Train, Audit Electrical Workers — It’s Mandatory

2015 • Maintenance • Training

Train, Audit Electrical Workers — It’s Mandatory

Jane Alexander | July 10, 2015

On-site audits and ongoing training determine whether your electrical workers meet industry qualifications and you’re complying with today’s strengthened electrical-safety standards.

By Jane Alexander, Managing Editor

Electrical workers who lack the proper training and skills to do their jobs are a risky business proposition for operations. Research by the Ponemon Institute, Traverse City, MI, has found that in critical facilities such as data centers, human error is a leading root cause of unexpected downtime that disrupts productivity, affects customer service, and takes a toll on the bottom line.

According Wally Vahlstrom of Emerson Network Power’s Electrical Reliability Services group, Columbus, OH, costly equipment failures and unplanned shutdowns are just the tip of the iceberg. Inadequate worker knowledge also increases the risk of electrical accidents. He cites U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports of 2,000 fatal and more than 24,000 non-fatal electrical injuries occurring over the past 10 years. Arc-flash incidents alone are said to claim one life every workday. “Many of these accidents,” Vahlsrom said, “can be mapped back to insufficient training, which results in failure to follow appropriate procedures or take the necessary safety precautions on the job.”

To help safeguard against potentially deadly consequences, organizations such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Washington, and National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), Quincy, MA, are strengthening their standards and redefining the qualifications needed to work on or near energized electrical equipment. The latest version of NFPA 70E: Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace, for example, introduces new requirements for determining and validating a worker’s technical proficiency and competence with safety procedures.

Vahlstrom offers the following insight on what more-stringent standards mean for operations and explains how compliance with them can help a plant protect its personnel, equipment assets, and overall business.

The new definition of ‘qualified’

According to OSHA CFR 1910.269, a qualified worker is one who can demonstrate the skills and abilities to:

determine what hazards are faced on the job
assess the magnitude of those hazards
determine the proper work techniques to avoid the hazards
select the proper personal protective equipment (PPE) to mitigate the hazards.

“Demonstrate is the operative word,” said Vahlstrom, “and the same verbiage now appears in the latest version of NFPA 70E.” The 2015 standard states that workers must demonstrate skills and knowledge related to the construction and operation of electrical equipment and installations, and not just be familiar with them.

Specifically, to be considered qualified to perform maintenance on electrical equipment and installations, NFPA 70E indicates that workers must demonstrate the ability to use:

special precautionary techniques
PPE including arc-flash suits
insulating and shielding materials
insulated tools and test equipment.

Vahlstrom emphasized that NFPA 70E also mandates additional training for employees who work within the limited-approach boundary of exposed energized electrical conductors and circuit parts operating at 50V or more.

Workers must demonstrate skills and knowledge related to the operation of equipment.

Provide training

OSHA and NFPA provide guidance on the type and frequency of training required to ensure electrical workers meet the qualifications described above. “OSHA has indicated a preference for instructor-led training, as opposed to Web-based formats,” said Vahlstrom, “and NFPA stipulates that retraining (not just refresher training) must occur at least every three years.”

Moreover, all training must be documented, and supplementary training must be provided whenever any new procedures or practices are introduced, or when an audit indicates a need.

Vahlstrom said that, while training programs must be customized to the specific site and work to be performed, incorporating the following elements is a good place to start. At a minimum, a training program should focus on:

imparting a thorough understanding of the organization’s electrical-safety policy
building knowledge about the existence, nature, and cause of electrical hazards
developing the skills to identify electrical and arc-flash hazards and assessing the associated risk
ensuring the employee’s ability to select and use appropriate arc-flash PPE
ensuring the skills needed to read and follow hazard-warning labels
creating awareness of methods for reducing risks while working on live exposed parts.

Auditing worker skills

Vahlstrom stressed the fact that, in addition to providing appropriate training to qualify personnel, organizations must also audit work practices of individual electrical workers.

According to NFPA 70E 2015, “The employer shall determine, through regular supervision or through inspections conducted on at least an annual basis, that each employee is complying with the safety-related work practices required by this standard.” Vahlstrom pointed out that these activities offer an ideal opportunity for managers to observe and document employees’ demonstrated qualifications.

Although these audits are intended to be self-administered, i.e., developed and conducted by in-house staff, for various reasons, some operations look to outside providers for assistance (see sidebar). Whether your site works with such a partner or flies solo, Vahlstrom said it’s important to keep the following seven tips in mind:

NFPA 70E is a guideline. The specifics depend on the facility. A detailed, well-written electrical-safety policy is critical to protecting workers, assets, and the bottom line. While NFPA 70E offers excellent guidance, it is the facility’s responsibility to add the details specific to its own workplace. In other words, the safety policy, training programs, and worker audits should not address only what’s in the latest standards; but also the specific circumstances and conditions that affect worker safety and performance in the unique space.

Know what to look for. Because NFPA 70E is intended to be a guideline, it is somewhat vague in terms of what, specifically, needs to be addressed in annual worker audits. However, a facility’s electrical-safety policy provides a great place to start. Be sure employees understand and can carry out the specifics described in company policy, so an audit checklist should address these items.

Go where work is performed. It’s difficult to assess a worker’s skills and capabilities in a classroom setting. To determine whether an individual worker is truly able to identify a risk, quantify the magnitude of the hazard and properly use PPE. It’s important to observe the worker in real-world environments within the facility. Build on existing audit programs. To comply with OSHA and other NFPA requirements, you are likely already auditing other safety-related programs, such as lock out/tag out. To save time and effort, and maximize resources, you may be able to expand the scope of these existing audit efforts instead of building an entirely new electrical safety audit.

Remember that being qualified for one job does not automatically qualify a worker for another. OSHA and NFPA concur that employees may be qualified for some types of work methods and equipment, but not for others. It is critical for employees to receive job-specific training and demonstrate learned skills needed for each task to be performed. Furthermore, even if a previous employer has determined a worker’s qualifications, it’s up to the current employer to validate the skill sets and provide site-specific training.

Use audit results to refine your company’s training program. NFPA 70E 2015 stipulates the need to provide retraining if an annual worker audit identifies skill deficiencies. Such deficiencies could also indicate a need to overhaul portions of the safety-training program or policy. Should you choose to work with a partner to develop and implement your initial audit, you will benefit from expert advice on how to improve current safety training and better prepare electrical workers.

Maintain as well as train. No matter how skilled a workforce, if electrical equipment is not properly maintained, employees could still be at great risk. Updates to NFPA 70E 2015 address general-maintenance requirements, including the need to keep a single-line diagram up to date and to conduct maintenance on all electrical equipment (not just overcurrent protective devices).

Knowledge is power

Vahlstrom acknowledged that new requirements to qualify employees for electrical work and audit their safety-related skills might seem taxing to some facilities. “But,” he cautioned, “this is one test a site can’t afford to fail.”

Taking a knowledge-based approach to this test, he said, be it in-house or with the support of an outside service provider, will help your operations build a customized audit program that does more than simply comply with today’s stricter electrical-safety standards. “It could prevent injuries or shutdowns. It could even save a life.” MT

Wally Vahlstrom is director of technical services for Emerson Network Power’s Electrical Reliability Services group, based in Columbus, OH. He brings more than 40 years of electrical-engineering experience to his position, where he is responsible for failure investigation work, conformity assessment services, power-system studies, and reliability analysis.

A Knowledge-Based Approach to Compliance

Beefed-up OSHA and NFPA 70E safety standards now require operations to qualify employees for electrical work and audit their safety-related skills. Although such activities are intended to be self administered, some facilities turn to professional electrical engineering or testing providers for support. Typically well-versed in the latest standards, these types of suppliers can also provide assistance and guidance on how to train in-house auditors and how to properly document the annual audit process according to new requirements.

If your site turns to an outside provider for support, make sure your chosen partner:

takes the time to thoroughly understand your safety policy and current training program
assesses the condition of your electrical-distribution system
reviews site-specific standard-operating procedures
becomes familiar with each worker’s job scope and responsibilities.

The same holds true for organizations that administer newly required electrical-worker qualification and audit programs on an in-house basis.