OSHA BECOMES MORE CURRENT

Agency Updates Electrical Guidelines from 1972

 

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently updated its electric power generation, transmission and distribution and its electrical protective equipment standards. With construction requirements not updated since 1972, the new standards harmonize construction and general industry requirements (last revised in 1994) and take into account the latest industry consensus standards and improvements in electrical safety technology.

Increasing Safety

According to OSHA, the new standards “create a unified and up-to-date set of requirements to help employers more effectively establish work practices to protect their workers.”

The agency estimates the new standards will:

  • Prevent at least an additional 118 workplace injuries per year.
  • Prevent at least an additional 20 workplace fatalities per year.
  • Allow for monetized benefits of about $130 million per year.

“We applaud the new standards,” said National Field Services Electrical Engineer and Project Manager Tyler DeBey. “In this age, where there’s more emphasis on safety, these rules allow companies to be more proactive about how they protect themselves and, more importantly, how they protect their employees.”

See the New Standards

Here’s a quick overview of the new OSHA standards. Or if you prefer to see the whole 1,000+ page document, you can find it here.

Need to Know How It Applies to You?

This is the world we work in every day. If you need clarification on how the new OSHA standards impact your operations, contact us.

Return to Fall 2014 Field Notes



Flashback to ’72

The last time OSHA issued new electric transmission and distribution guidelines for construction:

  • Gas cost 36 cents a gallon.
  • Richard Nixon was President.
  • There were 3 TV channels to watch.
  • The Cowboys QB was Roger Staubach.
  • Michael Jackson’s “Ben” was a #1 single.