Energized Work. When are we doing energized work?

We sometimes ask employees if they are doing energized or “hot” work and very often the response is not in line with NFPA 70E or company policy. You might think that it is because they are doing “hot” work even though they know they are supposed to be without an energized work permit. That is not the reason. The reason the responses are not in line with company policy is that there seems to be a confusion about what is energized or “hot” work.  We need to make sure we all understand what is energized work know what to do when we are asked to expected to do energized work.

What is energized work? Let’s first define what is an energized building. An Energized Building is any building, occupancy or structure that has been connected to the serving utility and the main service is or can be energized.  Any junction box, pull box, outlet box, disconnect, switch, panel board, switchboard, conductor, raceway, or utilization equipment in an Energized Building is energized unless the circuits in those locations are placed into an electrically safe work condition.   Until they are in an electrically safe work condition, if you are working on them in anyway, doing anything, then you are doing energized work.  To state it another way, What is Energized Work? Any work done on any junction box, pull box, outlet box, disconnect, switch, panel board, switchboard, conductor, raceway, or utilization equipment in an Energized Building that has not been put into an electrically safe work condition.

How do we put a circuit into an electrically safe work condition?  This is defined in very specific numbered steps that must be accomplished be each person working on the item and each step must be considered and completed before it is in an electrically safe work condition. 

The steps are:

(1) Determine all possible sources of electrical supply to the specific equipment. Check applicable up-to-date drawings, diagrams, and identification tags.

(2) After properly interrupting the load current, open the disconnecting device(s) for each source.

(3) Wherever possible, visually verify that all blades of the disconnecting devices are fully open or that drawout-type circuit breakers are withdrawn to the test or fully disconnected position.

(4) Release stored electrical energy.

(5) Block or relieve stored nonelectrical energy in devices to the extent the circuit parts cannot be unintentionally energized by such devices.

(6) Apply lockout/tagout devices in accordance with a documented and established procedure.

(7) Use an adequately rated portable test instrument to test each phase conductor or circuit part to test for the absence of voltage. Test each phase conductor or circuit part both phase-to-phase and phase-to-ground. Before and after each test, determine that the test instrument is operating satisfactorily through verification on any known voltage source.

(8) Where the possibility of induced voltages or stored electrical energy exists, ground all circuit conductors and circuit parts before touching them.

These steps are copied work for word from NFPA 70E (2021) 120.5

If you are working on anything electrical in an Energized Building and you have not personally completed each of the steps of an electrically safe work condition, you are doing energized work. IF you are doing energized work, you have to have an energized work permit approved in writing by the President of the Company and the Director of Education and Loss Prevention before you can perform that energized work and you must be a qualified person.

Let’s talk briefly about step 6. Apply Lock Out, Tag Out.  Critical items concerning LOTO:

·         Every person that is working on the item must have their personal lock applied to the disconnecting means. Every person, Not Exceptions.

·         A supervisor can not apply a Lock Out, Tag Out device for his employees.

·         No person can apply a Lock Out, Tag Out device for another person.

·         Each lock must have the name and phone number of the person placing the lock written on it and it must be colored red. If the name of the person and their phone number can not be clearly read, then a tag with that information on it must also be placed with the lock.

·         You can lock out individual circuits by placing them in the off position and then closing the panel door and applying a panel door LOTO bar across the closed panel door.

·         Employees are only allowed to have their lock in place while they are exposed to the hazard. You can not leave your lock in place when you move to another area of the building or panel board, or you go home for your shift.

·         If you need to lock out more than on disconnecting means or power source at one time, then you will need order lock boxes from Prefab. Once you have the lock box, a qualified person will go to each power source or disconnect and place a LOTO on them and follow steps 1-6 of an electrically safe work condition. Then the qualified person will write out a log of each circuit they locked out and place their initial on the log verifying they have completed steps 1-6 of an electrically safe work condition. The keys for the locks will then be placed in the lock box. The qualified person will place a LOTO lock on the lock box and the log will placed next to or on the lock box. Each person that needs to work on the circuits will then read the log and verify the circuits and then place their personal LOTO on the lock box. Each person will then complete steps 7 and 8 of electrically work condition before they proceed with the work.

There are more details on Lock Out Tag Out that can be easily referenced in Article 120 of NFPA 70E which the supervisor has access to on his smart phone through the NFPA Link system the company provides so that there never has to be any doubt about how or what to do to be safe.

Make sure you know these critical items and that you use your stop work authority and speak up any time you are asked to work that is considered energized work. Remember, doing energized work without authorization and approved energized work permits is something that can lead to disciplinary action including termination. And this applies to a person that directs a person to do energized work and to the person that does the energized work.

This is so important simply because not following these procedures is what very often leads to electricians being killed or seriously injured. It simply is not worth it. You life is much more important than opening that junction box without achieving an electrically safe work condition.