Or. Admin. Code § 437-002-2311

Current through Register Vol. 63, No. 11, November 1, 2024

Section 437-002-2311 - Working On or Near Exposed Energized Parts

This rule applies to work on or near exposed live parts.

(1) General.

(a) Only qualified employees may work on or with exposed energized lines or parts of equipment.

(b) Only qualified employees may work in areas containing unguarded, uninsulated energized lines or parts of equipment operating at 50 volts or more.

(c) Electric lines and equipment must be considered and treated as energized unless they have been deenergized in accordance with 437-002-2303 Hazardous Energy Control, or 437-002-2312, of Division 2/RR.

(2) Two worker rules.

(a) Not fewer than two qualified employees may work on lines or equipment energized at more than 600 volts while performing the following types of work:

(A) Installation, removal, or repair of lines energized at more than 600 volts,

(B) Installation, removal, or repair of deenergized lines if an employee is exposed to contact with other parts energized at more than 600 volts,

(C) Installation, removal, or repair of equipment, such as transformers, capacitors, and regulators, if an employee is exposed to contact with parts energized at more than 600 volts,

(D) Work involving the use of mechanical equipment, other than insulated aerial lifts, near parts energized at more than 600 volts, and

(E) Other work that exposes an employee to electrical hazards greater than, or equal to, the electrical hazards posed by operations listed specifically in paragraphs (2)(a)(A) through (2)(a)(E) of this section.

(b) The following exceptions to the two-worker rule in 437-002-2311(2)(a)(A) through (2)(a)(E) apply:

(A) When re-fusing circuits with a live-line tool.

(B) When operating switches by means of operating handles or live-line tools, excluding installation or removal of load break elbows with live line tools, addressed in paragraph (2)(b)(E) of this rule.

(C) When a qualified apprentice is assigned to work with a journeyman for the purpose of training.

(D) When installing or removing a live-line clamp connection with an approved live-line tool on single phase line or apparatus, providing that the connection or disconnection does not interrupt or pick up a load.

(E) Routine circuit switching, including installation or removal of a load break elbow with a live line tool on a single phase line or apparatus, with only one potential primary source.

(i) Authorized employees must conduct an inspection to determine that conditions on the site allow for safe work. Conditions include the following examples:

(I) Physical condition of the cable, elbows, apparatus, and switching equipment.

(II) Environmental and work conditions, such as limited visibility, bad weather, restricted working space, and poor lighting.

(III) Service life of the elbow, power cable, and apparatus.

(ii) When an employee requests a second worker on site, a second worker must be provided.

(F) Emergency repairs to the extent necessary to safeguard the general public.

(G) Work performed with live-line tools when the position of the employee is such that he or she is neither within reach of, nor otherwise exposed to contact with, energized parts.

(c) Proximity. Workers within reach of each other must not work on different phases of the same circuit, on different circuits, or on one energized phase and a ground conductor at the same time.

(3) Minimum approach distances.

(a) The employer must establish minimum approach distances no less than the distances computed by Table RR-2 for ac systems or Table RR-7 for dc systems.

(b) For voltages over 72.5 kilovolts, the employer must determine the maximum anticipated per-unit transient overvoltage, phase-to-ground, through an engineering analysis or assume a maximum anticipated per-unit transient overvoltage, phase-to-ground, in accordance with Table RR-8. When the employer uses portable protective gaps to control the maximum transient overvoltage, the value of the maximum anticipated per-unit transient overvoltage, phase-to-ground, must provide for five standard deviations between the statistical sparkover voltage of the gap and the statistical withstand voltage corresponding to the electrical component of the minimum approach distance. The employer must make any engineering analysis conducted to determine maximum anticipated per-unit transient overvoltage available upon request to employees and to Oregon OSHA for examination and copying.

Note to paragraph (3)(b): See Appendix B to Division 2/RR for information on how to calculate the maximum anticipated per-unit transient overvoltage, phase-to-ground, when the employer uses portable protective gaps to reduce maximum transient overvoltages.

(c) The employer must ensure that no employee approaches or takes any conductive object closer to exposed energized parts than the employer's established minimum approach distance, unless:

(A) The employee is insulated from the energized part. Rubber insulating gloves or rubber insulating gloves and sleeves worn in accordance with paragraph (4) of this rule constitutes insulation of the employee from the energized part upon which the employee is working provided that the employee has control of the part in a manner sufficient to prevent exposure to uninsulated portions of the employee's body; or

(B) The energized part is insulated from the employee and from any other conductive object at a different potential.

(C) Live-line barehand work is prohibited in Oregon.

(4) Type of insulation: Adequate barriers and clearances.

(a) Protective equipment and devices must be installed or removed with:

(A) Rubber gloves or hot sticks on conductors or equipment energized at 5,000 volts or less.

(B) Live line tools for conductors or equipment energized in excess of 5,000 volts.

(C) Rubber protective equipment may be considered as adequate barriers when used on voltages for which it is rated. Rubber gloves may be used as additional protection from accidental contact only on voltages above 5,000 and not over 15,000 volts phase to ground.

(D) Rubber gloves cannot be used as primary protection on voltages over 5,000 volts.

(E) Fixed protective guards and barriers, when installed and maintained according to the manufacturer's guidelines, may be considered as providing adequate clearance.

(b) When an employee uses rubber insulating gloves as insulation from energized parts (under paragraph (3)(c)(A) of this rule), the employer must ensure that the employee also uses rubber insulating sleeves. However, an employee need not use rubber insulating sleeves if:

(A) Exposed energized parts on which the employee is not working are insulated from the employee; and

(B) When installing insulation for purposes of paragraph (4)(b)(A) of this rule, the employee installs the insulation from a position that does not expose their upper arms to contact with other energized parts.

(c) When an employee uses rubber insulating gloves or rubber insulating gloves and sleeves as insulation from energized parts (under paragraph (3)(c)(A) of this rule), the employer must ensure that the employee:

(A) Puts on the rubber insulating gloves and sleeves in a position where they cannot reach into the minimum approach distance, established by the employer under paragraph (3)(a) of this rule; and

(B) Does not remove the rubber insulating gloves and sleeves until they are in a position where they cannot reach into the minimum approach distance, established by the employer under paragraph (3)(a) of this rule.

(5) Working position.

(a) The employer must ensure that each employee, to the extent that other safety-related conditions at the worksite permit, works in a position from which a slip or shock will not bring the employee's body into contact with exposed, uninsulated parts energized at a potential different from the employee's.

(b) When an employee performs work near exposed parts energized at more than 600 volts, but not more than 72.5 kilovolts, and is not wearing rubber insulating gloves, being protected by insulating equipment covering the energized parts, performing work using live-line tools, the employee must work from a position where he or she cannot reach into the minimum approach distance, established by the employer under paragraph (3)(a) of this rule.

(6) Making connections. The employer must ensure that employees make connections as follows:

(a) In connecting deenergized equipment or lines to an energized circuit by means of a conducting wire or device, an employee must first attach the wire to the deenergized part;

(b) When disconnecting equipment or lines from an energized circuit by means of a conducting wire or device, an employee must remove the source end first; and

(c) When lines or equipment are connected to or disconnected from energized circuits, an employee must keep loose conductors away from exposed energized parts.

(7) Conductive articles. When an employee performs work within reaching distance of exposed energized parts of equipment, the employer must ensure that the employee removes or renders nonconductive all exposed conductive articles, such as keychains or watch chains, rings, or wrist watches or bands, unless such articles do not increase the hazards associated with contact with the energized parts.

(8) Protection from flames and electric arcs.

(a) The employer must assess the workplace to identify employees exposed to hazards from flames or from electric arcs.

(b) For each employee exposed to hazards from electric arcs, the employer must make a reasonable estimate of the incident heat energy to which the employee would be exposed.

Note 1 to paragraph (8)(b): Appendix E to Division 2/RR provides guidance on estimating available heat energy. Oregon OSHA will deem employers following the guidance in Appendix E to Division 2/RR to be in compliance with paragraph (8)(b) of this rule. An employer may choose a method of calculating incident heat energy not included in Appendix E to Division 2/RR if the chosen method reasonably predicts the incident energy to which the employee would be exposed.

Note 2 to paragraph (8)(b): This paragraph does not require the employer to estimate the incident heat energy exposure for every job task performed by each employee. The employer may make broad estimates that cover multiple system areas provided the employer uses reasonable assumptions about the energy-exposure distribution throughout the system and provided the estimates represent the maximum employee exposure for those areas. For example, the employer could estimate the heat energy just outside a substation feeding a radial distribution system and use that estimate for all jobs performed on that radial system.

(c) The employer must ensure that each employee who is exposed to hazards from flames or electric arcs does not wear clothing that could melt onto their skin or that could ignite and continue to burn when exposed to flames or the heat energy estimated under paragraph (8)(b) of this rule.

Note to paragraph (8)(c) of this rule: This paragraph prohibits clothing made from acetate, nylon, polyester, rayon and polypropylene, either alone or in blends, unless the employer demonstrates that the fabric has been treated to withstand the conditions that may be encountered by the employee or that the employee wears the clothing in such a manner as to eliminate the hazard involved.

(d) The employer must ensure that the outer layer of clothing worn by an employee, except for clothing not required to be arc rated under paragraphs (8)(e)(A) through (8)(e)(E) of this rule, is flame resistant under any of the following conditions:

(A) The employee is exposed to contact with energized circuit parts operating at more than 600 volts,

(B) An electric arc could ignite flammable material in the work area that, in turn, could ignite the employee's clothing,

(C) Molten metal or electric arcs from faulted conductors in the work area could ignite the employee's clothing, or

Note to paragraph (8)(d)(C): This paragraph does not apply to conductors that are capable of carrying, without failure, the maximum available fault current for the time the circuit protective devices take to interrupt the fault.

(D) The incident heat energy estimated under paragraph (8)(b) of this rule exceeds 2.0 cal/cm2.

(e) The employer must ensure that each employee exposed to hazards from electric arcs wears protective clothing and other protective equipment with an arc rating greater than or equal to the heat energy estimated under paragraph (8)(b) of this rule whenever that estimate exceeds 2.0 cal/cm2. This protective equipment must cover the employee's entire body, except as follows:

(A) Arc-rated protection is not necessary for the employee's hands when the employee is wearing rubber insulating gloves with protectors or, if the estimated incident energy is no more than 14 cal/cm2, heavy-duty leather work gloves with a weight of at least 407 gm/m2 (12 oz/yd2),

(B) Arc-rated protection is not necessary for the employee's feet when the employee is wearing heavy-duty work shoes or boots,

(C) Arc-rated protection is not necessary for the employee's head when the employee is wearing head protection meeting 437-002-0134(9) and 437-003-0134(9) if the estimated incident energy is less than 9 cal/cm2 for exposures involving single-phase arcs in open air or 5 cal/cm2 for other exposures,

(D) The protection for the employee's head may consist of head protection meeting 437-002-0134(9) and 437-003-0134(9), and a faceshield with a minimum arc rating of 8 cal/cm2 if the estimated incident-energy exposure is less than 13 cal/cm2 for exposures involving single-phase arcs in open air or 9 cal/cm2 for other exposures, and

(E) For exposures involving single phase arcs in open air, the arc rating for the employee's head and face protection may be 4 cal/cm2 less than the estimated incident energy.

Note to paragraph (8): See Appendix E to Division 2/RR for further information on the selection of appropriate protection.

(9) Fuse handling. When an employee must install or remove fuses with one or both terminals energized at more than 300 volts, or with exposed parts energized at more than 50 volts, the employer must ensure that the employee uses tools or gloves rated for the voltage. When an employee installs or removes expulsion-type fuses with one or both terminals energized at more than 300 volts, the employer must ensure that the employee wears eye protection meeting the requirements of Division 2/I and Division 3/E, uses a tool rated for the voltage, and is clear of the exhaust path of the fuse barrel.

(10) Covered (non-insulated) conductors. The requirements of this section that pertain to the hazards of exposed live parts also apply when an employee performs work in proximity to covered (non-insulated) wires.

(11) Non-current-carrying metal parts. Non-current-carrying metal parts of equipment or devices, such as transformer cases and circuit-breaker housings, must be treated as energized at the highest voltage to which these parts are exposed, unless the employer inspects the installation and determines that these parts are grounded before employees begin performing the work.

(12) Opening and closing circuits under load.

(a) The employer must ensure that devices used by employees to open circuits under load conditions are designed to interrupt the current involved.

(b) The employer must ensure that devices used by employees to close circuits under load conditions are designed to safely carry the current involved.

(13) Safety Watch

(a) A qualified safety watch must be provided in areas where inadvertent motions, movements, or tool use would violate Minimum Approach Distances (MAD). The safety watch's sole duty is to keep constant watch over persons working within the MAD, to warn them of danger, and to stop the work when necessary.

(b) The foreman or other worker in charge of the work being performed is responsible for the designation of the safety watch. It is the responsibility of the worker in charge to select a qualified worker who is capable and familiar with the work.

(c) The worker in charge may act as a safety watch providing no other duties interfere. If the worker in charge is distracted or must leave the immediate vicinity, that worker must either designate another qualified person as the safety watch or order the work stopped.

(d) Use of vehicles, gin poles, cranes, and other equipment in restricted or hazardous areas must at all times be monitored by a qualified safety watch other than the equipment operator. Tables RR-2 through RR-8.

Or. Admin. Code § 437-002-2311

OSHA 3-2015, f. 10-9-15, cert. ef. 1/1/2016

Stat. Auth.: ORS 654.025(2) & 656.726(4)

Stats. Implemented: ORS 654.001 - 654.295