NFPA 70E Arc Flash Labeling - Is it Required?

[Elect117]

To be clear, this is not service equipment?

You do need to include more information on non dwelling unit service equipment rated more than 1200A.

110.16(B)

 

[vanetten]

What does the plant electrical safety plan say? Often 70E is referenced in that because it is an easy way to cover a lot of the things that need to be covered in an electrical safety plan.

Also OSHA has been known to cite 70E requirements under the general duty clause, when investigating an incident.

site electrical plan references 70E.

 

[vanetten]

To be clear, this is not service equipment?

You do need to include more information on non dwelling unit service equipment rated more than 1200A.

110.16(B)

yes correct. However the auditor referred to the 130.5(H) in 70E

 

[vanetten]

To my knowledge NFPA 70E is not written to be implemented as an enforceable law.
NFPA70E says an employer must create an Electrical Safe Work Practices program. That program should include safety standards as well what you as a contractor need to follow.
Does your contract require you to follow industry standards practices, like hazardous material handling and disposal, as well as following the NEC.

yes we have safety standards and it references the NEC for safe practices. What gets me is that OSHA has visited this site for years and never tried to enforce AF labeling. It will take years and much $ to do labels on all of our equipment

 

[jim dungar]

yes we have safety standards and it references the NEC for safe practices. What gets me is that OSHA has visited this site for years and never tried to enforce AF labeling. It will take years and much $ to do labels on all of our equipment

The NEC is not a safe work standard, it is an installation standard.

What do your contract documents say about following standards, do they provide a specific list or just a general statement?

OSHA does not require 'arc flash' labels per se. For more than 20 years, OSHA has required a company to have a documented electrical safe work practices program. Following NFPA70E is one of the easily defensible steps for creating these practices and programs.

Are you being asked to provide arc flash labels for existing equipment or just what your contract involves?

 

[don_resqcapt19]

yes we have safety standards and it references the NEC for safe practices. What gets me is that OSHA has visited this site for years and never tried to enforce AF labeling. It will take years and much $ to do labels on all of our equipment

The NEC is only an installation code and has NOTHING to do with electrical safe work practices.

All of the industrial facilities around here have been requiring arc flash labels for over a decade.

You really need to have part of the study required for arc flash labels in place to know the available fault currents for selecting the ratings of new equipment. You would need to add the OCPD trip times to the available fault current to get the arc flash information. The electrical engineering software does the calculations.