Contact Release Training - when is it necessary?
Our facility doesn't allow live electrical work as a blanket policy. Our maintenance teams still gt NFPA70e classroom training, but at a recent ASSP event covering NFPA topics, it mentioned contact release training as required.
If we aren't doing live work, and the 70e training is moreso for awareness, do we need to go the extra step from a compliance standpoint?
Comments (4)
If it applies to you, per NFPA 70E, contact release training is required at least annually.
My question is, however, what do you mean you don't do "live work"? Do you all not perform any electrical work at all? Reason I'm asking is because nearly all electrical work is technically "live" or "energized". For example, if I'm replacing a circuit breaker, the entire time leading up to establishing an electrically safe work condition (de-energizing), as well as the entire time re-energizing it after I replace the circuit breaker, is technically "live work". There's only a short period of time that it's truly de-energized, which is the short period of time it takes you to remove/install the circuit breaker itself.
Drew is the expert here on NFPA 70e.
I did a Google AI search of contact release training requirements.
https://www.google.com/search?q=contact+release+training+requirements&sca_esv=6d678c6b66d2f873&authuser=0&sxsrf=AHTn8zpma1gx5i7SbDtIE8q1IGVt7mFR6g%3A1740416987869&ei=26e8Z_PkNMa2wN4P4q3t-AM&oq=contact+release+training&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiGGNvbnRhY3QgcmVsZWFzZSB0cmFpbmluZyoCCAAyBxAjGLADGCcyChAAGLADGNYEGEcyChAAGLADGNYEGEdI-jRQAFgAcAJ4AZABAJgBAKABAKoBALgBAcgBAJgCAqACD5gDAIgGAZAGA5IHATKgBwA&sclient=gws-wiz-serp
When it comes to electrical hazards I am very very careful! Very early in my career, like literally 1980, I was a new Personnel/Safety Manager in a large iron foundry on a fence perimeter inspection. A UPS driver slammed his brakes on near me. and yelled, "Quick over at that Big Substation you have a man down, he is smoldering and his leg is mangled!"
I yelled, "Get back to the plant and get someone to all 911 NOW!" I ran to the sub-station!
When I arrived a couple minutes later I saw a man laying on the roadway next to the substation for our huge melt department! His right femur was broken and it was sticking through his pants like a spear. His right foot was even with his hip behind him. His head was the size of a blackened basketball. I knew he was an electrician by the color of his red hard hat laying across the road. his head was indeed smoldering. There was a perfect rectangle across his upper chest down thru a couple layers of skin! His pulse and breathing was very irregular. I did not recognize who he was at the time! Ten minutes later the ambulance took him. he was taken by helicopter to the nearest university burn center where he spent the next 9 months! Survived, but lost left eye and ear, most of his nose, and use of is right leg (did not actually lose it). Died of a stroke 5 years post injury, possibly do to complications, but never proven. Took at least 12,500 volts! Still re-live it in my dreams sometimes still!