FACT SHEET

KEY COMPONENTS OF AN ELECTRICAL

SAFETY PROGRAM

Electrical safety programs (ESPs) are designed to protect workers from electrical hazards in the workplace. NFPA 70E®, Standard
for Electrical Safety in the Workplace®, requires employers to establish and document ESPs. But the standard does not walk users
through setting one up. While by no means a comprehensive guide to establishing an ESP, this fact sheet provides a basic overview
of some of the key components required by NFPA 70E in establishing an ESP. Your ESP should be designed to suit your specific
needs and may include additional components not listed here.

ESP KEY COMPONENTS Awareness

For example, it does not suffice to only use the
& Safety requirements in Section 120.6 of NFPA 70E
When establishing an ESP, the
Planning (2024) as your procedure for establishing
following key components should be
ESP an electrically safe work condition.
addressed: Principles
Evaluation
Procedures must be in place
• Awareness and safety planning,
before an employee carries out
• Principles, Key Electrical a task. It is always beneficial to
• Procedures, Safety Program
examine procedures for possible
• Lockout/tagout, Components
shortcomings, the necessary tools
• Inspections and equipment Inspections
Procedures used in the procedure, and areas
condition, and & Equipment
Condition that could be improved before they
• ESP evaluation.
are applied by employees in the field.
Lockout/ Additionally, employees must be trained
Awareness and Safety Planning Tagout
on finalized procedures. A list of 12 typical
An ESP must be designed to instill ESP procedures, such as how to conduct risk
electrical safety awareness and self-discipline assessments for your workplace, can also be found in
in employees. Employees should be trained to recognize Informative Annex E of NFPA 70E.
hazards such as damaged cords. When energized work
involving electrical equipment is going to be performed, both Lockout/Tagout
a job briefing and a job safety plan must be completed prior to
Establishing lockout and tagout (LOTO) procedures is one
the work being done.
major component of establishing an electrically safe work
Principles condition that must be included in every ESP. LOTO procedures
ensure that electrical equipment is shut off and not able to be
The principles of an ESP need to be established. Principles can started up again prior to the completion of maintenance or
be defined as fundamental, primary, or general laws or truths repair work. Proper LOTO procedures require energy sources
from which others are derived. In other words, for an ESP, to be identified, isolated, and rendered inoperative before work
principles are the broad statements of how electrical safety begins on equipment.
will be handled within a facility. They could include inspecting
and evaluating all electrical equipment, planning every job, Inspections and Equipment Condition
and using the right tools for the job. A list of 10 typical ESP
ESPs must address the inspection of newly installed or modified
principles can be found in Informative Annex E of NFPA 70E.
electrical equipment. It’s important to note that local electrical
Procedures inspectors will most often not inspect equipment that is
installed, repaired, or replaced after a building is permitted and
A detailed, step-by-step procedure must be developed for any constructed, leaving employers responsible for designating
task an employee may perform involving electrical equipment. the job of inspection of such equipment to somebody else.
 FACT SHEET

KEY COMPONENTS OF AN ELECTRICAL SAFETY PROGRAM CONTINUED

The responsible person will need to not only determine that an

installation meets the applicable manufacturer requirements TYPICAL ELECTRICAL SAFETY PROGRAM CONTROLS
but also those of applicable standards. Likewise, NFPA 70E Electrical safety program controls can include, but are
requires that ESPs account for equipment condition by taking not limited to, the following, as found in Section E.2 of
steps such as ensuring proper maintenance. NFPA 70E (2024):

ESP Evaluation 1. The employer develops programs and procedures,

including training, and the employees apply them.
An ESP must be evaluated and potentially evolve as time goes
on based on those evaluations. Establishing controls and 2. Employees are to be trained to be qualified for
incident investigations are two components that can help with working in an environment influenced by the
this process. Controls are the metrics used to measure how presence of electrical energy.
effective and efficient an ESP is. Metrics might include hours of 3. Procedures are to be used to identify the
training an employee has received or a reduction in the number electrical hazards and to develop job safety
of authorized energized work permits. plans to eliminate those hazards or to control the
If an incident does occur, your ESP must include provisions associated risk for those hazards that cannot be
for reporting and investigating it. Employees should be trained eliminated.
and encouraged to report any dangerous situation as well as 4. Every electrical conductor or circuit part is
any injury regardless of the cause or severity. The investigation considered energized until proved otherwise.
could reveal that the ESP, work procedures, protective
5. De-energizing an electrical conductor or circuit
equipment, training, or test instruments require revision to
part and making it safe to work on is, in itself, a
prevent a future incident, injury, or death.
potentially hazardous task.
NEXT STEPS 6. Tasks to be performed within the limited approach
Cutting costs for essential safety and prevention measures can boundary or arc flash boundary of exposed
leave your business vulnerable to long-term risks, unexpected energized electrical conductors and circuit parts
losses, and disruptions that can affect the bottom line. As a are to be identified and categorized.
leader of your organization, prioritize stability, consistency, 7. Precautions appropriate to the working
and security. Help your organization work at a higher level of environment are to be determined and taken.
efficiency, productivity, and safety. Using the information in this
8. A logical approach is to be used to determine the
fact sheet and other NFPA resources is one way to help keep
associated risk of each task.
your employees safe.

Learn More

� Explore a 12-part blog series from NFPA on establishing electrical safety programs.
� Subscribe to NFPA LiNK® for digital access to NFPA codes and standards with enhanced content at [Link]/link.
 et free digital access to NFPA documents at [Link]/Codes-and-Standards.
� G
� Access NFPA electrical safety training programs at [Link]/onsitetraining.
� Contact NFPA at globalsolutions@[Link] to work with a specialist to create a tailored safety strategy for your organization.
� Keep up with the standards development process for NFPA 70E at [Link]/70e.

This information is provided to help users navigate NFPA® requirements. It is not intended to be a comprehensive
list of requirements. Check with the local jurisdictions for specific requirements. This material does not represent
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TM
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please go to [Link]/docinfo. NFPA disclaims liability for any personal injury, property, or other damages of any
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©2023 National Fire Protection Association. May 2023