could my boss get in trouble?

[MarkyMarkNC]

Even the most fearless electricians I've known that make a practice of engaging in dangerous activities - working stuff hot, standing on top of 12 foot ladders, driving the company van at 90 mph in the rain, etc. would always make sure someone else was standing by if they were working 277V hot.

 

[djpseco]

If you were an IBEW apprentice you wouldn't be working by yourself under any conditions. It's not allowed. If you don't have a journeyman to supervise you, how are you going to learn anything? djpseco

 

[Smart $]

Here you go.

1910.333(a)(1)

"Deenergized parts." Live parts to which an employee may be exposed shall be deenergized before the employee works on or near them, unless the employer can demonstrate that deenergizing introduces additional or increased hazards or is infeasible due to equipment design or operational limitations. Live parts that operate at less than 50 volts to ground need not be deenergized if there will be no increased exposure to electrical burns or to explosion due to electric arcs.

Note 1: Examples of increased or additional hazards include interruption of life support equipment, deactivation of emergency alarm systems, shutdown of hazardous location ventilation equipment, or removal of illumination for an area.


Note 2: Examples of work that may be performed on or near energized circuit parts because of infeasibility due to equipment design or operational limitations include testing of electric circuits that can only be performed with the circuit energized and work on circuits that form an integral part of a continuous industrial process in a chemical plant that would otherwise need to be completely shut down in order to permit work on one circuit or piece of equipment.


Note 3: Work on or near deenergized parts is covered by paragraph (b) of this section.

Hmmm... I'd say that would need a formal interpretation before this clause can be used as the deciding factor.