After implementing the use of energized electrical work permits (EEWP), has live work at your facility or your client's facility increased, decreased or remained the same?

Eewp

At our manufacturing site, it has definitely decreased the amount of live work. Although it was not overnight. Not until electricians (or qualified persons) had the training on the practice did they stop and take the time to find out where to shut off lights or other live circuits. Obviously most of the time it is quicker to take the time to find out where the circuit is located then to go through the live work procedure. It is extremely difficult to get to some "older" qualified individuals because of complacency, but we are working to train them and show them what might happen through videos and workers testimonies.

Once qualified electrical workers realized that management actually supported de-energization even if it means planning and scheduling an outage or overtime it was well received for tasks such as installing/removing 480V bus switches.

However, the 120V lighting and recept circuits for the plant and office have been a bit of a struggle since the perceived risk is low and circuit directories are not always the greatest. As a result of EEWP circuit directories are being updated and we're doing a better job labeling drops and receptacles.

[font="Comic Sans MS"][SIZE="3"]I've had a hard time convincing both management and hourly personnel that the rules on "hot work" have changed for good. Management will not (currently) enforce the NFPA/OSHA edicts, in spite of my hand delivering of standards to them. They say, what do you mean I need a permit to work this hot? Many of the electricians say "I've been doing it this way for X number of years and never had any problems. And yes, they have all management and hourly, been trained in Electrical Safe Work Practices.[/size][/font]

We explained EEWP to upper management in terms of lockout violation which is something they understand. There's a link to a good article below called Working Hot or Not - Inconvenience Doesn't Cut It by Jeffery S. Sargent. It helps explain that OSHA's requirements for de-energization have never changed; we've just been non-compliant in the past by allowing unjustified energized work so now an EEWP is required.

http://www.necplus.org/Features/Pages/WorkingHotorNot%E2%80%93InconvenienceDoesn%E2%80%99tCutIt.aspx?sso=0

I should probably explain my vote "remained the same". We never did much hot work to begin with so this requirement did not change our procedure much.

always has been the policy at large petro refineries so I voted "the same".

Eewp

OSHA requires when qualified electricians work on electrical circuits that they be de-energized by implementing a Safety Program that's a LOTO. The LOTO can be simple or complex. If de-energizing creates a greater hazard than a qualified electrician has to work on the electrical circuit energized. If that is the case than an EEWP is required. But if the qualified electrician is performing troubleshooting to locate a faulty component, or testing electrical equipment or installing new equipment than an EEWP is not required. If an EEWP were required when a process line stopped because of an electrical problem then trying to locate the faulty component or components would be extremely time consuming and not very cost effective. Sometimes the only way to find the faulty component is with the circuit energized. That's why it is an OSHA requirement that insulated tools, hard hats with full face shields, rubber gloves with leather protectors, electrical work boots, safety glasses, electrical hard hats or any type of engineering control to protect the qualified electrician from becoming part of the circuit which could result in a shock or electrocution. Once the defective component has been found energy isolation has to be implemented that's where the LOTO is implemented. The LOTO is the Safety Program that the NFPA 70E references, which is a written procedure on how to isolate the source of energy not the control. The NFPA 70E intent is to be a source of information for both the employer and employee to understand on how to work on electrical equipment safely that's why it is titled electrical safety in the work place. OSHA is written that the employer has to make the work place safe and hazard free. That's statement means if training is required than train. Perform a hazard assessment and based on the hazard assessment eliminate the hazard through engineering controls, and PPE. I've worked in the industry for 47 years and have watched both employers and employees turn a blind side to safety and OSHA also has observed the same thing that's why the NFPA 70E exists, because employers and employees have a hard time understanding OSHA's written standard.

Installing new equipment to energized parts is considered a physical change, and as such the standard is requiring an EEWP.