BRIEF

Policy Summary

The Electrical Safety Program at Berkeley Lab protects Laboratory employees, visitors, and subcontractors by:

• Managing electrical hazards
• Establishing qualifications for performing electrical work
• Providing electrical safety training
• Requiring an electrically safe work condition before performing electrical work while defining allowed exceptions

Who Should Read This Policy

All Berkeley Lab employees, visitors, affiliates, and subcontractors

To Read the Full Policy, Go To:

The POLICY tab on this wiki page

To Read the ES&H Program Details, Go To:

http://www.lbl.gov/ehs/pub3000/CH08/CH8.html

Contact Information

Electrical Safety Program Manager
EHS Division / Electrical Safety Group

POLICY

A. Purpose

The purpose of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) Electrical Safety Program is to specify the minimum requirements for identifying and controlling electrical hazards to prevent fatalities and injuries to personnel from working on or around hazardous electrical energy.

B. Persons Affected

All Berkeley Lab employees, visitors, affiliates, and subcontractors

C. Exceptions

Exceptions to this policy must be approved by the Environment, Health and Safety (EHS) Division Director and the Electrical AHJ for Safe Work Practices.

D. Policy Statement

1. The policy of Berkeley Lab is to implement the requirements of NFPA 70E, Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace, 2018 Edition.
   1. All electrical facilities and equipment shall be installed, operated, and maintained in a safe manner.
   2. All work involving electrical energy shall be performed in a safe manner.
   3. The primary safe work practice is to establish an electrically safe work condition.
2. Qualified Electrical Workers:
   1. Electrical work shall only be performed by Qualified Electrical Workers, with approved equipment and PPE, using the Electrical Safe Work Practices outlined in the Electrical Safety Program.
   2. Management is accountable for ensuring that only Qualified Electrical Workers perform work on electrical equipment, and for ensuring that Qualified Electrical Workers have the required work planning and authorization, training, equipment, and PPE specified in the Electrical Safety Program.
   3. All personnel asked to perform electrical work have a duty to refuse if they are not qualified or if they feel they have not received the work planning and authorization, training, equipment, and PPE specified to perform the work safely.
   4. All personnel are asked to stop work in accordance with the Stop Work Policy in the event of any real or perceived imminent hazard.
3. Energized Work:
   1. All electrical repair work shall be performed deenergized and in an electrically safe work condition, unless approved by an Energized Electrical Work Permit.
   2. Performing energized electrical repair work under an Energized Electrical Work Permit shall require additional justification and shall only be approved in extraordinary circumstances and as a last resort. In addition, no person shall be required, against his or her will, to perform energized repair work that requires an Energized Electrical Work Permit.
4. Violation of these principles shall be reported immediately to line management, the Electrical Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) for Safe Work Practices, or the Electrical Safety Committee.

E. Roles and Responsibilities

Roles and Responsibilities for Electrical Safety can be found in Section 8.5 of the Electrical Safety Program.

F. Definitions/Acronyms

Definitions and Acronyms can be found in Section 8.6 of the Electrical Safety Program.

G. Recordkeeping Requirements

Energized Electrical Work Permits (EEWPs) are maintained in the EHS EEWP Database for at least three years. The Arc Flash Hazard Analysis is maintained as a building record by the Facilities Division. An up-to-date set of documentation adequate for operation, maintenance, testing, and safety should be available to anyone working on potentially hazardous equipment. Obsolete drawings should be marked as obsolete and, if maintained, kept in a "Dead File." Be certain that active file drawings have the latest corrections. All facilities drawings are to be archived with the Facilities Records Analyst and Control Specialist.

H. Implementing Documents

I. Contact Information

Electrical Safety Program Manager
EHS Division / Electrical Safety Group

J. Revision History

DOCUMENT INFORMATION

Source Requirements Documents

• 10 CFR 851.21, Hazard Identification and Assessment
• 29 CFR 1910 Subpart S, Electrical
• 29 CFR 1926 Subpart K, Electrical
• NFPA 70, National Electrical Code (NEC)
• NFPA 70E, Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace

Implementing Documents