type of activity. Now, in order to be compliant with NFPA 70E, more in-house paperwork is required each time a worker reaches into energized equipment. Submit the energized work permit and other documentation (red The most common examples are a voltage check for diagnostics and testing for the absence of voltage. The BC Electrical Code requires that electrical equipment must be de‐energized before working on electrical equipment. Live parts to which an employee may be exposed must be deenergized before the employee works on or near them unless deenergizing the parts introduces additional or increased hazards or is unfeasible due to equipment design or operational limitations. Although a work permit “shall not be required” for the exemptions it does not state that you are forbidden from doing one (remember back to my posts on consensus standards and best practices.) Non Electrical Hazards: Falls Chemical Exposure Traffic in Public Areas Streamlining the Energized Work Permit Process. I understand that I am placing the person working on the electrical circuit in a potentially life threatening situation.
5. The best way to answer this question and begin working on your documented Electrical Safety Program is to refer to the CSA Z462-2015 Standard. Prior to starting the job contact the Engineer Services and request the Director of Engineering Services to go to the job site to review and approve the Energized Electrical Work Permit. SPAs for work on energized electrical equipment must be reviewed and signed by the project manager or electrical superintendent prior to the work beginning. But if you understand this document, you can see it isn’t an arbitrary requirement to make electrical work more administratively difficult.
Only authorized personnel trained on the specific task and the hazards involved are permitted to perform work on energized conductors. Filling out paperwork for electrical permits and inspections and submitting a drawing to the local building department for plan review is already time consuming.
The exemptions are still applicable today. Editor’s note: This article appeared in the October 2019 issue of Electrical Business magazine at ebmag.com. IX. I am not saying that I would always require a work permit. The 4 Exemptions to the Energized Electrical Work Permit (EEWP) The energized permit requirement in NFPA 70E and CSA Z462 raised hackles in the beginning. Personnel working on or near exposed energized electrical equipment must meet the requirements of "NFPA 70E Table 130.4(C): Standard for Electrical Safety in the work place" before beginning work. What do you do when tightening that loose lug initiates an arc-flash? Steps taken to assure it is done safely for electrical and all staff. The following paper that I co-wrote back in 2010 explains the 4 exemptions to an Energized Electrical Work Permit . An Energized Electrical Work Assessment must be completed for all work on or near exposed electrical conductors greater than 50 volts, with the exception of diagnotic testing as described above, where an electrically safe work condition cannot be established.
As an Electrical Safety consultant, I often get asked what “energized electrical work” is.