Electrical Safety Handbook

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 PURPOSE

Electrical Safety Handbook presents the Department of Energy (DOE) safety standards for DOE field offices or facilities involved in the use of electrical energy. It has been prepared to provide a uniform set of electrical safety guidance and information for DOE installations to effect a reduction or elimination of risks associated with the use of electrical energy. The objectives of this handbook are to enhance electrical safety awareness and mitigate electrical hazards to employees, the public, and the environment.

1.2 SCOPE

This handbook provides general information to enhance understanding of DOE Orders, national codes, national standards, local, state, and federal regulations. This handbook shall not supersede more stringent requirements in those applicable codes, standards, and regulations.

Each entity should reference its contract documents and determine what legal requirements are to be followed in the area of electrical safety. These requirments may vary from locaction to location. In this document, "shall" refers to requirements from regulatory standards such as OSHA and relevant DOE Orders that may or may not apply to your specific location. "Should " refers to guidance from consensus standards such as the National Electrical Code (NFPA 70), National Electrical Safety Code (NESC, ANSI C2), and Electrical Safety Requirements for Employee Workplaces (NFPA 70E) which may or may not apply to your specific location (depending upon your contractual requirements). No section or portion of this document is intended to stand alone. Each section or portion interacts with others that are appropriate to support referenced material.

The design of new facilities shall conform to relevant DOE Orders and should conform to industry recognized engineering design standards. Existing facilities should evaluate their systems and operations in relation to this handbook, applicable DOE Orders, national codes, national standards, local, state, and federal regulations, to determine if they comply or if a safety problem exists. If the evaluation determines that a safety risk exists, corrective actions should be initiated to bring the systems or operations into compliance with current standards. In the case of a major renovation of an existing facility, the modification shall comply with current standards.

Existing facilities shall conform to relevant DOE Orders and should comply with the National Electrical Code (NFPA 70), National Electrical Safety Code (NESC, ANSI C2), and Electrical Safety Requirements for Employee Workplaces (NFPA 70E). The OSHA standards have specific requirements that shall apply to all electrical installations and utilization equipment regardless of when they were designed or installed and identify other mandatory provisions and specify effective dates. Installations in compliance with the code at the time of design or installation (code of record), do not need to be upgraded to the updated code unless required to correct a known hazard or a major modification is being performed.

This handbook is being provided to identify those DOE Orders, national codes, national standards, local, state, and federal regulations that will provide employees with guidance on requirements pertaining to electrical systems. It is the responsibility of each site to evaluate compliance with the above requirements.