Electrical-Safety Sense: The Benefits Of PESDs

Permanent electrical safety devices (PESDs) have had a marked impact on electrical safety practices. Because they are mounted on the outside of the electrical enclosure, these devices directly affect Lock-out Tag-out (LOTO) procedures. Let’s review them with regard to Article 120.1 of the NFPA 70E.

Going above and beyond
Article 120.1 of the NFPA 70E establishes the procedure for creating an electrically safe work condition. Since this standard was written, the day-to-day practice of electrical safety has changed dramatically. This is due to the increased utilization of PESDs in LOTO procedures. The relatively new concept of permanent electrical safety devices reflects a solution that actually improves a worker’s ability to safely isolate electrical energy over and above that which was originally conceived with
Article 120.1.

While PESDs go beyond the high standard set by Article 120.1, they still adhere to the core principles found in it. With PESDs incorporated into safety procedures and installed correctly into electrical enclosures, workers can transition the once-risky endeavors of verifying voltage into a less precarious undertaking that never exposes them to it. Every electrical incident has one required ingredient: voltage. Thus, electrical safety can be radically improved by eliminating exposure to it while still validating zero energy from outside the panel. That’s the focus of a new White Paper available for free from Grace Engineered Products. It’s entitled “Permanent Electrical Safety Devices Will Verify Zero Electrical Energy.”

A sure way to reduce electrical risks
Remember: To employees, all safety—especially electrical safety—is personal. Little else matters to them unless electrically safe work conditions can be created and maintained through their work environment. Article 120.1 of the NFPA 70E was, as its title suggests, penned with the important purpose of establishing the “gold standard” for creating that type of environment.

Over time, innovation in the realm of electrical safety has surpassed the precise language of Article 120.1(1-6) because it does not speak directly to the value that PESDs have in achieving electrically safe work environments. With these devices incorporated into safety procedures and installed correctly into electrical enclosures, workers can transition the once-risky endeavor of verifying voltage into a less-precarious undertaking that never exposed them to voltage.

You can read more about advances in PESD technology and how they can help protect your personnel and operations by downloading our new White Paper in its entirety here. MT

To learn more about specific recommendations and practices, visit: info.graceport.com/MT5; or email the author: philallen@grace-eng.com.

For more info, enter 03 at www.MT-freeinfo.com

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