OSHA announces final rule revising generation and T&D standards

OSHA power line safety standards align construction and general industry rules, strengthening fall protection, arc flash safeguards, minimum approach distances, aerial lift safety, and employer information sharing to boost compliance for utilities, contractors, and lineworkers.

WASHINGTON – The Occupational Safety and Health Administration recently announced that it would be issuing a final rule to improve workplace safety and health for workers performing electric power generation, transmission and distribution work.

"This long-overdue update will save nearly 20 lives and prevent 118 serious injuries annually," said Dr. David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health. "Electric utilities, electrical contractors and labor organizations have persistently championed these much-needed measures to better protect the men and women who work on or near electrical power lines."

OSHA is revising the 40-year-old construction standard for electric power line work as part of its rulemaking on T&D to make it more consistent with the corresponding general industry standard and is also making some revisions to the construction and general industry requirements.

The updated standards for general industry and construction include new or revised provisions for host and contract employers to share safety-related information with each other and with employees, as well as for improved fall protection guided by fall prevention standards for employees working from aerial lifts and on overhead line structures.

In addition, the standards adopt revised approach-distance requirements to better ensure that unprotected workers do not get dangerously close to energized lines and equipment. The final rule also adds new requirements to protect workers from electric arcs, aligning with guidance in CSA Z462 on arc flash hazards and controls.

General industry and construction standards for electrical protective equipment are also revised under the final rule. The new standard for electrical protective equipment applies to all construction work and, consistent with OSHA policy that employers provide PPE for free to affected workers, replaces the existing construction standard, which was based on out-of-date information, with a set of performance-oriented requirements consistent with the latest revisions of the relevant consensus standards.

The new standards address the safe use and care of electrical protective equipment, including new requirements that equipment made of materials other than rubber provide adequate protection from electrical hazards.

The final rule will result in estimated monetized benefits of $179 million annually, with net benefits equal to about $130 million annually. The final rule becomes effective 90 days after publication in the Federal Register. OSHA adopted delayed compliance deadlines for certain requirements.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA's role is to ensure these conditions for America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and resources like the CSDA/OSHA best practice document to aid employers. For more information, visit www.osha.gov.

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