10 New Year’s Resolutions

New Year’s Resolutions are easy to make but difficult to keep. There is still time to make a few late resolutions. Here are 10 such resolutions for electrical safety that should be made (and kept) for 2015. They may just save a life.

Obtain the 2015 edition of NFPA 70E


NFPA 70E is on a three-year revision cycle, so if you have not done so already, obtain a copy of the 2015 edition, which contains many significant changes. ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR published an overview of the changes in the May 2014 issue.

Update electrical diagrams


Electrical drawings can be a critical component in the verification of an electrically safe working condition as well as lockout/tagout procedures. The drawings should be kept up to date, but, with so many other projects receiving higher priority, updating old drawings often remains near the bottom of the list. Make it a priority this year.

Review the existing arc 
flash study (risk assessment)


Incident-energy calculations are based on the available short-circuit current and protective-device clearing time along with a few other variables. The results are used to determine the protection requirements for the arc flash hazard. Have there been major modifications or renovations to the electrical-power system since the last arc flash study was performed? If so, the calculated incident energy and protection requirements may also have changed, so the study should be reviewed. NFPA 70E requires the study to be reviewed at intervals not to exceed five years.

Maintenance of protective devices


The arc flash duration is defined by a protective device’s clearing time. Will protective devices operate as expected? During an arc flash, if a device takes longer to operate than predicted, the resulting incident energy will increase proportionally with the increase in time. When was the last time the protective devices were inspected or tested? If the answer is something like “never,” “I don’t know” or “quite a long time,” 2015 is the year to develop a maintenance program based on manufacturers’ instructions or industry consensus standards.

Review arc flash labels


Is the information on the arc flash warning labels still accurate? Although it may seem like every new edition of NFPA 70E brings some change to label terminology and requirements, remember one of the more important items is the information for selecting the appropriate arc flash personal protective equipment (PPE). The accuracy of this information needs to be periodically reviewed and verified, regardless of whether you use the hazard-risk category method (obsolete in 2015), PPE levels, categories, incident energy or arc ratings. In addition, affected employees need to be trained to understand how data is used.

Emergency responders


Employees responsible for responding to medical emergencies are required to be trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Training in the use of an automated external defibrillator is also required if it is part of the employer’s emergency response plan. NFPA 70E requires annual refresher courses in these topics, so add this to the 2015 list.

Manage risk


Incident-energy calculations are typically based on IEEE 1584—IEEE Guide for Performing Arc-Flash Hazard Calculations and are used to define the severity of the arc flash hazard. However, the risk must also be evaluated. Now is a good time to review the available methods for further reducing or eliminating the risk of electrical hazards.

Obtain PPE for the arc 
flash and electric-shock hazard


If your company still has employees working on or near energized electrical equipment without proper PPE for arc flash and shock protection, correcting this dangerous situation should be one of the top priorities for 2015. The process begins by performing an arc flash and shock risk assessment.

Training


Even the best electrical safety program is not useful if employees do not know or understand it. Employees that are exposed to electrical hazards are required to be retrained at intervals not exceeding three years, which coincides with the three-year revision cycle of NFPA 70E. If workers have not been brought up to speed with the 2015 edition, this should rank high on the list.

Zero energized work in 2015


Put an even greater emphasis on eliminating energized work in 2015. Although not always possible with some industries and systems, placing equipment in an electrically safe working condition should be the primary focus of electrical safety programs for 2015 and beyond.

It’s easy to make New Year’s resolutions; the hard part is keeping them. When it comes to electrical safety, these 10 resolutions should not be broken.