NFPA 70E Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace 2004 Edition
ARTICLE 90 Introduction
Chapter 1 Safety-Related Work Practices
[INDENT]ARTICLE 100 Definitions
ARTICLE 110 General Requirements for Electrical Safety-Related Work Practices
ARTICLE 120 Establishing an Electrically Safe Work Condition
ARTICLE 130 Working On or Near Live Parts
[INDENT]TIA
[/INDENT][/INDENT]Chapter 2 Safety-Related Maintenance Requirements
[INDENT]ARTICLE 200 Introduction
ARTICLE 205 General Maintenance Requirements
ARTICLE 210 Substations, Switchgear Assemblies, Switchboards, Panelboards, Motor Control Centers, and Disconnect Switches
ARTICLE 215 Premises Wiring
ARTICLE 220 Controller Equipment
ARTICLE 225 Fuses and Circuit Breakers
ARTICLE 230 Rotating Equipment
ARTICLE 235 Hazardous (Classified) Locations
ARTICLE 240 Batteries and Battery Rooms
ARTICLE 245 Portable Electric Tools and Equipment
ARTICLE 250 Personal Safety and Protective Equipment
[/INDENT]Chapter 3 Safety Requirements for Special Equipment
[INDENT]ARTICLE 300 Introduction
ARTICLE 310 Safety-Related Work Practices for Electrolytic Cells
ARTICLE 320 Safety Requirements Related to Batteries and Battery Rooms
ARTICLE 330 Safety-Related Work Practices for Use of Lasers
ARTICLE 340 Safety-Related Work Practices: Power Electronic Equipment
[/INDENT]Chapter 4 Installation Safety Requirements
[INDENT]ARTICLE 400 General Requirements for Electrical Installations
ARTICLE 410 Wiring Design and Protection
ARTICLE 420 Wiring Methods, Components, and Equipment for General Use
ARTICLE 430 Specific Purpose Equipment and Installations
ARTICLE 440 Hazardous (Classified) Locations, Class I, II, and III, Divisions 1 and 2 and Class I, Zones 0, 1, and 2
ARTICLE 450 Special Systems
[/INDENT]Annex A Referenced Publications
Annex B Informational References
Annex C Limits of Approach
Annex D Sample Calculation of Flash Protection Boundary
Annex E Electrical Safety Program
Annex F Hazard/Risk Evaluation Procedure
Annex G Sample Lockout/Tagout Procedure
Annex H Simplified, Two-Category, Flame-Resistant (FR) Clothing System
Annex I Job Briefing and Planning Checklist
Annex J Energized Electrical Work Permit
Annex K General Categories of Electrical Hazards
Annex L Typical Application of Safeguards in the Cell Line Working Zone
Annex M Cross-Reference Tables
Tentative Interim Amendment
Index
I provide a comprehensive safety guideline in my commercial inspection class. Bottom line is that all commercial inspections are not the same. The fact that anything EXCEPT a structure with 4-dwelling units or less is commercial, classifies all else as commercial property. The key to all of this is self-assessment and bring a SME along where needed. The NEC is nice, but is also cvoluntary when it pertains to the areas you point out. If a fool wants to electricute himeself, he will figure out a way to do it.
OSHA really has the pervue here.
The determination is not the voltage, but whether or not one has employees. A self employed person does not have as much to be concerned about in relation to most OSHA requirements.
Pierre as far as your comment go’s I must dis-aggree as I know there have been many self employed contractors fined by OSHA.
They will go after a self employed contractor just as easily.
You just may not hear about it as much.
Thanks Gerry, I guess that we should try to define those commercial buildings or locations that do not fall within the commercial inspection areas, such as: marinas, repair garages, fuel dispensing facilities, banks, clinics, hospitals, theaters, offices, hotels, restaurants, assembly occupancies, or similar areas. I searched the NEC and found many references to commercial areas that were in my thoughts.
My 70E reference here was not implying inspections of the areas identified in the contents. The scope of 70E reads as follows:
**"Document Scope: ** (A) Covered. This standard addresses those electrical safety requirements for employee workplaces that are necessary for the practical safeguarding of employees in their pursuit of gainful employment. This standard covers the installation of electric conductors, electric equipment, signaling and communications conductors and equipment, and raceways for the following: (1) Public and private premises, including buildings, structures, mobile homes, recreational vehicles, and floating buildings (2) Yards, lots, parking lots, carnivals, and industrial substations
FPN: For additional information concerning such installations in an industrial or multibuilding complex, see ANSI C2-2002, National Electrical Safety Code. (3) Installations of conductors and equipment that connect to the supply of electricity (4) Installations used by the electric utility, such as office buildings, warehouses, garages, machine shops, and recreational buildings, that are not an integral part of a generating plant, substation, or control center."
**"International Standards of Practice for Inspecting Commercial Properties
**
**2 Definitions
**2.1 Core definitions
2.1.1 *Commercial Property *- A commercial property is defined as the building structures and improvements located on a parcel of commercial real estate. These may include structures such as buildings with residential units operated for profit, mixed use buildings, strip malls, motels, factories, storage facilities, restaurants, and office buildings."
Joe, NFPA 70E covers installation of conductors, as apposed to non invaisive inspection, also the deffinition of commercial property that you quote from NEC and ASTM is not what most of our members inspect, remember that our standards, and those covering inspectors in licensed states generaly define Home inspection as a limited visual non-invaisive evaluation of a single family property or a residential building containing 4 or fewer residential units.
“… buildings with residential units operated for profit, mixed use buildings, strip malls, motels, factories, storage facilities, restaurants, and office buildings.”
Many are supplied by 480Y/277 volts 3 phase, 4 wire secondaries, and will require GFPE for some services 230.95, etc; factories may include industrial processes with the same systems, and special grounding and bonding rules apply, and restaurants which may also have systems with voltages over 250 volts to ground.
A SME “Subject Matter Expert” may be needed as Joe pointed out earlier.
I am encouraged by the commercial inspection areas being discussed recently, and want to help whenever I can if I can share some of my experiences.
Talk about the roof top, the basements and equipment rooms, elevator machine rooms, and top and bottom of them, bathrooms, kitchens and so many more.
I am only trying to expand on the commercial areas. I read here on the board where an inspector was denied access to the space above a ceiling, and that as you may remember, was one of my suggestions long ago, try searching for the word “denied” in the NEC
lol…the SOP clearly states the HI should not poke anything into the electrical panel. While the risk of arc flash is reduced in general when dealing with what the “SCOPE” of a “HOME” inspector does it can be a VERY real issue when dealing in commerical inspections.
With that said…no not every think a bolted fault in residential equipment can’t happen…because it can and with older equipment and the poor AIC ratings of the older equipment an newly placed transformers near them…it is always a possible issue to be aware of even in residential environments.
Also the NFPA 70E is simply a guidelines to compliance with OSHA for the most post, the information contained in the NFPA 70E aids our fellow electricians in identifying electrical hazards and how to comply with safety in the workplace protocol versus other options like advanced IEEE and Software calculations.
It is important that when I have done my classes for NACHI members at the convention and the few we did around the country for Tom Raush that safety is a key component, having a voltage ticker handy, being aware of the environement and look before you touch is key.
I have not taken it but I believe Joe F’s safety course probably covers the basics of safety for the home inspector well…again it is important but not brain surgery…be alert, be aware and be careful…
I know or a fact over 400 electricians ( and normal folk ) die a year from electrical hazards, very few if any home inspectors die from shock…because as a whole the industry does a fairly good job in making them aware of safety concerns on the basis of their allowed protocol for “Home” inspections.
Just adding to the conversation…have at it fella’s…
OH…since we are on safety and electricity and all that jazz…here is a nice read…
Board of Governors of Exhibition Place fined $100,000
for health and safety violation
SCARBOROUGH, ON, Sept. 11 /CNW/ - The Board of Governors of Exhibition Place, a local board of the City of Toronto that oversees Exhibition Place, was fined $100,000 on September 10, 2007 for a violation of the Occupational Health and Safety Act that resulted in serious burn injuries to two employees.
On August 17, 2005, two electrical workers were investigating the source of a partial power loss to a concession stand when there was an electrical explosion and the workers’ clothing caught on fire. Fire extinguishers were used to put out the fire. Both workers suffered second and third degree burns.
At the time of the incident one of the workers had been using a screwdriver trying to pry a fuse from a switch terminal. The incident occurred at an electrical substation at Exhibition Place at the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) grounds in downtown Toronto.
A Ministry of Labour investigation found the worker who was using the screwdriver had turned an external switch door handle to the “off” position, but the internal switch mechanism was still in the “on” position. There was a live electrical path at the switch terminal resulting in the explosion when the screwdriver contacted the fuse. Neither of the workers had been provided with, or were wearing any, personal protective equipment.
The Board of Governors of Exhibition Place pleaded guilty, as an employer, to failing to take the reasonable precaution of ensuring the two workers were provided with personal protective equipment to protect them from the hazard of electrical shock and burn. This was contrary to Section 25(2)(h) of the act.
The fine was imposed by Justice of the Peace Vasillio Fatsis of the Ontario Court of Justice in Scarborough. In addition, the court imposed a 25-per-cent victim fine surcharge, as required by the Provincial Offences Act. The surcharge is credited to a special provincial government fund to assist victims of crime.
Do you or, will you follow these rules?
