OSHA Electrical & Fire Safety Training

Working with electrical equipment is a hazardous job. If you happen to an engineer or electrician, or if your job involves electricity, you need to undergo OSHA compliance training. These are workplace safety regulations to protect you against the risks of electrocution, explosions, arc flashes, electric shock and fire.

What are arc flashes?

An electrical arc flash has a lot in common with lightning ? both are fast and both release a tremendous amount of electrical energy in a moment. However, unlike lightning, arc flashes do not require storm-like conditions but can occur in various conditions. Arc flashes are extremely hazardous and are known to cause serious injury and even death.

An estimated 80% of industrial injuries have been attributed to arc flash hazards.

In fact, arc flashes are so hazardous that OSHA regulations require all employers to conduct frequent arc flash analyses in the workplace. These results of these analyses are measured against the NFPA 70E OSHA standards.

What do employees learn from OSHA compliance training?

OSHA compliance training teaches employees about three-phase and single electrical systems; grounding, ground fault circuit interrupters, risky locations and safe work practices.

Safety training as per NFPA 70E standards usually covers the following topics:
Introduction to NFPA 70E standards
Safe work practices
General requirements for work practices related to safety
Electrical safety work practices
Transformer current ratings
Tagout/Lockout
Working on or near live parts
Alternative methods of determining arc flash FR clothing and PPE
General NFPA 70E standards pertaining to Personal and other protective equipment

Why is OSHA compliance training important?

All your employees should participate in arc flash training as per NFPA 70E standards.

The training process is fully documented and all employees need to pass an exam to prove that they have understood all that has been taught to them during training. OSHA compliance training needs to be updated at regular intervals , particularly if there are changes in the building' s electrical system.

As an employer, it is your duty to provide your workers with all the proper tools required for their safety. All equipment must be clearly labeled with warning signs about the arc flash hazards that it can tackle. OSHA compliance training needs to be boosted with NFPA 70E training for your employees total safety. If an arc flash hazard is discovered during the organization's arc flash calculations, you need to immediately develop an effective compliance plan comprising of six points.

What are the learning outcomes from OSHA compliance training?
Employees begin to understand the importance of electrical safety standards as well as ARC ratings.
They also grasp the relationship between NFPA 70E and OSHA.
Your employees will learn how to create and maintain safe working conditions in the organization once they understand the hazards of electrical shock.
Employees also understand how circuit breakers and transformers work, along with the risks posed by live parts.
They learn to execute a tagout/lockout and become aware of the standards required for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

OSHA compliance training should be taken by every employee working on hazardous locations.