ESWP-001-GI — Learner reference

1. Know which electrical rules apply

By the end: Recognize the course scope and when to stop for electrical help.

This course explains federal OSHA electrical safety work practices for general-industry premises wiring and equipment under 1910.331 through 1910.335. It addresses people who use equipment as well as people assigned electrical work. A worker can be exposed without being an electrician: moving a ladder, cleaning near an open panel or using a damaged cord can create a path for current.

Electric shock can injure or kill. An electric arc can cause severe burns, fire and flying debris without direct hand contact with a conductor. Indirect contact through a tool, pipe, ladder or equipment frame also matters. The controls must match the actual hazard, voltage and work conditions.

The employer determines the applicable rules from the work and installation. Construction electrical rules are in 1926 Subpart K and related provisions; this general-industry course does not replace them. Qualified work on or directly associated with power generation, transmission and distribution installations generally follows 1910.269. Communications, vehicle and railway installations have additional scope distinctions in 1910.331(c).

The exclusions for qualified work do not simply exclude everyone nearby. Section 1910.331(b) covers unqualified people working on, near or with the listed installations, and qualified people nearby whose work is not on or directly associated with them. Ask the employer which rule governs your actual assignment.

Keep covers and guards in place, observe warnings and report damage. If you cannot identify a safe method or your assigned limits, stop and contact the designated supervisor or electrical specialist. Do not open equipment to investigate simply because a course mentioned a hazard.

Basis: 1910.331; 1910.332(a); 1910.333(a)

2. Match training to the assigned work

By the end: Distinguish qualified-person skills from general worker training.

Section 1910.332 covers employees whose electric-shock risk is not reduced to a safe level by installation requirements. Table S-4 identifies higher-risk occupations, including electricians and welders and certain supervisors, operators, mechanics and other workers. Comparable risk in an unlisted job also requires training. For the footnoted occupations, the table excludes work that does not bring the worker or supervised employees close enough to exposed circuit parts at 50 volts or more to ground for a hazard to exist. Evaluate other comparable electrical risk as well; a job title alone does not decide every case.

All covered workers need training in the work practices that apply to their assignments. Unqualified workers also need other electrical safety practices necessary for their safety. Being unqualified does not mean untrained; it means the person does not have the specific preparation for work on or near exposed energized parts.

Qualified persons need skills to distinguish exposed live parts from other equipment parts, determine nominal voltage and apply the clearance distances and corresponding voltages in 1910.333(c). Those doing energized work also need the ability to work safely and use the special techniques, PPE, shielding, insulation and tools required for that work.

Qualification relates to the equipment and work. Knowledge of one machine does not establish competence on every system. Training may be classroom or on the job, with its extent determined by employee risk. The employer must ensure the actual skills and familiarity required for the assignment; an online quiz alone does not establish them. Under 1910.399, a trainee who has demonstrated safe performance at the current training level and works under direct supervision of a qualified person may be considered qualified for those specific duties.

Section 1910.332 does not set a universal annual refresher interval or a mandatory course length or pass score. Address changed work and demonstrated gaps so the worker remains trained and familiar with the required practices. Other standards and employer policies can add duties. Keep a useful record of actual training and skill verification without labeling an invented retention period an OSHA requirement.

Basis: 1910.332; 1910.399

3. Choose deenergization first

By the end: Explain the limited basis for work with exposed parts energized.

Exposed live parts must be deenergized before work on or near them unless the employer can demonstrate that doing so creates additional or increased hazards or is infeasible because of equipment design or operational limits. Schedule pressure or a wish to avoid inconvenience is not, by itself, that demonstration.

Examples in the standard include interruption of life support, loss of required emergency alarms or hazardous-location ventilation, and testing that can only be done with the circuit energized. These examples require an actual evaluation. A worker should not invent an exception because shutdown takes time.

Parts below 50 volts to ground need not be deenergized only if there is no increased exposure to electrical burns or explosion from arcs. Low voltage is not a promise of no hazard. Stored energy, current capacity and the environment still matter.

If exposed parts remain energized under an applicable exception, use protective work practices suited to the hazards, conditions and voltage. Only qualified persons may work on equipment not deenergized under the required procedures. They must know and correctly use the needed precautions, tools, insulation, shields and PPE.

This course does not authorize live troubleshooting or supply a universal PPE category. Stop if the safe state, authorization or protective arrangement is uncertain. Have the employer and qualified personnel resolve the work method before exposure.

Basis: 1910.333(a); 1910.333(c)(1)–(2)

4. Understand electrical isolation and locks

By the end: Recognize what an electrical deenergization procedure must address.

Deenergized conductors not locked or tagged under the applicable procedure must be treated as energized. The employer maintains written procedures available for inspection. Electrical isolation is more than turning a machine off; a stopped machine may still contain energized parts.

Determine safe procedures before shutdown and disconnect all electrical energy sources for the work. Push buttons, selector switches and interlocks are control devices, not the sole means of deenergizing. Do not use an interlock as a substitute for lockout and tagging.

Qualified personnel must address hazardous stored electrical energy and any stored mechanical or other energy that could reenergize electrical parts. Capacitors and associated equipment being handled during discharge precautions are treated as energized. Workers must not improvise discharge or grounding methods from this lesson.

The normal rule is a lock and tag on each disconnecting means. A tag prohibits unauthorized operation and removal. A tag without a lock is allowed only when a lock cannot be applied or equivalent protection is demonstrated, and it requires at least one additional safety measure providing equivalent protection. A warning label alone is not equivalent isolation.

A lock without a tag is permitted only when one circuit or piece of equipment is involved, the period stays within one shift, and exposed employees know the procedure. Procedures meeting 1910.147(c)–(f) can satisfy the electrical lockout provision only when they also address electrical hazards and the specific additional-measure and electrical-testing requirements in 1910.333(b). Mechanical lockout training does not automatically cover those additions.

Basis: 1910.333(b)(1)–(2)(iii)

5. Verify absence of voltage and restore safely

By the end: Explain qualified verification and controlled reenergization.

Before parts can be worked as deenergized, a qualified person verifies that equipment cannot restart and tests the electrical parts to which workers will be exposed. The test must account for induced voltage and unrelated backfeed. A dark indicator, open switch or someone’s assurance does not replace the required testing.

Only qualified people perform testing on electrical circuits or equipment. Instruments, leads, probes and connectors need inspection and ratings for the circuit and environment. Remove damaged items from use until safely repaired and tested. For circuits above 600 volts nominal, 1910.333 specifically requires checking test-equipment operation immediately before and after the test. Follow additional applicable procedures and manufacturer instructions at other voltages as well.

Reenergization has an ordered process even for a temporary test. A qualified person checks that tools, jumpers, shorts, grounds and similar devices have been removed as needed for safe energizing. Exposed employees are warned to stay clear before removal of locks and tags.

The person who applied a lock or tag removes it or directly supervises its removal. If absent from the workplace, a designated qualified person may remove it only after the employer ensures the applying person is unavailable and ensures that person knows of removal before returning to work there. This is not permission for a coworker to casually remove another person’s lock.

After lock and tag removal, visually determine that all employees are clear before reenergizing. Follow the actual written procedure and resolve incomplete work, personnel changes or uncertain status first. Keep workers outside the hazard area throughout verification and restoration.

Basis: 1910.333(b)(2)(iv)–(v); 1910.334(c)

6. Keep clear of overhead lines

By the end: Recognize overhead-line precautions and the limits of distance rules.

Before work near overhead lines, arrange deenergization and grounding with the organization controlling the lines, or provide other protective measures that prevent direct and indirect contact. Do not assume a line is insulated from its appearance. Objects without an insulating rating for the voltage are considered conductive for this purpose.

For unqualified workers in elevated positions, both the person and the longest conductive object they might contact must stay at least 10 feet from unguarded energized overhead lines at 50 kV or less to ground. Above 50 kV to ground, add 4 inches for every additional 10 kV. Ground-level workers must not bring conductive objects within those distances. Unknown voltage requires qualified planning, not guessing at the minimum.

Qualified workers near overhead lines use the voltage-specific AC distances in Table S-5, unless one of the stated insulation conditions is met. That table uses phase-to-phase voltage, unlike the unqualified-person wording above. It is not an arc-flash boundary or a general permission for course graduates to approach.

Table S-5 requires avoiding contact at 300 V or less; 1 foot over 300 through 750 V; 1 foot 6 inches over 750 V through 2 kV; 2 feet over 2 through 15 kV; 3 feet over 15 through 37 kV; 3 feet 6 inches over 37 through 87.5 kV; 4 feet over 87.5 through 121 kV; and 4 feet 6 inches over 121 through 140 kV. Qualified-person training must address the actual voltages, table use and any permitted insulation condition. Do not extrapolate beyond the table.

Vehicles or mechanical equipment with elevating structures normally need 10 feet, plus 4 inches for every 10 kV above 50 kV. Section 1910.333(c)(3)(iii) contains narrowly defined reductions for lowered transit, separate rated barriers and rated insulated aerial lifts operated by qualified people. Ground workers must not contact equipment or attachments unless the specified protection or positioning conditions are satisfied. Grounding the machine does not remove dangerous ground-potential exposure; protect workers near the grounding point.

This lesson is for general industry. Construction cranes and other specialized work have different applicable rules; do not reuse these distances as a universal crane plan. Have the employer establish the work zone, voltage information, equipment limits and contact-prevention measures before movement.

Basis: 1910.333(c)(3)

7. Control nearby contact hazards

By the end: Recognize safe lighting, handling and access practices.

Do not enter an area with exposed energized parts unless lighting allows safe work. Do not perform nearby tasks when darkness or an obstruction prevents seeing the work, and never reach blindly into an area that may contain energized parts. A familiar layout does not make an unseen reach safe.

In confined or enclosed spaces containing exposed energized parts, use the necessary shields, barriers or insulating materials to prevent accidental contact. Secure doors and hinged panels so they cannot push a worker into live parts. Electrical precautions do not replace a separate confined-space evaluation or permit program when applicable.

Handle pipes, ducts and other long conductive objects so they cannot contact exposed parts while touching a worker. The employer must establish suitable material-handling methods, guarding or insulation. Portable ladders need nonconductive side rails where the person or ladder could contact exposed energized parts; this does not waive approach limits or authorize live work.

Conductive jewelry or clothing must not be worn where it could contact exposed live parts unless made nonconductive by suitable insulating means. Do not assume everyday gloves or tape provide electrical protection. Use the employer’s evaluated controls and the equipment intended for the hazard.

Housekeeping near live parts requires safeguards against contact. Conductive cleaning materials, including steel wool and conductive liquids, need procedures preventing electrical contact. Only a qualified person following energized-work requirements may temporarily defeat a safety interlock while working on the equipment, and must restore it afterward.

Basis: 1910.333(c)(4)–(10)

8. Inspect cords and portable equipment

By the end: Choose safe actions for defects, plugs and grounding.

Handle portable electrical equipment and extension cords so they are not damaged. Do not lift or lower a tool by its cord. Do not staple a cord or hang it in a way that harms the jacket or insulation. Protect routing from foreseeable crushing, sharp edges and other damage.

Before use on any shift, visually inspect portable cord-connected equipment and extension cords for loose parts, missing or bent pins, jacket damage and signs of internal damage such as crushing. Equipment left connected and not exposed to damage need not be inspected until it is relocated; this limited exception is not a reason to ignore a new hazard.

Remove an item from service if defects or damage could expose a worker to injury. No one may use it again until the repairs and tests needed to make it safe have been completed. Reporting the defect while leaving it available for the next worker is not enough.

Before connecting, check that the plug and receptacle configurations match properly. Flexible cords used with grounding-type equipment need an equipment grounding conductor. Do not remove a grounding pin, alter the connector or use an adapter that interrupts the grounding path.

A tool that still runs can still be unsafe. A temporary wrap or a different receptacle does not prove repair. Use an appropriate replacement and follow the employer’s removal, repair and return-to-service process. Do not open or repair equipment outside your assigned competence.

Basis: 1910.334(a)(1)–(3)

9. Use equipment suited to the conditions

By the end: Recognize wet-location and ignition hazards.

Portable equipment and cords used where workers are likely to contact water or conductive liquids must be approved for those locations. The same applies in highly conductive locations such as areas flooded with conductive liquids. Ordinary dry-location equipment is not made suitable merely by keeping its switch dry.

Do not plug or unplug energized cord-connected equipment with wet hands. If an energized connector’s condition could conduct current to the hand, such as immersion in water, handling requires insulating protective equipment. An unqualified worker should keep clear and arrange the employer’s safe response rather than improvise a glove or retrieve a wet connector.

Secure locking-type connectors properly after connecting. Equipment grounding, overcurrent protection and ground-fault protection serve different purposes. A GFCI can reduce certain shock risks, but it does not eliminate all possible shock, arc or fire hazards and does not make damaged equipment acceptable. Use the installation and work-specific protections required by the employer and applicable rules.

Where flammable materials occur occasionally, do not use electrical equipment capable of igniting them unless measures prevent hazardous conditions from developing. Examples include vapors from a solvent spill, combustible dust and ignitable fibers. A familiar portable fan may become an ignition source in a changed atmosphere.

Regular hazardous locations have installation requirements in 1910.307. Do not classify a location or select explosion-protected equipment by guesswork. Report the condition, keep ignition sources out and have the responsible personnel establish safe equipment and controls before work.

Basis: 1910.334(a)(4)–(5), (d); 1910.307

10. Respond to trips and use proper test equipment

By the end: Explain safe circuit restoration and testing limits.

Use load-rated switches, circuit breakers or other devices designed for disconnecting to open or close circuits under load. Fuses, terminal lugs, splices and connectors not designed to break load are not routine switches. The standard’s emergency exception is not an ordinary operating method.

After a protective device opens a circuit, do not manually reenergize until it has been determined that the equipment and circuit can be safely energized. Repeatedly resetting breakers or replacing fuses to keep power flowing is prohibited. A trip is information about a condition needing attention.

The rule allows no examination before reenergizing when circuit and protective-device design establish that the trip was an overload rather than a fault. That is a determination, not a guess based on inconvenience. If the reason is uncertain, stop and follow the employer’s evaluation process.

Do not modify overcurrent protection beyond what the installation rules allow, even temporarily. Substituting an oversized fuse to stop nuisance trips can leave wiring unprotected. Only use the specified protective arrangement and authorized work process.

Only qualified persons perform electrical testing. Inspect the instrument and its leads and accessories before use, remove unsafe items and choose equipment rated for both the circuit and environment. A meter’s numerical display range alone is not enough to establish its suitability. Workers should not learn energized probing by trial and error.

Basis: 1910.334(b)–(c)

11. Use assessed PPE, barriers and warnings

By the end: Identify personnel-protection requirements and their limits.

Workers exposed to electrical hazards must be provided and use protective equipment appropriate to the body parts and task. The employer’s hazard assessment and applicable rules determine protection. Generic work gloves, ordinary safety glasses or a course certificate do not establish an adequate electrical PPE system.

Maintain protective equipment in safe, reliable condition and perform the inspections and tests required by 1910.137. Protect insulating material if use could damage it. Use nonconductive head protection where the head could contact exposed energized parts and suffer shock or burns. Eye and face protection is needed for arc, flash or electrical-explosion debris hazards.

Insulated tools or handling equipment are required where they could contact exposed energized parts. Protect their insulation from damage. Energized fuse terminals require fuse-handling equipment insulated for the circuit voltage, and ropes or handlines near exposed energized parts must be nonconductive. These requirements do not authorize an unqualified person to perform the work.

Use shields, barriers or insulating materials where accidental contact, arcing or dangerous heating could injure workers. Guard normally enclosed live parts when maintenance exposes them so unqualified people cannot contact them. PPE is part of protection, not a replacement for the deenergization rule.

Use warning signs or tags where necessary. Add barricades with signs when needed to prevent or limit access to exposed uninsulated live parts; a conductive barricade must not create a contact hazard. If signs and barricades are insufficient, station an attendant to warn and protect workers. Do not move barriers to take a shortcut.

NFPA 70E may support an employer’s electrical safety methods, but it is a separate consensus standard, not automatically the text of every OSHA requirement. This course does not assign arc-flash categories or boundaries without a task-specific assessment, and it does not replace specialist PPE selection and training.

Basis: 1910.335; 1910.137; 1910.132

12. Complete the workplace component

By the end: Apply reporting, emergency limits and employer skill verification.

Before assignment, the employer must connect this knowledge to actual equipment, hazards and duties. Identify who is qualified for which work, who controls isolation, how defects are removed from service and how restrictions are communicated. Safe practice with training equipment can reveal gaps that a quiz misses.

For qualified work, verify live-part recognition, nominal-voltage determination, applicable approach distances and the required safe techniques, PPE, tools, shields and insulation. For other workers, verify reporting, cord inspection, safe use, clearance and access limits relevant to their jobs. Correct gaps before relying on a person’s performance.

In a suspected shock incident, do not touch the person or equipment while an electrical path may remain energized. Keep others clear, summon emergency services using the site’s emergency route and arrange safe energy control by appropriate personnel. Do not approach a fallen line or attempt an improvised electrical rescue.

After the scene is electrically safe, trained responders provide first aid, CPR and AED care within their training and dispatcher instructions. This lesson is not a CPR or electrical-rescue qualification. Follow the employer’s emergency arrangements, including how responders learn about remaining electrical hazards.

Report shocks, arcing, burning smells, damaged equipment, unexpected trips and close calls promptly. Do not return suspect equipment to use until the responsible personnel establish safety. Review changed equipment or duties and provide the training needed to maintain safe performance.

Course completion records the online knowledge component. Employer verification records actual instruction, observed skills, corrections and authorized limits. The worksheets support that process but do not issue an energized-work authorization, certify an installation or establish an OSHA-required annual renewal period.

Basis: 1910.332–335; employer emergency procedures