CSE Pure Power - Summer 2008 - (Page 31)

31 ❮❮ PURE POWER // SUMMER 2008 he NFPA 70E, “Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace” (Figure 1), has been around since 1976. The standard was ignored until two events occurred. The ﬁrst event took place in the 2000 edition of the NFPA 70E. The tables—130.7(C)(a), 130.7(C)(10), and 130.7(C)(11)—provided, for the ﬁrst time, a real method for electrical workers to choose what OSHA termed “appropriate electrical protective equipment” [29CFR1910.335(a)(1)]. This eliminated much of the confusion created when companies tried to comply with the federal regulations, but had no guidance in how to do so. The second event appeared in the 2002 edition of the NEC, NFPA 70 Article 110.16, which was new to the NEC, required labeling of equipment to warn qualiﬁed workers about the hazard of arc ﬂash and shock. As a result, the contracting industry had to attach labels and implement programs designed for arc ﬂash protection. The idea behind the policy is that workers will be less likely to ignore the hazards of their equipment if the labels are pasted in clear view. Consequently, when workers become more aware of the hazards of their jobs, they become more actively involved in the decision-making process regarding safety procedures. The timeline for 70E revisions drastically changed due to the fact that the 2004 edition’s original plan was to be the 2003 edition, but was delayed due to issues with the tables. Some of the committee members wanted to use just the hazard for the hazard risk category levels, while others wanted to use risk as well. It was decided at that time to use the tables from the 2000 edition of the 70E, and several changes failed to make it into the tables. The 2009 T EDITOR’S NOTE: The information in this article is similar to a seminar presented at the 15th Annual IEEE/IAS Electrical Safety Workshop, which was held in Dallas on March 21, 2008. This seminar was presented by Ray Crow, Daleep Mulah, Paul Dobrowski, and Jim White. This information is not ofﬁcial NFPA data until after the June 2008 meeting. BY JIM WHITE, Shermco Industries, Dallas edition’s goal was to be a 2008 edition, but the NFPA delayed it a year. As a result, the cycle did not coincide with the NEC cycle because many of the 70E committee members also served on the NEC panels. With the committee action for the 2009 edition of the 70E complete and the Report on Proposals and the Report on Comments balloting ﬁnished, the Technical Correlating Committee (TCC) has the 70E revisions based on those two ballots and they will vote for what to accept or what not to. This is where the confusion begins. Until the TCC accepts the 70E revisions, they remain tentative and not ﬁnalized. This will take place at a meeting in June 2008. The ﬁnal version of the 70E will be completed and published in October 2008 and serve as the 2009 standard. Since the TCC will not accept some of the voted changes done by 70E committee, any discussion about changes in the 70E should be done with the understanding that the ﬁnal information remains incomplete. As a member of two task groups, the Word and Phrase Task Group and the Tables Task Group, I understand the committee’s goals. The committee members strive to make 70E as clear as possible in order to eliminate ambiguities, prevent misinterpretations, and ultimately provide safety to workers. Due to the safety implications associated with the ruling, electrical workers pour over every word of the committee’s Figure 1 NFPA 70E Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace standard with great purpose and interest. The Word and Phrase Task Group determined that the use of the word “live” was jargon and thus unacceptable. In its place, the word “energized” is used. The word “live” is deﬁned by the word “energized,” so as a result, the need for both was eliminated, the rationale being that the intent should be as clear as possible. Two examples listed below on the change from “live” to “energized”: …live energized electrical conductors or circuit parts… The title of Article 130 Working On or Near Live Parts Work Involving Electrical Hazards Instead of saying “working on www.purepowermagazine.com http://www.purepowermagazine.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of CSE Pure Power - Summer 2008

CSE Pure Power - Summer 2008 Contents In the News Industry Roundup Risk Assessments for COPS Grounding Requires More Power Systems to Protect Healthcare Important Changes Coming in NFPA 70E A Look at Arc-Resistant Switchgear Agencies and Associations New Products Ad Index

CSE Pure Power - Summer 2008

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