• The OSHA standard for electrical protective equipment applies to all General Industry employers whose employees are exposed to electricity hazards in the workplace.
• Protective equipment may include safety shoes, insulated gloves, flame-resistant clothing, rubber hoods and blankets and insulating live-line tools.
• Any electrical protective equipment must be tested and certified.

Employees in a variety of industries work with or around electrical hazards. The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) requires employers to protect these employees through a variety of methods and means, including, in some cases, the use of protective equipment — some of which is worn by employees and some equipment that is not worn.

Depending on the job task to be performed, PPE for the electric power industry generally includes safety glasses, face shields, hard hats, safety shoes, insulating (rubber) gloves with leather protectors, insulating sleeves, and flame-resistant (FR) clothing. In addition to PPE, electric power workers often use Insulating Protective Equipment (IPE), such as line hoses, rubber hoods, rubber blankets, and insulating live-line tools (for example, hotsticks, switchsticks, or shotgun sticks) for protection. However, since IPE is not worn, it is technically not considered to be PPE.

OSHA’s standard for electrical protective equipment is detailed in 1910.137.

What are the PPE requirements for electrical protective equipment?

Employers covered under the head protection standard should:

• Assess the workplace for work/hazards that would require the use of electrical protective equipment.
• Provide electrical protective equipment suitable for the hazard, task, and exposure.
• Certify that the electrical protective equipment used by workers have passed the tests specified in 1910.137. The certification must identify the equipment that passed the tests and the dates of the tests.
• Maintain equipment in proper and safe working condition.
• Immediately remove defective or damaged equipment.

Who must comply?

OSHA’s electrical protective equipment requirements apply to all general industry employers who have employees with such exposures. The type of work, type of electrical hazard, and other factors determine which specific protections are needed and applicable. The primary electrical protective equipment requirement covers how this equipment must be designed, maintained, and tested. However, various other OSHA General Industry regulations specify where and when this protective equipment must be used to protect workers.