According to OSHA 1910.132(d) The employer is responsible to assess the hazards in the work place, select, have, and use the correct Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and document the assessment. The use of NFPA 70E and other related industry consensus standards has been used to demonstrate whether an employer acted reasonably when there is a possible OSHA enforcement action taken.

So although NFPA 70E is not directly part of OSHA standards, it can be used as evidence of whether an employer acted reasonably in complying with OSHA standards and addressing “recognized hazards”.

There are more specific links within the OSHA standards as well. A typical example is found in 1910.335, Safeguards for personnel protection which requires: “(a)(1)(i) Employees working in areas where there are potential electrical hazards shall be provided with, and shall use, electrical protective equipment that is appropriate for the specific parts of the body to be protected and for the work to be performed.”

This regulation requires that employees must be properly protected from potential electrical hazards, by using adequate PPE, but it does not provide specific detail of what specific personal protective equipment is necessary to achieve the objective. NFPA 70E is used to define the specific details and requirements.