Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 9, March 1, 2024
RELATES TO: KRS Chapter 338
NECESSITY, FUNCTION, AND CONFORMITY:
KRS
338.051(3) requires the
Kentucky Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board to promulgate
occupational safety and health regulations and authorizes the chairman to
reference federal standards without board approval if necessary to meet federal
time requirements. This administrative regulation establishes standards that
are enforced by the Department of Workplace Standards in construction.
Section 1. Definitions.
(1) "Disconnected" means disconnected from
any electrical source or supply.
(2) "Employee" is defined by
KRS
338.015(2).
(3) "Employer" is defined by
KRS
338.015(1).
(4) "Guarded" means protected by personnel,
covered, fenced, or enclosed by means of suitable castings, barrier, rails,
screens, mats, platforms, or other suitable devices in accordance with standard
barricading techniques designed to prevent dangerous approach or contact by
persons or objects but does not include insulated wires not otherwise
protected.
(5) "Hold cards" or
"hold tags" means a card or tag-type device, usually having a predominant color
of white or red that warns against or cautions against the operation of a
particular switch, device, circuit, tool, machine, or other piece of
equipment.
(6) "Near" means a
distance no closer than shown in the table in Section 2 of this administrative
regulation.
(7) "Qualified person"
means a person who, because of experience and training is familiar with the
construction and operation of the apparatus or equipment and the hazards
involved in the performance of the job.
Section 2. Safety and Testing.
(1) This administrative regulation shall
apply to nonutility electrical employees engaged in electrical construction of
electrical conductors and equipment rated at 600 volts and above.
(2) Energized conductors and equipment.
(a) Only qualified employees shall work on or
near high voltage conductors or equipment.
(b) Personal protective equipment shall be
provided by the employer and used by the employee when working on or near
energized, ungrounded high voltage conductors, or equipment.
(3)
(a) An employee shall not approach or take
any conductive object, without an approved insulating handle, within the
minimum distance specified in the Minimum Clear Distance From Live Parts table
below, unless the energized part is insulated or guarded from the employee, or
the employee is effectively insulated from the energized part.
(b) Rubber gloves, and sleeves if necessary,
rated for the voltage involved shall be considered effective insulation of the
employee from the energized part.
Minimum Clear Distance From Live Parts
|
Voltage Phase to Phase (Kilovolts)
|
Distance Phase to Employee
|
0.6 to 34.5
|
2'
|
34.5 to 46
|
2 1/2'
|
46 to 69
|
3'
|
69 to 115
|
3' 4"
|
115 to 138
|
3' 6"
|
138 to 169
|
3' 8"
|
Section 3. Deenergized conductor or
equipment.
(1) Existing conditions shall be
determined before starting work on an electrical conductor or
equipment.
(2) Before any work is
performed, all electrical switches, breakers, and associated disconnecting
devices shall be opened, made inoperable and hold tagged out by the person in
charge.
(3) Employees shall be
trained and thoroughly instructed in the tagging procedure.
(4) One (1) qualified person such as the
foreman, general foreman, or first class electrician of each crew shall be
responsible for attaching hold tags or hold cards to the disconnecting
means.
(5) If more than one (1)
crew is involved in the work, multiple hold tags or hold cards shall be placed
in the handle of the disconnecting equipment.
(6) The use of such tags shall be
respected.
(7) Equipment or items
tagged shall not be activated or used without full and proper authority of the
responsible person whose signature appears on the tag.
(8) Conductors shall be short-circuited and
grounded wherever possible.
(9)
Capacitors may be components of apparatus of the disconnected electrical
system.
(10) Before employees are
allowed to work, the capacitors shall be discharged, short-circuited, and
grounded.
(11) If deenergizing
conductors and equipment and the means of disconnecting from the energy source
is not visibly open, a voltage test shall be made before starting
work.
(12) An operational check
shall be made of the voltage tester prior to and following the voltage test to
determine reliability of the testing device.
(13) The test device shall be handled and
used while wearing or using approved protective equipment during the
test.
(14) All conductors and
equipment shall be treated as energized until tested, short-circuited and
effectively grounded except if the circuit involved is isolated from all
possible sources of energizing voltage from another circuit, induced voltage or
back feed.
(15) The voltage
condition of deenergized conductors and equipment shall be determined with
testing equipment designed for the applicable voltage.
(16) Upon completion of work on deenergized
conductors and equipment, the person responsible shall ascertain that all
employees under her or his jurisdiction are clear and that all protective
short-circuit and grounding lines are removed.
(17) The qualified person shall then remove
her or his hold tag.
(18) Only at
this time shall conductors and equipment be reenergized.
STATUTORY AUTHORITY:
KRS
338.051(3),
338.061