Standardized safety practices shall be developed for performing electrical work. These practices should be consistent with the other electrical safety-related work practices noted elsewhere in this document.

10.5 EQUIPMENT NOT LISTED BY A NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED TESTING LABORATORY

10.5.1 HAZARDS

Electrical equipment is considered to be acceptable either by being listed by a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL), designed, manufactured and tested according to nationally recognized standards, or approved by AHJ-determined criteria. Refer to Section 2.5, "Approval of Electrical Equipment."

Procurement and use of equipment not listed by an NRTL should be reviewed by the AHJ. The extensive testing involved in the listing process usually cannot be duplicated at the user facility, and many of the tests are destructive in nature. The AHJ should develop an examination acceptance process to ensure appropriate confidence in the safety of the product.

See Section 9.0, "Enclosed Electrical/Electronic Equipment," for additional guidance. Also see UL 508 and applicable ANSI and IEEE documents.

10.5.2 DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION

Equipment should be constructed such that:

1. There is adequate protection from fire, electric shock, or injury to personnel during normal use or servicing.

2. Normal use or servicing will not cause the components or materials to exceed electrical, mechanical, or temperature limits.

3. The components, wiring, and other internal parts are protected from being displaced or damaged.

NRTL-listed parts and UL-recognized components should be used wherever possible. An assembly of recognized components is not equal to a listed product, but more readily enables an independent evaluation of the assembly.

All equipment not listed by a NRTL should be constructed according to applicable standards, such as UL, ANSI, and IEEE. Equipment for which specific standards are unavailable should be constructed according to the principles of established standards, as determined by the AHJ.

Equipment should be examined for safety as extensively as possible. Areas of consideration include but are not limited to:

1. Failure modes

2. Heat effects

3. Magnetic effects

4. Grounding and bonding

5. Guarding of live parts

6. Leakage currents

7. Dielectric testing

8. Access to serviceable parts

9. Overcurrent and overtemperature protection 10. Clearances and spacing

11. Interlocks

12. Design and procedural documentation

13. Signage, labels, and administrative controls 14. Mechanical motion

15. Stored energy.

Documentation should be developed to substantiate the acceptance of any equipment. Such documentation should include but not be limited to:

1. Tests performed

2. Conditions of acceptability

3. Applicable standards to which the equipment was evaluated

4. Limitations of approved use, if any.

10.6 OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE

Maintenance procedures and schedules should be developed for R&D equipment. Electrical equipment shall be checked, cleaned, and maintained on a schedule and in a manner based on its application and use. Additional information is referenced in Section 3.0 "Electrical Preventive Maintenance."

10.7 EMPLOYEE QUALIFICATIONS

This section provides guidance for determining the qualification process for persons involved with specialized electrical equipment, configurations or work tasks associated with experiments. The guidance provided in this section is in addition to the minimum qualifications described in Section 2.8, "Training and Qualifications of Qualified Workers."

10.7.1 HAZARDS

The hazards associated with R&D equipment are sometimes unique because the equipment itself is unique. These hazards are sometimes made worse because of an uncommon design or the fact that it may be one of a kind. Special efforts are thus necessary to identify all the potential hazards that may be present in a specific unique design. These hazards should be identified and a plan developed to mitigate the associated risk. Personnel working on R&D equipment shall be qualified to work on this equipment, depending on its unique safety problems.

10.7.2 ADDITIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

Personnel assigned to tasks involving R&D equipment shall be apprised of the hazards identified in Section 10.7.1. It is suggested that they participate in developing mitigation plans to reduce the risks associated with the hazards.

A list of additional experience qualifications should be developed by the appropriate personnel including the worker(s). This list should identify specific training requirements necessary for unusual equipment or tasks.

10.8 GENERIC R&D EQUIPMENT

There are many possible types of electrical ac and do power source hazards in complex R&D systems and the various design philosophies preclude establishing hazard classifications based on voltage alone.