Written Safety Program

The NFPA includes a written electrical safety program outlining the responsibilities of an employer. The regulations provide specific instructions about the details such a program must include. The program can be summarized as directing activity appropriate for the voltage, energy level, and circuit conditions of work to be performed.

The following highlights provide examples of the conditions the program must include:

• Awareness and self-discipline - The program explains hazards to affected employees and enables them to exercise self-discipline in taking safety precautions.
• Maintenance - The program covers the standard repairs and upkeep performed on various electric components or equipment.
• Procedures - The program defines how work should occur within the limited approach boundary.
• Risk assessment procedure - The program defines the procedure used to determine the hazards prior to work within the limited approach boundary and the required precautions against those hazards.
• Job briefing - The program ensures that affected employees are fully informed of the hazards involved with work they will perform.

As of August 10, 2017, electrical safety programs must include a new section on how to investigate electrical incidents in a facility. This process must be specific to your organization and must include components, as follows:

• A root-cause analysis
• Near-miss reporting
• Follow-up investigation

Safety programs need to define which employees should call to report incidents within the proposed time frame. The electrical safety program should be audited at intervals not to exceed three years to verify that the principles and procedures of the program are incompliance with current NFPA 70E standards.

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