This material is for training purposes only. Its purpose is to inform Oregon employers of best practices in occupational safety and health and general Oregon OSHA compliance requirements. This material is not a substitute for any provision of the Oregon Safety Employment Act or any standards issued by Oregon OSHA. For more information on this online course and other OR-OSHA online training, visit the Online Course Catalog.

MODULE SIX: ELECTRICAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT AND FALL PROTECTION

Care and use of electrical protective equipment

To prevent injury from exposure to electrical conductors, it's important that all electrical protective equipment be maintained in a safe, reliable condition. Electrical protective equipment includes the following:

Insulating blankets,
covers,
line hose,
gloves, and
sleeves made of rubber

All electrical protective equipment made of rubber should meet the established safety standards and specifications discussed below.

Voltages

Maximum use voltages must conform to those listed in Table I-5.

 Table I-5. - Rubber Insulating Equipment Voltage Requirements
 ____________________________________________________________________
               |             |                   |

  Class of     | Maximum use | Retest voltage(2) | Retest voltage(2)

  equipment    |  voltage(1) |     a - c - rms   |    d - c - avg
               | a - c - rms |                   |
 ______________|_____________|___________________|__________________
               |             |                   |
 0.............|       1,000 |            5,000  |      20,000
 1.............|       7,500 |           10,000  |      40,000
 2.............|      17,000 |           20,000  |      50,000
 3.............|      26,500 |           30,000  |      60,000
 4.............|      36,000 |           40,000  |      70,000
 ______________|_____________|___________________|__________________

Footnote(1) The maximum use voltage is the a-c voltage (rms) classification of the protective equipment that designates the maximum nominal design voltage of the energized system that may be safely worked. The nominal design voltage is equal to the phase-to-phase voltage on multiphase circuits. However, the phase-to-ground potential is considered to be the nominal design voltage:

[1] If there is no multiphase exposure in a system area and if the voltage exposure is limited to the phase-to-ground potential, or

[2] If the electrical equipment and devices are insulated or isolated or both so that the multiphase exposure on a grounded wye circuit is removed.

Footnote(2) The proof-test voltage must be applied continuously for at least 1 minute, but no more than 3 minutes.

Inspecting equipment

To make sure electrical protective equipment actually performs as designed, it must be inspected for damage before each day's use and immediately following any incident that can reasonably be suspected of having caused damage. Insulating gloves must be given an air test, along with the inspection.

Defects

Insulating equipment must not be used if any of the following defects are detected:

A hole, tear, puncture, or cut;
Ozone cutting or ozone checking (the cutting action produced by ozone on rubber under mechanical stress into a series of interlacing cracks);
An embedded foreign object;
Any of the following texture changes: swelling, softening, hardening, or becoming sticky or inelastic.
Any other defect that damages the insulating properties.

Insulating equipment found to have other defects that might affect its insulating properties must be removed from service and returned for testing. It must be cleaned as needed to remove foreign substances, and stored in such a location and in such a manner as to protect it from light, temperature extremes, excessive humidity, ozone, and other injurious substances and conditions.

Gloves

Protector gloves must be worn over insulating gloves, except when using Class 0 gloves, under limited-use conditions, where small equipment and parts manipulation necessitate unusually high finger dexterity. But it's important to note that extra care must be taken while visually examining the glove. And make sure to avoid handling sharp objects.

Any other class of glove may be used for similar work without protector gloves if the employer can demonstrate that the possibility of physical damage to the gloves is small and if the class of glove is one class higher than that required for the voltage involved. Insulating gloves that have been used without protector gloves may not be used at a higher voltage until they have been tested.

Testing

Electrical protective equipment must be subjected to periodic electrical tests. Test voltages and the maximum intervals between tests must be in accordance with Table I-5 and Table I-6.

Table I-6. - Rubber Insulating Equipment Test Intervals
 ___________________________________________________________________
                             |
     Type of equipment       |       When to test
 ____________________________|______________________________________
                             |
 Rubber insulating line hose | Upon indication that insulating value
                             |   is suspect.
 Rubber insulating covers    | Upon indication that insulating value
                             |   is suspect.
 Rubber insulating blankets  | Before first issue and every 12 months
                             |   thereafter(1).
 Rubber insulating gloves    | Before first issue and every 6 months
                             |   thereafter(1).
 Rubber insulating sleeves   | Before first issue and every 12 months
                             |   thereafter(1).
 ____________________________|_______________________________________

Footnote(1) If the insulating equipment has been electrically tested but not issued for service, it may not be placed into service unless it has been electrically tested within the previous 12 months.

The test method used must reliably indicate whether the insulating equipment can withstand the voltages involved. Repaired insulating equipment must be retested before it may be used by employees.

Note: Standard electrical test methods considered as meeting this requirement are given in the national consensus standards of The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM).

If the insulating equipment fails to pass inspections or electrical tests it may not be used by employees, except as follows:

Rubber insulating line hose may be used in shorter lengths with the defective portion cut off.
Rubber insulating blankets may be repaired using a compatible patch that results in physical and electrical properties equal to those of the blanket.
Rubber insulating blankets may be salvaged by severing the defective area from the undamaged portion of the blanket. The resulting undamaged area may not be smaller than 22 inches by 22 inches (560 mm by 560 mm) for Class 1, 2, 3, and 4 blankets.
Rubber insulating gloves and sleeves with minor physical defects, such as small cuts, tears, or punctures, may be repaired by the application of a compatible patch. Also, rubber insulating gloves and sleeves with minor surface blemishes may be repaired with a compatible liquid compound. The patched area must have electrical and physical properties equal to those of the surrounding material. Repairs to gloves are permitted only in the area between the wrist and the reinforced edge of the opening.

Certification

The employer must certify that equipment has been tested in accordance with the requirements of the standard, and the certification must identify the equipment that passed the test and the date it was tested. Marking equipment and entering the results of the tests and the testing dates onto logs are two acceptable ways to meet this requirement.

Fall Protection Equipment

It's important (and the law in Oregon) that all employees are protected from fall hazards when:

Working on unguarded surfaces more than 10 feet above a lower level, or
Working at any height above dangerous equipment.

These requirements do not apply when:

The work is of limited duration and limited exposure, and
The hazards involved in rigging and installing the safety devices equal or exceed the hazards involved in the actual activity.

Examples of tasks that might meet this criteria include the activities of grain weigher-samplers on railroad gondola-hopper cars, or railcar inspectors when testing or inspecting car tops.

You can find more information on portable ladders at the Oregon OSHA website in the publications section.

Fall protection systems

There are a variety of fall protection systems that will protect you from fall hazards. Fall protection may be categorized into two general categories:

Fall restraint systems. These systems are designed to prevent an employee from falling. At a minimum, they must be rigged so that an employee cannot free fall more than two feet. They include:

Guardrails
Personal fall restraint systems
Positioning device
Warning lines
Safety monitor
Controlled access zone

Fall arrest systems. These systems are designed, not to necessarily prevent a fall, but to stop a fall once initiated. At a minimum, they must be rigged so that the employee will not free fall more than six feet, nor contact any lower level. They include:

Personal fall arrest systems
Safety nets

These guidelines focus primarily on the requirements of the equipment used as personal fall arrest and fall restraint systems including:

lifelines,
body belts (may be used only for fall restraint),
harnesses, and
lanyards.

Appropriate use

Lifelines, body belts/harnesses and lanyards must be used only for employee safeguarding. That's pretty straight forward. Fall protection is to be used only for fall protection, no other use.

Any lifeline, body belt, harness or lanyard actually subjected to in-service loading, as distinguished from static load testing, must be immediately removed from service and must not be used again for employee safeguarding. So, if any employee actually falls, and the fall protection equipment prevented injury (it worked!), the equipment must be taken out of service. In fact, frame the equipment and use it for future safety training as the "million-dollar fall protection device"...."this lanyard saved a life."

Remember, the need to remove PPE from service does not necessarily prevent you from using the equipment for some other unrelated use, but it must not be used as fall protection.

Fall protection equipment specifications

Lifelines

The point of attachment for lifelines must be capable of supporting a minimum dead weight of 5,000 pounds.

For all other lifeline applications, a minimum of 5/8-inch manila or equivalent with a minimum breaking strength of 5,000 pounds must be used.

Lifelines used on rock-scaling operations, or in areas where the lifeline may be subjected to cutting or abrasion, must be a minimum of 7/8-inch wire core manila rope.

Body belts, harnesses and lanyards

All body belts/harnesses and lanyard hardware must:

Be drop forged or pressed steel,
Be cadmium plated in accordance with type 1, Class B plating specified in Federal Specification QQ-P-416.
Have a smooth surface free of sharp edges (don't want to cut the rope!).
Be capable of withstanding a tensile loading of 4,000 pounds without cracking, breaking, or taking a permanent deformation. (Exception: rivets)
Be a minimum of 1/2-inch nylon or equivalent, with a maximum length to provide for a fall of no greater than 6 feet.
The rope must have a nominal breaking strength of 5,000 pounds.

Inspecting fall protection equipment

All lifelines, lanyards, body belts and harnesses must be periodically inspected by the supervisor in charge.

It's mandatory to inspect fall protection equipment daily, prior to each use as an added safety factor. Of course, any defective body belt, harness or lifeline ceases to be fall protection equipment, and must be discarded or repaired before it's used.

Why the full body harness?

Arrest forces are focused on the point of attachment which is usually the lower back. The result is going to be substantial injury to the body. The drawing illustrates the typical arrest position of the body and the point of stress. A worker who falls using the body belt will end up in this position. He or she has likely suffered major internal damage and has only seconds to be rescued. Remember, the body belt is no longer allowed to be used as a fall arrest system.

The full body harness is required for personal fall arrest systems because it is designed to spread the arrest forces throughout the entire upper body. The attachment is at the upper back, with straps attaching at various point in both the upper and lower part of the body. Consequently, arrest forces are spread over a much wider area. Injury is still possible, but the potential severity is lessened greatly, and rescue time lengthened. By the way, an effective rescue plan should be developed by the employer.

Remember, if you are initiating any kind of new construction project at a new worksite or in an existing workplace the requirements of OAR 437, Division 3, Construction, 1926.500-503 will apply. If you have questions as to whether your particular work activity might be considered "construction," give our OR-OSHA consultants a call.

Working Over Water: Oregon Rules for Life Jackets and Buoyant Protective Equipment

Employers must provide and make sure employees wear U.S. Coast Guard (or equivalent) approved buoyant protective equipment at all times while working on or over water which is more than five feet in depth while working:

On floating pontoons, rafts, and floating stages;
On open decks on floating plants (such as dredges, piledrivers, cranes, pond saws, and similar types of equipment) which are not equipped with bulwarks, guardrails or lifelines;
Working alone at night where there are potential drowning hazards regardless of other safeguards provided;
On floating logs, boom sticks or unguarded walkways; and
On boom boats and other work boats.

Where buoyant protective equipment is provided, it must be designed and worn in a manner that tends to maintain the wearer's face above water. It must be capable of floating a 16 pound weight for 3 hours in fresh water. It must not be dependent on manual or mechanical manipulation or chemical action to secure the buoyant effect.

Buoys and Boats

Employers must provide and make sure ring buoys with at least 90 feet of line are readily available for emergency rescue. The distance between buoys and shoreline must not exceed 200 feet along exposed sides of work areas adjacent to water over five feet in depth.

Rings that are visible must be used at night where a worker might be beyond illuminated areas.

Last Words

That's about all for this module. You can also find more examples of fall protection systems and other valuable publications at the Oregon OSHA website. In the final module, we'll take a look at hearing protection requirements. Time to take the module review quiz.

MODULE Quiz

36. According to Table I-5, above, the maximum use voltage for a class 1 rubber equipment is ______.

a. 5,000 volts a.c.
b. 7,500 volts a.c.
c. 10,000 volts a.c.
d. 40,000 volts a.c.

37. To make sure electrical protective equipment actually performs as designed, it must be inspected for damage...

a. Before each day's use
b. Following any incident causing damage
c. Monthly and following any incident causing damage
d. Before each day's use and following any incident causing damage

38. Insulating equipment must not be used if you detect any of the following defects except...

a. Holes, tears, punctures or cuts
b. Ozone cutting or checking
c. An embedded foreign object
d. Change in color
e. Textural changes

39. Electrical protective equipment certification must include...

a. Employer representative's signature
b. Statement that equipment has passed testing
c. Date of the test
d. All of the above

40. In non-construction work, an employee must use fall protection at what height while working over dangerous equipment?

a. Any height
b. Six feet
c. Ten feet
d. Fifteen feet

41. Each of the following are examples of a fall restraint system except:

a. Safety net
b. Guard rail
c. Personal fall restraint system
d. Warning line

42. Describe the two work situations when the provisions of the PPE fall protection rules do not apply.

43. Full body harnesses are more effective than the body belt in reducing fall injuries?

a. True
b. False

44. Employees must use buoyant protective equipment when they work near or over water that is more than ________ feet deep.

a. two
b. five
c. ten
d. fifteen

45. Which fall protection system is more successful in preventing injury from falls?

a. Fall restraint systems
b. Fall arrest systems

Congratulations on completing the this module! Continue on to the next module to learn more about 110.95 Hearing Protection. If you have any questions or comments, just drop me an email at email.

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