Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace
Updated 2026-10-27
| Standard | Edition | Kind | Current | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace | 2027 | Edition | std.nfpa-70e.edition.2027 |
Data records
- The designation NFPA 70E-2027 names the 2027 edition of NFPA 70E; earlier editions are cited by the same number with their own year. Value: NFPA 70E-2027.
- NFPA 70E-2027 is issued as a standard, as its title states, rather than as a code or a recommended practice, and it addresses the safety of the people who work on or near electrical equipment rather than the installation itself.
- The 2027 edition is the edition of NFPA 70E described on this site; its Chapter 1 carries the Article 100 definitions and the work-practice articles Article 110, Article 120 and Article 130. Value: 2027.
- NFPA 70E-2027 sets the electrical safety-related work practices that an employer and its employees follow around electrical hazards; Chapter 1 covers the general practices, the establishment of an electrically safe work condition and work where electrical hazards remain, while Chapter 2 addresses the maintenance those practices depend on.
- Clause 110.2(A) of NFPA 70E-2027 requires the employer to establish, document and implement an electrically safe work condition policy that makes elimination of the hazard the first priority.
- The informational note to the third exception of clause 110.2(B) of NFPA 70E-2027 names diagnostics, start-up, troubleshooting and circuits integral to a continuous process as examples of tasks that may not be possible to perform de-energized.
- Clause 110.2(B) of NFPA 70E-2027 carries five exceptions to the electrically safe work condition requirement: normal operation of equipment in a normal operating condition, operation of an energized disconnecting means to reach an electrically safe work condition or to return equipment to service after a risk assessment, tasks the employer can show cannot be done de-energized because of equipment design or operational limits, tasks where de-energizing introduces additional hazards or increased risk, and parts below the voltage threshold where source capacity and overcurrent protection are considered.
- Clause 110.2(B) of NFPA 70E-2027 requires energized conductors and circuit parts at or above the voltage threshold it states, or wherever an electrical hazard exists, to be put into an electrically safe work condition before work when the employee is inside the limited approach boundary or interacts with equipment whose parts are not exposed but where an increased likelihood of arc flash injury exists.
- Clauses 110.2(C) and 110.2(D) of NFPA 70E-2027 state that conductors and circuit parts are not in an electrically safe work condition until every applicable requirement of clause 120.2 through clause 120.6 has been met, and that the safe work practices for the circuit voltage and energy level apply until then.
- Clause 110.3(L) of NFPA 70E-2027 requires four audits, each at a maximum interval the clause sets: the electrical safety program, the field work practices, the lockout/tagout program, and the lockout/tagout procedures, the last performed by a qualified person and covering at least one lockout in progress; every audit is documented.
- Clause 110.4 of NFPA 70E-2027 sets the retraining interval for employee safety-related work practices and requires the employer to verify at a stated frequency that each employee's training is current.
- Clause 110.6 of NFPA 70E-2027 covers test instruments and equipment; the temporary-release element of the lockout/tagout procedure in clause 120.5(B)(14) points there for the use of instruments during testing or positioning.
- Clause 120.2 of NFPA 70E-2027 requires each employer to establish, document and implement a lockout/tagout program whose procedures safeguard workers from electrical hazards, fitted to the workers' experience and training and the workplace conditions, and applied to fixed, temporarily installed and portable equipment; the employer supplies the equipment, provides the training and audits both the program and its execution, and Informative Annex G offers an example program.
- Clause 120.3 of NFPA 70E-2027 states the lockout/tagout principles: every person who could be exposed takes part, the procedure is built from the existing equipment and up-to-date drawings, all electrical energy sources are controlled, interlocks are reviewed so that none can re-energize the circuit, locks and tags go only on circuit disconnecting means, control devices are never the primary isolating device, each device is unique and identifiable, the procedure is coordinated with the employer's other energy-control procedures, and control takes one of two forms, simple or complex.
- Clause 120.4 of NFPA 70E-2027 covers lockout/tagout equipment: energy isolation devices installed after the date the clause gives accept a lockout device; the employer supplies unique devices used for no other purpose; a lockout device includes a lock, identifies its installer and is attached so that the disconnect cannot be operated without undue force or tools; a tagout device adds a tag carrying a statement that prohibits operation and a non-reusable, self-locking attachment of the strength the clause sets; and hold-card provisions cover overhead conductors worked with a hotline tool.
- Clause 120.5(B)(13) of NFPA 70E-2027 sets the release for return to service: before re-energizing, tests and visual inspections verify that tools, restraints, jumpers, short circuits and temporary protective grounds have been removed, operators are notified, the area is inspected for nonessential items, and all personnel are clear; clause 120.5(B)(14) covers temporary release for testing or positioning under the same steps.
- Clause 120.5(B)(6) of NFPA 70E-2027 requires the procedure to establish the test instrument, the protective equipment, the person who verifies the instrument on a known voltage source before and after use, and the boundary of the electrically safe work condition; every exposed conductor or part inside that boundary is tested before it is touched, retested when circuit conditions change or the job location has been left unattended, and additional test methods are used where the absence-of-voltage test alone does not confirm de-energization.
- Clause 120.5 of NFPA 70E-2027 lists the elements of a lockout/tagout procedure in two groups: planning, which covers locating the energy sources from up-to-date single-line drawings, the exposed persons and their protective equipment, the person in charge, and the choice between simple and complex lockout/tagout; and control, which covers de-energizing, release of stored energy, verification of the open disconnecting means, responsibility, verification that equipment cannot be restarted, testing for absence of voltage, temporary protective grounding, shift change, coordination with other jobs, accountability for exposed persons, the application of locks versus tags, removal of devices when the installer is unavailable, release for return to service, and temporary release for testing or positioning.
- Under clause 120.5(A) of NFPA 70E-2027 a simple lockout/tagout is the de-energizing of one set of conductors or one circuit-part source by qualified persons solely to safeguard employees, with each worker responsible for their own devices and no written plan required per application, while a complex lockout/tagout, permitted where there are multiple energy sources, crews, crafts, locations, employers or disconnecting means, a particular sequence, or a job spanning more than one work period, requires a written plan of execution that names the person in charge and provides a group lockout mechanism.
- Step seven of clause 120.6 of NFPA 70E-2027 requires a portable test instrument rated for the application to test each phase conductor or circuit part at each point of work, phase to phase and phase to ground, with the instrument verified on a known voltage source before and after the test; its three exceptions cover a permanently mounted absence-of-voltage tester that meets four listed conditions, a noncontact capacitive instrument on systems above the voltage the exception states, and the additional test methods required where the voltage test alone does not confirm de-energization.
- Steps eight and nine of clause 120.6 of NFPA 70E-2027 require temporary protective grounding equipment before any part is touched where induced voltage or stored electrical energy is possible, or where the de-energized parts could contact other exposed energized parts; the grounds are placed to protect each employee from shock, sized to carry the maximum fault current at the point of grounding for the time needed to clear the fault, and of an impedance low enough to operate the protective devices on unintentional energizing, with an informational note naming ASTM F855 as an example standard for the equipment.
- Clause 120.6 of NFPA 70E-2027 defines the process for establishing and verifying an electrically safe work condition as nine steps performed in the order given to the extent possible: determine all possible sources of supply from up-to-date drawings, diagrams and tags; interrupt the load and open the disconnecting devices for each source; visually verify that blades are fully open or that drawout breakers are withdrawn; release stored electrical energy; block or relieve stored nonelectrical energy; apply lockout/tagout devices under a documented procedure; test for absence of voltage; apply temporary protective grounds where required; and install those grounds to the placement, capacity and impedance rules of the final step.
- Clause 130.2(A) of NFPA 70E-2027 applies when parts at or above the voltage threshold are not put into an electrically safe work condition and work proceeds under clause 110.2(B): only qualified persons perform the work, an energized electrical work permit under clause 130.3 is in place, and a shock risk assessment under clause 130.4 and an arc flash risk assessment under clause 130.5 are completed; when the permit specifies shock or arc flash protective equipment, a second person trained in emergency response stands outside the greater of the limited approach boundary and the arc flash boundary.
- Clause 130.2(B) of NFPA 70E-2027 makes all of Article 130 apply whether the incident energy analysis method or the arc flash PPE category method is used.
- Clause 130.3(A) of NFPA 70E-2027 requires an energized electrical work permit for energized work under clause 110.2(B) performed within the restricted approach boundary, or where the employee interacts with equipment whose parts are not exposed but an increased likelihood of arc flash injury exists.
- Clause 130.3(B) of NFPA 70E-2027 lists nine groups of content for the energized electrical work permit: the circuit, equipment and location; the work to be done; the justification for working energized; the safe work practices to be used; the shock risk assessment results; the arc flash risk assessment results; the means of keeping unqualified persons out of the work area; evidence of the job briefing; and the approving signatures.
- Clause 130.3(C) of NFPA 70E-2027 exempts four kinds of work by a qualified person using the Chapter 1 practices and protective equipment from the permit: testing, troubleshooting and voltage measuring; thermography, ultrasound and visual inspection that do not cross the restricted approach boundary; access to and egress from an area with energized equipment where no electrical work is done and the restricted approach boundary is not crossed; and general housekeeping and non-electrical tasks with the restricted approach boundary not crossed.
- Clause 130.4(E) of NFPA 70E-2027 sets the shock protection boundaries: the limited and restricted approach boundaries apply where personnel approach exposed energized conductors or circuit parts, the arc flash boundary is independent of them and may be larger, and two tables, Table 130.4(E)(a) for ac systems and Table 130.4(E)(b) for dc systems, give the boundary distances by nominal voltage range in three columns, the limited approach boundary for an exposed movable conductor, the limited approach boundary for an exposed fixed circuit part, and the restricted approach boundary including the inadvertent-movement adder.
- The notes to Table 130.4(E)(a) of NFPA 70E-2027 state that all dimensions run from the exposed energized part to the person, that a single-phase system above the voltage the note gives selects its range from the maximum phase-to-ground voltage multiplied by the square root of three, that an exposed movable conductor is one whose distance is not under the person's control, such as a pole-supported overhead line, and that the restricted approach boundary assumes an elevation below the limit the note states, with adjustment above it.
- Clauses 130.4(F) and 130.4(G) of NFPA 70E-2027 keep unqualified persons outside the limited approach boundary unless escorted by a qualified person who advises them of the hazards, and never inside the restricted approach boundary; a qualified person may cross the restricted approach boundary with a conductive object only when the object is insulated or guarded from the energized parts, or the parts are insulated from the person and from any other conductive object at a different potential.
- Clauses 130.5(A) and 130.5(B) of NFPA 70E-2027 define the arc flash risk assessment as the process that identifies the hazards, estimates the likelihood and severity of injury, and decides whether additional protective measures including personal protective equipment are needed; the estimate takes account of the equipment design, the overcurrent protective device with its operating time and condition, and the operating and maintenance condition of the equipment.
- Clause 130.5(C) of NFPA 70E-2027 requires any additional protective measures to follow the hierarchy of risk controls of clause 110.3(H)(3), with the safe work practices, the arc flash boundary and the protective equipment determined when PPE is the chosen measure; Table 130.5(C)(3) estimates the likelihood of an arc flash occurrence task by task, with the operating condition of the equipment, normal or abnormal, as a factor in the estimate.
- Clause 130.5(D) of NFPA 70E-2027 requires the results of the arc flash risk assessment to be documented.
- Clause 130.5(E) of NFPA 70E-2027 locates the arc flash boundary in one of two ways: under the incident energy analysis method it is the distance at which the incident energy equals the threshold value the clause states, with Informative Annex D available for the estimate, and under the PPE category method it is taken from Table 130.7(C)(15)(a) or Table 130.7(C)(15)(b) where those tables apply.
- Clause 130.5(F) of NFPA 70E-2027 allows one of two methods for selecting arc flash personal protective equipment on a given piece of equipment, the incident energy analysis method or the arc flash PPE category method, never both on the same equipment, and bars the use of incident energy analysis results to pick a category from Table 130.7(C)(15)(c).
- Clause 130.5(G) of NFPA 70E-2027 bases the incident energy analysis on the working distance for the task, requires it to account for the characteristics of the overcurrent protective device and its clearing time including the condition of maintenance, requires an update when a system change could affect the result, and sets a maximum interval for its review; Table 130.5(G) then selects the protective equipment by incident energy band, with arc-rated clothing rated at or above the estimated energy in every band.
- Clause 130.5(H) of NFPA 70E-2027 also requires the calculation method and supporting data behind the label to be documented, the data to be reviewed for accuracy at a maximum interval the clause sets, the label to be updated when a review finds it inaccurate, the label to be durable for its environment, and the equipment owner to be responsible for the label's documentation, installation and maintenance; one exception keeps labels applied under an earlier edition while they remain accurate, and another lets a supervised industrial installation keep the information in a readily available record instead of on the label.
- Clause 130.5(H) of NFPA 70E-2027 requires a field-applied arc flash label on switchboards, panelboards, industrial control panels, meter socket enclosures, motor control centers and similar equipment outside dwelling units that is likely to need examination, adjustment, servicing or maintenance while energized; the label states the nominal system voltage, the arc flash boundary, and at least one of the available incident energy with its working distance or the arc flash PPE category (not both), the minimum arc rating of clothing, or the site-specific PPE level.
- Clause 130.7(C)(15) of NFPA 70E-2027 carries the arc flash PPE category method: Table 130.7(C)(15)(a) for ac equipment and Table 130.7(C)(15)(b) for dc equipment assign a PPE category and an arc flash boundary by equipment type and voltage class, each row valid only within the available fault current, clearing time and working distance it states, with an incident energy analysis required outside those limits; a note allows the category to be lowered by one step, with a floor, where the equipment is protected upstream by current-limiting devices within the ratings the note gives; and Table 130.7(C)(15)(c) lists the minimum arc rating of the clothing system and the accessory protective equipment for each category.
- An informational note to Table 130.7(C)(15)(a) of NFPA 70E-2027 gives typical clearing times by protective device type, from a current-limiting fuse or current-limiting molded-case breaker in its current-limiting range, through molded-case and insulated-case breakers with instantaneous trips and relay-operated medium-voltage breakers, to low-voltage power and insulated-case breakers with short-time delay, whose clearing time is the longest in the note; the clearing time is the quantity an arc energy reduction setting changes.
- Chapter 1 of NFPA 70E-2027 points to several informative annexes: Annex C on the approach boundaries, Annex D on the estimation of incident energy and the arc flash boundary, Annex G as a sample lockout/tagout program, Annex J as a sample energized electrical work permit, and Annex R on the hazards of capacitors.
- Article 100 of NFPA 70E-2027 holds the definitions the standard uses, among them electrically safe work condition, qualified person, limited approach boundary, restricted approach boundary and arc flash boundary; this site restates those terms on their own glossary pages.
- Clause 120.1 of NFPA 70E-2027 gives the scope of Article 120 as the requirements for establishing an electrically safe work condition; the article runs from the lockout/tagout program of clause 120.2 through the verification process of clause 120.6.
- Chapter 1 of NFPA 70E-2027 is organized as Article 100 for definitions, Article 110 for the general requirements for electrical safety-related work practices including the electrically safe work condition policy of clause 110.2 and the electrical safety program of clause 110.3, Article 120 for establishing an electrically safe work condition, and Article 130 for work involving electrical hazards, the risk assessments, equipment labeling and personal protective equipment.
- Chapter 2 of NFPA 70E-2027 addresses safety-related maintenance requirements; the arc flash clauses of Chapter 1 point to clause 205.4 and Article 225 for the maintenance of overcurrent protective devices, whose condition of maintenance enters the risk assessment and the incident energy analysis.
- NFPA 70E-2027 carries the title Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace, the title under which NFPA publishes the 2027 edition. Value: Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace.
Sources
- NFPA 70E-2027, Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace, 2027 edition, NFPA. Cited: clause Front matter; clause Chapter 1; clause 110.2(A); clause 110.2(B) Exception No. 3; clause 110.2(B); clause 110.2(C); clause 110.3(L); clause 110.4; clause 110.6; clause 120.2; clause 120.3; clause 120.4; clause 120.5(B)(13); clause 120.5(B)(6); clause 120.5; clause 120.5(A); clause 120.6(7); clause 120.6(8); clause 120.6; clause 130.2(A); clause 130.2(B); clause 130.3(A); clause 130.3(B); clause 130.3(C); clause 130.4(E); clause Table 130.4(E)(a); clause 130.4(F); clause 130.5(A); clause 130.5(C); clause 130.5(D); clause 130.5(E); clause 130.5(F); clause 130.5(G); clause 130.5(H); clause 130.7(C)(15); clause Table 130.7(C)(15)(a); clause Informative annexes; clause Article 100; clause 120.1; clause Chapter 2. Held as: Purchased single-user copy. Publisher page for NFPA 70E-2027
Obtaining the documents
- NFPA 70E-2027: available from the publisher
Changelog (46 entries)
| Date | Revision | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-27 | created (std.nfpa-70e.designation) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (std.nfpa-70e.document-type) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (std.nfpa-70e.edition.2027) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (std.nfpa-70e.scope) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (std.nfpa-70e.structure.110-2-a-policy) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (std.nfpa-70e.structure.110-2-b-exception-3-examples) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (std.nfpa-70e.structure.110-2-b-exceptions) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (std.nfpa-70e.structure.110-2-b-when-required) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (std.nfpa-70e.structure.110-2-c-d) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (std.nfpa-70e.structure.110-3-l-audits) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (std.nfpa-70e.structure.110-4-training) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (std.nfpa-70e.structure.110-6-instruments) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (std.nfpa-70e.structure.120-2-loto-program) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (std.nfpa-70e.structure.120-3-principles) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (std.nfpa-70e.structure.120-4-equipment) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (std.nfpa-70e.structure.120-5-b-13-release) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (std.nfpa-70e.structure.120-5-b-6-testing) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (std.nfpa-70e.structure.120-5-procedures) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (std.nfpa-70e.structure.120-5-simple-complex) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (std.nfpa-70e.structure.120-6-7-absence-of-voltage) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (std.nfpa-70e.structure.120-6-8-9-grounding) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (std.nfpa-70e.structure.120-6-process) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (std.nfpa-70e.structure.130-2-a-energized-work) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (std.nfpa-70e.structure.130-2-b-both-methods) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (std.nfpa-70e.structure.130-3-a-permit-required) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (std.nfpa-70e.structure.130-3-b-permit-contents) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (std.nfpa-70e.structure.130-3-c-exemptions) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (std.nfpa-70e.structure.130-4-e-shock-boundaries) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (std.nfpa-70e.structure.130-4-e-table-notes) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (std.nfpa-70e.structure.130-4-f-g-crossing) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (std.nfpa-70e.structure.130-5-a-b-risk-assessment) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (std.nfpa-70e.structure.130-5-c-controls-and-likelihood) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (std.nfpa-70e.structure.130-5-d-documented) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (std.nfpa-70e.structure.130-5-e-arc-flash-boundary) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (std.nfpa-70e.structure.130-5-f-method-choice) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (std.nfpa-70e.structure.130-5-g-analysis-method) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (std.nfpa-70e.structure.130-5-h-label-upkeep) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (std.nfpa-70e.structure.130-5-h-labeling) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (std.nfpa-70e.structure.130-7-c-15-category-tables) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (std.nfpa-70e.structure.130-7-c-15-clearing-note) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (std.nfpa-70e.structure.annexes) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (std.nfpa-70e.structure.article-100) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (std.nfpa-70e.structure.article-120-scope) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (std.nfpa-70e.structure.chapter-1) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (std.nfpa-70e.structure.chapter-2-maintenance) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (std.nfpa-70e.title) |
Cite this page
Cite the governing standard for the fact itself; cite this page as the finding aid.
"Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace." Arc Flash Reference. 2026-10-27. https://www.arcflashreference.com/standards/nfpa-70e/.
Arc Flash Reference, Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace (Oct. 27, 2026), https://www.arcflashreference.com/standards/nfpa-70e/.
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title = {Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace},
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organization = {Arc Flash Reference},
publisher = {Arc Flash Reference},
year = {2026},
note = {last substantive change 2026-10-27}
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