Electrical Safety Qualified Person

Regulations and Standards: The primary regulation that governs most companies is the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). There are at least three parts of the CFR that address qualified persons for electrical work:

• Title 29 Part 1910 for General Industry and Electric Utilities
• Title 29 Part 1926 for the Construction Industry
• Title 30 Part 75 and 77 for Coal Mines

In addition to the CFR, most companies are also affected by one or more additional electrical safety standards that address qualified persons:

• National Fire Protection Association NFPA 70 – National Electrical Code® (NEC®)
• NFPA 70E – Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace
• Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) National Electrical Safety Code (NESC) – Safety Standard for Overhead and Underground Electric Utility and Communications Utility Installations.

Who Needs To Be Qualified: The common thread of most electrical regulations and standards is that all electrical circuits and equipment energized at 50 volts or more must be guarded, covered, protected, or otherwise made inaccessible, except to qualified persons. This means only qualified persons are allowed to have access to energized circuits and equipment. Anyone opening industrial panels containing exposed energized components must be qualified. Only qualified persons shall have access to rooms containing exposed energized components unless the components are guarded, covered, or protected by barriers or equally effective means. NFPA 70E specifies a minimum approach boundary for an unqualified person of 42 inches to exposed circuits and equipment energized between 50 and 750 volts, unless continuously escorted by a qualified person.