42 cal/cm2 arc-flash hazard exist? The full amount of incident energy is always present in the room. The arc-flash hazard might exist if there is way to connect the two conductors. A task that involves pulling conductors around the room, using tools with a long span, or having conductive fluid present may exposure a worker to the full incident energy. Employee error while in the room may warrant concern. Under a risk assessment for the assigned task, you might determine that it is not possible for a worker to connect ahead of both overcurrent device terminals based on the assigned task. Would you let an employee enter that room wearing 14 cal/cm2 rated gear to perform the assigned task?

If you believe that a risk assessment should not be part of the standard, you are not required to accept any risk. The risk assessment method allows you to decide that the worst-case incident energy always presents an arc-flash hazard regardless of the task performed on the equipment. If you can accept that a twelve-foot span cannot be bridged by the employee based on all possible factors, you might permit something different for the task. There are many things that might affect your acceptance of some risk instead of having a zero-risk tolerance. Regardless of your risk-tolerance, remember that it is the employee’s well-being that is wagered on your decision.

NFPA 70E is available on NFPA LiNK™, the association’s information delivery platform with NFPA codes and standards, supplementary content, and visual aids for building, electrical, and life safety professionals and practitioners. Learn more at nfpa.org/LiNK.

Thank you, NFPA

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COLD IS COMING - And that means hand protection for outdoor workers should have warm linings

COLD IS COMING - And that means head protection for outdoor workers must include warm helmet liners

COLD IS COMING - And that means fewer hours of daylight and reduced visibility - another reason for Hi-Viz reflective clothing

COLD IS COMING - And that often means icy, slippery walkways and driveways - tungsten-carbide tipped rubber pullovers fit over any shoes or boots for superb traction

Question - What is an OSHA guideline and how does it differ from a standard?

Answer - A guideline is a tool to assist employers in recognizing and controlling hazards. It is voluntary. Failure to implement a guideline is not itself a violation of the General Duty Clause of the OSH Act. Guidelines that OSHA develops will provide information to help employers identify ergonomic hazards in their workplaces and implement feasible measures to control those hazards.

Guidelines are more flexible than standards. They can be developed quickly and can be changed easily as new information becomes available with scientific advances. Guidelines make it easier for employers to adopt innovative programs to suit their workplaces, rather than inflexible, one-size-fits-all solutions to issues that may be unique to the industry or facility.

Chip Cain is a Chicago-Area Safety Specialist, and joined Saf-T-Gard 9 years ago (when Saf-T-Gard acquired Dunn Safety Products)

What Chip likes best about Saf-T-Gard:  

"Having the ability to protect our customers from head to toe."

What makes Chip's day:

"Seeing a new product/program increase worker efficiency and reduce injuries."

Chip's outside interests are:

“Golf, Tennis, and Hiking.”

It is December 2021 and this month’s focus is on the letter C. Let’s start with Compliance. Regulations here, recommendations there, it can be overwhelming. Compliance should be the minimum standard, not the maximum, for your occupational safety and health program. There is a whole alphabet soup of agencies that enforce compliance or develop the standards that are incorporated into compliance, including OSHA (plus state-level OSHA agencies), NIOSH, MSHA, ANSI, ASTM, NFPA, EPA, etc. Saf-T-Gard can help decipher all of that to help you ensure Compliance.

The next C is for Consultation. Top-down imposed strategies rarely work. Consulting and engaging with all stakeholders in your safety and PPE program can be a better way to foster ownership in the process and the expected results. Subject-matter experts are also available to Consult on nearly all aspects of PPE and facility safety, and Saf-T-Gard can help identify and secure those resources as well.

The next C is for Co-ordination. A successful safety program for your company and facility should not exist in a vacuum. Co-ordination with plant management, financial management, risk management, and similar company resources Contributes to your success.

The final C for this month is Cost, of course. Don’t confuse Cost, price, worth and value – they are not the same. If something is priceless, is it also worthless? Measuring Cost per unit price is a false calculation. Measuring value by the Cost per working hour is a better way of acknowledging that a better but more expensive product that lasts longer has a higher value and lower true Cost.

Here we are wrapping up 2021, so we extend heartfelt thanks. To our Saf-T-Gard customers – everything we do we do for you. We appreciate your business and strive to constantly exceed your expectations. To our Saf-T-Gard suppliers – thank you for your continuing support. And to the dedicated and talented Saf-T-Gard team – thank you for your commitment to excellence. Happy New Year 2022 – our 86th year of pride in the fact that we are Saf-T-Gard - Bringing Workers Home Safely Since 1936.

Sincerely, 

Richard A. Rivkin, Saf-T-Gard CEO and Chairman of the Board

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