110.2 Training Requirements.

Transcription

1 110.2 Training Requirements. (D) Employee Training. (1) Qualified Person. A qualified person shall be trained and knowledgeable of the construction and operation of equipment or a specific work method and be trained to recognize and avoid the electrical hazards that might be present with respect to that equipment or work method. (a) Such persons shall also be familiar with the proper use of the special precautionary techniques; personal protective equipment including arc flash suit; insulating and shielding materials; and insulated tools and test equipment. A person can be considered qualified with respect to certain equipment and methods but still be unqualified for others. (b) Such persons permitted to work within the limited approach boundary of exposed energized electrical conductors and circuit parts operating at 50 volts or more shall, at a minimum, be additionally trained in all of the following: 1. Skills and techniques necessary to distinguish exposed energized electrical conductors and circuit parts from other parts of electrical equipment 2. Skills and techniques necessary to determine the nominal voltage of exposed energized electrical conductors and circuit parts 3. Approach distances specified in Table 130.4(C)(a) and Table 130.4(C)(b) and the corresponding voltages to which the qualified person will be exposed 4. Decision-making process necessary to determine the degree and extent of the hazard and the personal protective equipment and job planning necessary to perform the task safely (c) An employee who is undergoing on-the-job training for the purpose of obtaining the skills and knowledge necessary to be considered a qualified person and who, in the course of such training, has demonstrated an ability to perform specific duties safely at his or her level of training, shall be considered to be a qualified person and who is under the direct supervision of a qualified person, for the performance of those specific duties.

2 (d) Tasks that are performed less often than once per year shall require retraining before the performance of the work practices involved. (e) Employees shall be trained to select an appropriate voltage detector and shall demonstrate how to use a device to verify the absence of voltage, including interpreting indications provided by the device. The training shall include information that enables the employee to understand all limitations of each specific voltage detector that might be used. (f) The employer shall determine, through regular supervision or through inspections conducted on at least an annual basis, that each employee is complying with the safety-related work practices required by this standard. For a person to be considered qualified, the employee must have the training necessary to be knowledgeable in the construction and operation of the equipment associated with the work task or with the specific work method. The person must also be trained in the selection of PPE, including using the PPE in a dry run practice to ensure the PPE does not limit the person s dexterity or vision. If the work task involves a circuit with little association with equipment, a qualified person also must be knowledgeable of the circuit. For instance, when a work task must be performed in a manhole containing cables and conductors only, the person must be familiar with support requirements and fireproofing methods that might be in use in the manhole, in addition to the unique hazards associated with the confined space and the potential for a flammable and toxic atmosphere. For a person to be considered qualified, he or she must have received the safety training identified in 110.2(A) and 110.2(C) of this standard, in addition to employee training contained in this section. An employee might be considered qualified for one task and unqualified for another. Professional licensing or certification does not ensure that an employee is qualified unless the training associated with such programs fulfills the requirements specified in 110.2(D). Employees must be familiar with the steps necessary to determine which parts of the equipment or circuit(s) are conductive and if those parts are energized. Qualified persons must also be familiar with the limited, restricted, and

3 prohibited approach distances for the nominal voltage of the equipment or circuit. The safety training must describe how to conduct a hazard identification and risk assessment analysis. Qualified persons must be trained to select PPE based on the existence of a hazard and the degree of the hazard to which they might be exposed, and they must be able to plan and safely execute the work task being considered. Employees must be trained to select an appropriate voltage-detecting device. The selected voltage-detecting device must be appropriate for the circuit associated with the work. Non-contact devices are appropriate in some circumstances; however, voltmeters that make direct contact with the conductor in question provide the best chance of avoiding an error. Qualified persons must understand all limitations associated with the voltage-detecting device. Qualified persons must be able to execute a visual inspection of the device. Qualified persons must receive training, as necessary, to ensure that they are familiar with requirements defined in the employer s electrical safety program, with NFPA 70E, and with other applicable codes and standards. The training must establish that a qualified employee understands the limitations associated with protective equipment, tools, and test equipment. A qualified person must recognize and accept his or her personal limitations associated with both skill and knowledge. An apprentice or other employee undergoing training to become a qualified person is considered qualified if he or she is under the direct supervision of a qualified person. An employee who has not performed a work task involved with work on or near an exposed energized electrical conductor or circuit part for one or more years is considered to be unqualified for the task until the employee has been retrained. As part of their responsibilities in developing and implementing an electrical safety program, employers are required to perform an assessment of their employees conformance with safety-related work practices at least once a

4 year. This assessment can be accomplished either through regular supervision of an employee or through inspection of an employee s work activities. (2) Unqualified Persons. Unqualified persons shall be trained in, and be familiar with, any electrical safetyrelated practices necessary for their safety. All persons who use electrically powered equipment have some potential exposure to electrical hazards. Employers must ensure that all employees understand where electrical hazards exist. Potential exposure to electrical hazards varies by job assignment. Even employees who are not trained specifically with the goal of becoming qualified persons must be tr ained to understand how they might be injured from shock/electrocution or arc flash. Unqualified employees must understand the limit of their work assignment as it relates to electrical hazards. (3) Retraining. An employee shall receive additional training (or retraining) under any of the following conditions: 1. If the supervision or annual inspections indicate that the employee is not complying with the safety-related work practices 2. If new technology, new types of equipment, or changes in procedures necessitate the use of safety-related work practices that are different from those that the employee would normally use 3. If he or she must employ safety-related work practices that are not normally used during his or her regular job duties Retraining shall be performed at intervals not to exceed 3 years. Training must be provided as necessary to ensure that knowledge of the employees, both qualified and unqualified, is up-to-date. Employees who are assigned to a new work position must receive the necessary training associated with the assignment prior to beginning work that could expose him or her to an electrical hazard. Any change to the electrical safety program must trigger the training necessary to rebuild understanding of the current program or procedure requirements.

5 When, through normal supervision or through annual or other inspections, a supervisor recognizes that an employee is not implementing requirements defined in the employer s electrical safety program, the employee must receive additional training before being permitted to work on or near exposed energized electrical conductors or circuit parts. If additional or new equipment that provides new or additional hazards or methods of exposure is added, employees must receive more training to develop the necessary understanding. Employees who are reassigned to work tasks associated with equipment that normally is not used in their day-to-day functions are particularly likely to be exposed to potential injury. Such employees must be trained to establish the necessary level of understanding. To ensure that an employee is up-to-date on safe work practices, he or she is required to receive safety-related retraining at least every three years.