Electrical Safety Programs

An electrical safety program is a written plan for how a workplace controls electrical hazards: who may do what, how equipment is made safe, what training and PPE are needed and how the plan is checked. It turns good intentions into steady practice. OSHA requires safe electrical work, and NFPA 70E describes what a good program contains.

• Employers
• Electricians
• Safety Managers

Why have a program

• Electrical hazards, including shock, electrocution, arc flash, arc blast and fire, kill and injure workers every year, in many trades, not just electricians. See Electrical Injuries.
• OSHA’s electrical standards (29 CFR 1910 Subpart S, and 1910.331 to 1910.335 for work practices, and 1926 Subpart K for construction) require safe equipment and safe work practices. OSHA also uses the General Duty Clause.
• NFPA 70E, the Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace, is the consensus standard for how to meet those requirements. It says employers must implement and document an electrical safety program (Article 110). See Arc Flash & NFPA 70E.
• A program makes safe work consistent: it doesn’t depend on one person’s memory, and new workers learn the same rules as veterans.

Core elements

1. Policy and principles. A statement of the employer’s commitment, the goal of working on equipment in an electrically safe work condition, and the rule that energized work is the exception.
2. Roles and responsibilities. Who owns the program, who is qualified, who approves energized work and who audits. Make managers accountable.
3. Hazard identification and risk assessment. Look at tasks and equipment to identify shock and arc flash hazards, and decide how to control them, starting with elimination. See Job Hazard Analysis and Hierarchy of Controls.
4. Equipment information. Up-to-date one-line diagrams, arc flash studies or tables, and labels on equipment that show hazards and PPE needs. See Arc Flash PPE Categories.
5. Lockout/tagout procedures for making equipment safe. See Lockout/Tagout and Testing for Absence of Voltage.
6. Energized work policy and permits, which say when work on live equipment can happen, who approves it, and the steps. See Energized Work Permits.
7. Training and qualification. Qualified persons must be trained on the hazards and the equipment they work on. Unqualified workers must know to stay away. See Qualified vs. Unqualified and Training Requirements.
8. PPE and tools. Selection, issue, inspection, testing and care of arc-rated clothing, insulating gloves, insulated tools and meters. See Rubber Insulating Gloves, Test Meters and Flame-Resistant Clothing.
9. Contractors and multi-employer sites. Share information on hazards and procedures, and confirm that outside workers are qualified. See Multi-Employer Worksites.
10. Incident investigation and reporting. Report and investigate near misses and injuries, and fix causes. See Incident Investigation.
11. Audits and review. Check that the program is working and update it.

Audits: how often

• NFPA 70E calls for the electrical safety program to be audited at intervals not exceeding three years.
• Field work (observing electrical work in progress) should be audited at least annually to check that people follow the program.
• Lockout/tagout procedures should be audited at least annually, and OSHA’s lockout rule requires a periodic inspection of each energy control procedure at least once a year. See ANSI Z244.1: Lockout.
• Audit results should be documented, with deficiencies corrected.

Editions of NFPA 70E change every three years or so, so check the current edition and what your employer follows.

What a good program looks like in practice

• De-energize first. The default is to shut equipment off, lock it out and verify it’s dead. Energized work only when it is justified, such as when shutting down creates a greater hazard or isn’t feasible.
• Use clear, written procedures for common tasks, such as troubleshooting, racking breakers, testing and opening panels.
• Label equipment with arc flash and shock information, and keep labels current after changes.
• Provide the right tools: properly rated meters, insulated tools, voltage-rated gloves and arc-rated PPE, kept inspected and tested.
• Train and retrain: initial training, retraining at least every three years, and after changes, incidents or observed gaps. Keep records.
• Job briefings before electrical work: discuss hazards, boundaries, procedures, PPE and emergency plans.
• Emergency readiness: workers trained in CPR, AED and release from contact. See CPR & AED and Electric Shock Response.
• Keep an equipment maintenance program that keeps gear safe. See Breakers & Fuses and Panel Clearance.

Beyond electricians

• Many workers, such as maintenance techs, operators, plumbers, HVAC technicians, janitors and laborers, work near electrical equipment. The program must tell them what is off limits and who to call. See Electrical Basics.
• Include temporary power, extension cords, GFCIs, generators, portable tools and overhead and underground lines. See Temporary Power, GFCI, Overhead Power Lines and Underground Power Lines.
• Small employers can write a simple program with the key elements, based on the equipment they have.

Records to keep

• The written program, policies and procedures
• Arc flash studies, one-line diagrams and equipment labels
• Training and qualification records
• Energized work permits, lockout records and job briefings
• PPE and tool test and inspection records
• Audit reports, incident investigations and corrective actions

Program checklist

• A written program names the owner, roles and the rule that de-energizing is the default
• Hazards are assessed, and equipment is labeled
• Lockout, testing and energized work permit procedures are in place
• Qualified persons are trained, PPE and tools are inspected and tested
• Contractors are covered, and incidents are investigated
• Program audited at least every 3 years; field work and lockout audited yearly

Last updated: October 4, 2026