OSHA Publishes Revised Subpart S Electrical Standard – Effective August 13, 2007 

On February 14^th OSHA published its revised general industry electrical installation standard found in Subpart S of 29 CFR Part 1910 in the Federal Register.  The rule becomes effective on August 13, 2007.  The revised standard, which draw heavily from the 2000 edition of the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) Electrical Safety Requirements for Employee Workplaces (NFPA 70E), and the 2002 edition of the National Electrical Code (NEC), are reasonably necessary to provide protection from these hazards. This final rule focuses on safety in the design and installation of electric equipment in the workplace. This revision will provide the first update of the installation requirements in the general industry electrical installation standard since 1981.  OSHA is also replacing the reference to the 1971 NEC in the mandatory appendix to the general industry powered platform standard found in Subpart F of 29 CFR Part 1910 with a reference to OSHA’s electrical installation standard.

Below please find a link to the final rule.  Also, please note this topic will be on the ABA Safety Committee’s agenda during its upcoming meeting, February 27-28^th.  For your information I have also included a trade press article that appeared today.  If you have any questions, please let me know.

Link to Federal Register OSHA Final Rule:

http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20071800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2007/pdf/E7-1360.pdf

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Revised General Industry Electrical Rule Based on Fire, Electrical Codes Published

BNA OSHA Reporter, Thursday, February 15, 2007

A final rule focusing on safety in the design and installation of electric equipment in the workplace will be published by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in the Feb. 14 Federal Register.  The revision to Subpart S of OSHA's general industry electrical standard (29 C.F.R. 1910) draws heavily from two consensus standard documents: the 2000 edition of the National Fire Protection Association's Electrical Safety Requirements for Employee Workplaces (NFPA 70E) and the 2002 edition of the National Electrical Code.  OSHA said it also will replace the reference to the 1971 NEC in the mandatory appendix to the general industry powered platform standard (29 C.F.R. 1910 Subpart F) with a reference to the electrical installation standard.  The rule will go into effect Aug. 13 and applies to electrical installations and equipment in workplaces in general industry and shipyards, longshoring, and marine terminals.

The agency said the revision will be more flexible and efficient for all parties affected, including small businesses. At the same time, the rule will improve safety for workers.  "[I]n implementing this rule, OSHA is responding to requests from stakeholders that the Agency revise Subpart S so that it reflect the most recent editions of NFPA 70E and the NEC," OSHA said. "These stakeholders argued that interested members of the public have had substantial input into the content of NFPA 70E and that industry is complying with the consensus standard in its present form."  The OSHA electrical standard the revision will replace is based on the 1979 edition of Part I of NFPA 70E, which has been updated several times since the agency last revised its electrical installation requirements in 1981.

BLS Statistics Cited

The agency cited Bureau of Labor Statistics figures showing that between 1992 and 2002 an average of 395 workers died each year from contact with electric current. Between 1992 and 2001, an average of 4,309 workers lost time away from work for electrical injuries.  "Overall, there has been a downward trend in injuries and illnesses, but the percentage has varied from year to year," OSHA said. From 1992 to 2002, deaths decreased by 9 percent, and from 1992 to 2001, the number of injuries requiring days away from work decreased by 29 percent.  

According to the economic analysis, the rule will affect approximately 861,400 establishments in 12 states that follow the 1996 NEC or have not adopted a statewide electrical code applicable to the private sector employers. OSHA estimated the average cost per establishment at $12.02 for those that handle flammable or combustible liquids, vapors, gasses, dusts, and fibers. Average costs would be less for establishments that are covered by fewer provisions of the rule.  The final rule is not expected to have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities.

The agency said the rule will help further reduce "the numbers of deaths and injuries associated with electrical hazards by providing additional requirements for installation safety and by recognizing alternative means of compliance."  The preamble to the rule said that the underlying causes of electrical accidents are usually "a combination of three possible factors: work involving unsafe equipment and installations; workplaces made unsafe by the environment; and unsafe work performance."  

OSHA pointed out there are various ways to protect workers from the hazards of electric shock, including insulation and guarding of live parts. Grounding is another method to protect employees, the agency said, "however, it is normally a secondary protective measure."  The final standard addresses safety considerations such as guarding and insulating live parts, grounding of equipment enclosures, and protecting circuits from "overcurrent."

For more information, contact Kevin Ropp, Director, OSHA Office of Communications, Room N-4647, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20210; (202) 693-1999. For technical comments, contact David Wallis, OSHA Directorate of Standards and Guidance, Room N-3609 at the same address; (202) 693-2222.