I quailify as competent in many ways but still am striving, slowly but surely, to be certified, not just competent.29 CFR 1926.32(f) states: "Competent person" means on who is capable of identifying existing and predictable hazards in the surroundings or working conditions, which are unsanitary, hazardous, or dangerous to employees, and who has authorization to take prompt corrective measures to eliminate them.
29 CFR 1926.32(l) states: "Qualified" means one who, by possession of a recognized degree, certificate, or professional standing, or who by extensive knowledge, training and experience, has successfully demonstrated his ability to solve or resolve problems relating to the subject matter, the work, or the project.
NFPA 70E-2018 states:Qualified Person is one who has demonstrated skills and knowledge related to the construction and operation of electrical equipment and installations and has receifved safety training to identify the hazards and reduce the associated risk.
So, one does not need an electrical license to be a Qualified Person or a Competent Person
All those definitions are similar in the fact they state the individual must have some sort of training, knowledge, authorization, experience, etc. and who determines just what those requirements are? The AHJ in many cases, especially when involving licensing aspect.29 CFR 1926.32(f) states: "Competent person" means on who is capable of identifying existing and predictable hazards in the surroundings or working conditions, which are unsanitary, hazardous, or dangerous to employees, and who has authorization to take prompt corrective measures to eliminate them.
29 CFR 1926.32(l) states: "Qualified" means one who, by possession of a recognized degree, certificate, or professional standing, or who by extensive knowledge, training and experience, has successfully demonstrated his ability to solve or resolve problems relating to the subject matter, the work, or the project.
NFPA 70E-2018 states:Qualified Person is one who has demonstrated skills and knowledge related to the construction and operation of electrical equipment and installations and has receifved safety training to identify the hazards and reduce the associated risk.
So, one does not need an electrical license to be a Qualified Person or a Competent Person
"License" is a term that may qualify them, especially for a particular AHJ.So, we can take anyone without a license and make them "qualified" set them loose in a Live Electrical panel to do anything they want?
Any Voltage? any task? No lines drawn? Seems iffy.
And that judge is going to refer to any laws first (which will bring licensing into the determination in many cases), then maybe will consider what commonly used codes or standards have to say (NFPA 70, 70E in particular) which in many cases NFPA 70 will be mentioned in some law journals as a standard that is considered to be law in the jurisdiction.“Who is qualified” is a test that could ultimately be administered by a judge or jury should there be an accident involving an injury or death. In the mean time, it’s entirely possible that a business could be shut down pending that determination. It’s far far better for a company to carefully weigh the risk/reward consequences of any perceived convenience in a looser interpretation of “qualified”. Sticking to licensed/certified employees or contractors is a much much simpler way to go if you ask me.
A qualified person would know and use the proper ppe and the proper testing techniques. Or they could not be considered qualified.The next question is regarding PPE, if a non licensed technician is going into the live enclosure performing a calibration or battery replacement on a PLC does that "Qualified" person need the same level of PPE as the Electrician troubleshooting a tripped breaker?
A qualified person would know and use the proper ppe and the proper testing techniques. Or they could not be considered qualified.
The next question is regarding PPE, if a non licensed technician is going into the live enclosure performing a calibration or battery replacement on a PLC does that "Qualified" person need the same level of PPE as the Electrician troubleshooting a tripped breaker?
Qualified, certified, licensed....can have different meanings depending on if you are talking from NEC perspective, safety policy perspective, licensing perspective, etc.If you are a qualified person and the recommended PPE for a particular job you are doing is Lockouts for Breakers, Hi Vis, Safety Gloves, Safety boots, and Eye protection, and tyou decide that it is a five minute job and you only need to do it quickly, then how are you qualified, wearing shots, muscle tee, and using a screwdriver?
I am a qualified but not certified person. That means in order to keep people considering me as qualified, I know what to wear when I do certain jobs, whether the job is electrical, plumbing, carpentry, or soldering. Just because it is a hundred degrees outside does not mean I toss my jacket and pants and boot when riding a motorbike, and the same goes for any work I do... It may take twice as long to do, but I secure my ladders, etc...
Because I have the scars to prove what happens when accidents occur or things break...
Don't want any scars from just outright doing it wrong!