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The National Fire Protection Association's (NFPA) 70E standard for electrical safety in the workplace requires employers to establish an electrical safety program (ESP). 

The ESP must include a policy that requires an electrically safe work condition (ESWC) to be established when employees are near equipment that may cause an arc flash or are within the limited approach boundary. 

Here are some tips for creating an electrical safety program:

•  Create a job planning method
• Make it easy for workers to identify hazards
• Train workers on the risks
• Implement proper mitigation techniques
• Develop safe work practices
• Continually check the process 

NFPA 70B is a standard for electrical equipment maintenance that helps users develop and implement an electrical preventive maintenance (EPM) program. 

The standard is used in many settings, including industrial plants, commercial buildings, and large residential complexes.

NFPA 70B requires the following to be included in an electrical maintenance program (EMP):

• Tracking maintenance activities
• Incident investigations
• Incident energy analysis
• Personnel training
• A policy for documenting and retaining records of maintenance, equipment, and personnel 

NFPA 70B is used in conjunction with NFPA 70E, which is the standard for electrical safety in the workplace. 

While NFPA 70E protects workers when equipment is in good condition, NFPA 70B is required to ensure that equipment is regularly maintained. 

Benefits of a proactive approach to electrical maintenance include: 

• Improved asset management
• Better compliance management
• Enhanced business continuity
• Reduced risk of fire or electrical outage.

Dont wait, let us help you get into compliance! 

Whatever the type of engineering services your facility requires, Electrosense is ready and willing to help.

Our season Engineers have experience in all electrical applications, both from their training and knowledge of the principles of engineering, and in real world applications.

Read on below to see the types of services we offer. and let us help bring you back into compliance!

NEC 110.16 (A)  

General. Electrical equipment, such as switchboards, switchgear, panelboards, industrial control panels, meter socket enclosures, and motor control centers, that is in other than dwelling units, and is likely to require examination, adjustment, servicing, or maintenance while energized, shall be field or factory marked to warn qualified persons of potential electric arc flash hazards. 

The marking shall meet the requirements in 110.21(B) and shall be located so as to be clearly visible to qualified persons before examination, adjustment, servicing, or maintenance of the equipment.

NEC 110.16 (B)  Service Equipment. 

In other than dwelling units, in addition to the requirements in (A), a permanent label shall be field or factory applied to service equipment rated 1200 amps or more. 

The label shall meet the requirements of 110.21(B) and contain the following information:

(1) Nominal system voltage

(2) Available fault current at the service overcurrent protective devices

(3) The clearing time of service overcurrent protective devices based on the available fault current at the service equipment.

(4) The date the label was applied

Exception: Service equipment labeling shall not be required if an arc flash label is applied in accordance with acceptable industry practice.

The National Electrical Code (NEC) requires arc flash labels to warn people of the potential for arc flash hazards in electrical equipment. 

The labels must meet the following requirements: 

Label types

The NEC requires two types of labels: a general warning label and a more detailed warning label. 

Label content

The general warning label should convey a general hazard avoidance message, such as "Appropriate PPE is required when working on this equipment". The more detailed warning label should include the severity of the arc flash hazard, the explosive force distances, and the type of PPE required. 

Label durability

The label must be durable enough to withstand its environment, and the words, colors, and symbols must always be visible. Handwritten markings are not permitted unless the information is subject to change. 

Label placement

The label must be clearly visible to qualified people before they begin work. It's typically placed outside the panel or enclosure door. 

Label application

The label must be field or factory applied and include the date it was applied. 

Label maintenance

The owner of the electrical equipment is responsible for the documentation, installation, and maintenance of the label. Any changes to the system require updating the labels. 

NFPA 70E, ARTICLE 130.5 says an arc flash assessment must be completed to determine if an arc flash hazard exists, taking into consideration the design of the overcurrent protective device, its opening time, and its condition of maintenance.

NFPA 70E 130.7(A) Requirement for Provision Of PPE Workers exposed to electrical hazards risks must be provided with, and shall use, protective equipment that is designed and constructed for the specific part of the body to be protected and based on the work to be performed.

Within the latest issue of the NFPA 70B standard released in 2023 it is also required thet studies bye updated every 5 years.

Are you in compliance?

According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 70B, coordination studies are a required part of an electrical system's safe and reliable distribution: 

What are coordination studies?

Coordination studies are a protective method for selecting and configuring circuit breakers and fuses to localize outages caused by an overcurrent condition. 

When to update coordination studies?

NFPA 70B requires that coordination studies be updated every five years. 

When to update other studies?

NFPA 70B also requires that short-circuit and incident energy studies be updated every five years. 

What to do if there are modifications to the electrical system?

Any modifications or additions to an electrical system within the required interval require an update to the facility's electrical studiesHave a breaker that trips frequently and your'e not sure why?

Adding new loads to an existing system?

Installing process machinery subject to high inrush currents?

You may be in need of a coordination study to help stage the system to avoid nuisance tripping call Electrosense today.

The National Fire Protection Association's (NFPA) 70B standard requires facilities to have and maintain accurate single-line diagrams (SLDs) of their electrical systems: 

Purpose

SLDs are a simplified representation of an electrical system that use lines and symbols to show connections and nodes. They are essential for electrical maintenance programs (EMPs) and are the primary reference for systems studies. 

Requirements

The 2023 edition of NFPA 70B requires that SLDs: 

• Show all electrical equipment in the power system 
• Include ratings for voltage, frequency, transformer impedance, and more 
• Be updated regularly and with system changes 

Importance

SLDs are used by electricians and design professionals to calculate short-circuit values and protective device clearing times. These values determine incident energy and personal protective equipment (PPE). 

Challenges

SLDs are often not updated or reviewed over the life of a facility. Construction managers may not be trained to understand the importance of SLDs.

So whether you need new city submission drawings, load calculations, or to create a set of record drawings for your existing facility we are here to help. With our thorough data collection process you can count on us to provide accurate single lines for your maintenance team to rely on.