A Misunderstanding We Should Eliminate

For the first time, the 2015 revision to National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 70E made reference to a more than 50-year-old safety management methodology, with the reference to the hierarchy of risk controls in Section 110.1(G). This paper discusses the difference between the risk control measure “elimination” as defined in occupational health and safety management systems standards such as ANSI Z10, and the “electrically safe work condition” as defined in NFPA 70E. Establishing an electrically safe work condition is more accurately described as a series of administrative controls, including planning, drawings and documentation, lockout tag out, safe work practices, and personal protective equipment. Each of these administrative controls has some degree of residual risk. An electrically safe work condition is not permanent, and has both time and physical boundaries that must be adhered to in order to avoid exposure to dangerous energy. Elimination, as defined in occupational health and safety management systems standards, is absolute, permanent, and with no residual risks for the life of the installation. Case histories are included to illustrate the power of elimination and the residual risks characteristic of administrative controls.