What Is an Electrical Safety Policy and Why Is It Important?
An Electrical Safety Policy outlines the requirements to protect employees from electrical hazards, such as electric shocks, burns, electrocution, arc flashes, explosions, and fires. It provides clear guidance on safe work practices, hazard identification, and risk mitigation strategies for workplaces where employees can be potentially exposed to electrical hazards.
This policy is essential for:
✅ Ensuring employee safety by reducing the risks of electrical injuries.
✅ Maintaining policies that are consistent with OSHA and NFPA 70E® standards.
✅ Reducing injuries by establishing workplace safety standards.
✅ Preventing property damage caused by electrical accidents.
When Are You Required to Have an Electrical Safety Policy?
Business owners must have an Electrical Safety Policy in place if employees work near or on energized equipment or circuits, even if they are not directly interacting with it.
You need this policy if:
✔ Employees work in areas with exposed wiring, energized panels, or high-voltage equipment.
✔ Your workplace contains electrical panels, industrial machinery, or high-energy electrical systems.
✔ Employees use, maintain, or work around electrical tools, extension cords, or temporary power sources.
✔ You need to comply with OSHA 1910 Subpart S (General Industry) or OSHA 1926 Subpart K (Construction) electrical safety requirements.
What Should an Electrical Safety Policy Cover?
A comprehensive Electrical Safety Policy should establish clear rules and best practices for managing electrical hazards, including:
🔹 Use of Extension Cords & Temporary Power – Limiting extension cords to temporary use only, ensuring cords are in good condition, and banning daisy-chaining.
🔹 Electrical Inspection Requirements – Scheduling regular workplace inspections to identify damaged wiring, overloaded circuits, and outdated electrical components.
🔹 Safe Work Practices – Defining safe distances from energized parts, ensuring proper grounding of electrical systems, and de-energizing circuits before maintenance.
🔹 Employee Training – Teaching workers how to recognize electrical hazards, avoid unsafe conditions, and respond to electrical emergencies.
🔹 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) – Requiring the use of insulated gloves, protective eyewear, and flame-resistant clothing where applicable.
🔹 Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) Coordination – Ensuring LOTO procedures are followed when servicing equipment.
⚡ Without a policy, businesses risk fines, injuries, and potential lawsuits due to unsafe electrical conditions.
When Do You Also Need a Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) Policy?
A Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) policy is required in addition to your Electrical Safety Policy if employees are responsible for servicing or maintaining electrical equipment. While the Electrical Safety Policy focuses on general hazard prevention, the LOTO policy is designed to protect authorized employees performing equipment maintenance.
💡 Key Differences:
✔ Electrical Safety Policy: Outlines requirements to protect all employees from potential electrical hazards.
✔ LOTO Policy: Outlines safety requirements for employees authorized to maintain equipment.
🚨 If your employees service or repair equipment, a LOTO policy must be implemented alongside your Electrical Safety Policy.
Key Components of an Electrical Safety Policy
A comprehensive Electrical Safety Policy should include the following key sections:
1. Responsibilities
🔹 Define the roles of employers, supervisors, and employees.
🔹 Clearly outline who is responsible for hazard identification, safety training, and compliance monitoring.
2. Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment
🔹 Train employees to recognize electrical hazards, such as damaged wiring, overloaded circuits, and exposed live parts.
🔹 Conduct regular workplace electrical safety inspections to identify risks and take corrective action.
3. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Requirements
🔹 Require the use of insulated gloves, protective eyewear, hard hats, and flame-resistant clothing when working near electrical hazards.
🔹 Ensure proper PPE selection based on voltage exposure and risk assessment (per NFPA 70E® guidelines).
4. Safe Work Practices for Electrical Equipment
🔹 Establish protocols for de-energizing equipment before performing maintenance.
🔹 Enforce safe distancing from exposed electrical parts and energized equipment.
🔹 Implement procedures for working with extension cords, power strips, and temporary power sources.
Basic Electrical Safety Precautions for Employees
To reduce electrical risks in the workplace, employees should follow these safety guidelines:
✔ Inspect electrical tools and equipment before each use.
✔ Immediately tag and remove faulty equipment from service.
✔ Only qualified personnel may repair electrical tools and systems.
✔ Verify that contract electricians have the proper credentials.
✔ Do not wear conductive accessories (e.g., metal rings, watches) when working near electrical hazards.
✔ Always treat de-energized equipment as live until tested and verified.
✔ Use only double-insulated tools with factory labels intact.
✔ Never overload electrical outlets to prevent overheating and fire risks.
✔ Limit extension cord use to temporary applications only.
⚠ Reminder: If employees are performing electrical maintenance, a separate Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) policy must be in place.
How Smarter Risk Simplifies Electrical Safety
At Smarter Risk, we make it easy with:
📌 Electrical Safety Forms in our Forms Library.
📌 Policy Builder that generates, customized and editable, safety and risk control policies.
How to Create a Workplace Electrical Safety Policy
Option 1: Develop It Internally
⏳ Assign a qualified team member to draft the policy.
📅 Expect a 3–6 month timeline for completion.
Option 2: Use Smarter Risk’s Policy Builder
⚡ Instantly generate a customized Electrical Safety Policy.
📝 Download and implement your policy within minutes!
👉 Start for FREE (No credit card required!) Click HERE to receive your company’s risk assessment and risk control plan—FREE ($250 value)!
Conclusion: Prioritize Electrical Safety in Your Workplace Today!
Implementing an Electrical Safety Policy is critical to protecting employees and ensuring safety.
🚀 Don’t wait until an accident happens—take action today!
🔹 Review your current safety procedures
🔹 Train employees to recognize and prevent electrical hazards
🔹 Implement a Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) policy if employees maintain equipment
🔹 Use Smarter Risk’s tools to streamline policy creation
