Safety and Health Program- Electrical Upgrade Chapter

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Electrical Installations, Equipment, and Electric Safety

Policy:

All electrical work will be conducted in a manner consistent with existing regulations and with good standard practices. This section establishes standards for electrical operations.

Because electrical work has the potential for personnel electrocution and the potential hazard of catastrophic property damage, extreme caution must be exercised when working with electricity and electrical equipment. Electrical equipment can also cause fire because of its potential as an ignition source for causing fire or explosion.

Fire is frequently caused by short circuits, overheating equipment and failure of current limiters, thermal sensors, and other safety devices. Explosions may occur when flammable liquids, gases, and dusts are exposed to ignition sources generated by electrical equipment.

Requirements:

1. Electrical installations and utilization equipment will be in accordance with the current edition of the National Electrical Code, National Fire Protection Association (NFPA 70); American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Standard C1. This code will also apply to every replacement, installation, or utilization equipment.

2. Equipment or facilities designed, fabricated for, and intended for use by Company personnel will be procured to meet the requirements of the National Electric Code.

3. Frames of all electrical equipment, regardless of voltage shall be grounded.

4. Exposed non-current carrying metal parts of electrical equipment that may be come energized under abnormal conditions shall be grounded in accordance with the National Electrical Code.

5. Wires shall be covered wherever they are joined, such as: outlets, switches, junction boxes, etc.

6. Parts of electrical equipment which in ordinary operation produce arcs, sparks, etc., shall not be operated or used in explosive atmospheres or in close proximity to combustible materials.

7. Equipment connected by flexible extension cords shall be grounded either by a 3-wire cord or by a separate ground wire (except double insulated equipment).

8. Ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCI) shall be used on all 120-volt, single-phase, 15- and 20-ampere receptacle outlets at job sites when the receptacles are not a part of the permanent wiring of the building or structure. Receptacles on a two wire, single-phase portable or vehicle-mounted generator rated not more than 5 kilowatt, where the circuit conductors of the generator are insulated from the generator frame and all or the grounded surfaces, need not be protected with GFCI's.