OSHA Reopens Record on Proposed Rule on Electric Power Generation, Transmission, Distribution

November 25, 2008 // Published as a news service by IHS

This limited 30-day reopening seeks to obtain comments related to how close an employee (or a conductive object that an employee is contacting) may get to an energized circuit part.

On June 15, 2005, OSHA published a proposed rule to revise the general industry and construction standards for electric power generation, transmission and distribution work and for electrical protective equipment.

This proposal included revised minimum approach distances (MADs), including MAD tables that can be used to determine how close an employee or a conductive object, which he or she is contacting, can get to an energized part.

After the rulemaking record on the proposal closed, the technical committee responsible for developing the tables in the consensus standards on which the proposal was based discovered an error in their calculation of minimum approach distances for certain voltages.

OSHA reopened the record on this proposal to obtain comments related to the affected minimum approach distances.

The proposed requirements for electric power generation, transmission and distribution work for general industry and construction would be contained in 29 CFR 1910.269 and 29 CFR part 1926, subpart V (Sec. Sec. 1926.950 through 1926.968), respectively, according to the Oct. 22 listing of the Federal Register entitled Electric Power Generation, Transmission, and Distribution; Electrical Protective Equipment; Limited Reopening of Record - 73:62942-62945.

More information about the Oct. 22 Federal Register listing can be found at the OSHA web site.

Source: U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).