Changes to NFPA 70E for year 2000

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), at the Fall 1999 General Meeting approved changes to their Standard Number 70E, entitled “Electrical Safety Requirements for Employee Workplaces”. These changes resulted from public proposals and comments based on new technology and developments, substantiated by testing, in the area of electrical safety. The recommendations were reviewed and approved by the NFPA 70E Committee during actions on the proposals and comments over the past two years. Significant changes were made to the Standard. Text was updated to conform to the 1999 National Electrical Code. All definitions were placed in one section under Introduction. All training requirements and qualifications were placed in one chapter. Additional methods were provided for identifying the level of electrical arc flash hazard, determining safe approach distances, and selecting personal protective equipment appropriate for the degree of hazard and incident energy available at the work place. A new Part IV was added to provide guidance for safe work practices around specialized electrical equipment such as electrolytic cells, batteries, lasers, and power electronic equipment