Energized Electrical Work Permits
The rule is to turn it off. Working on live electrical equipment is allowed only in limited situations, and when it is, NFPA 70E calls for an energized electrical work permit that makes everyone stop, justify the work, and plan the protection before anyone opens a live panel.
- Electricians
- Maintenance
- Supervisors
When live work is allowed
OSHA and NFPA 70E say equipment must be de-energized before work unless:
- De-energizing creates a greater hazard, such as shutting down life support, emergency alarms, hazardous location ventilation or critical process controls; or
- De-energizing is infeasible because of equipment design or how it operates, such as diagnostics and testing that only work with power on, or work on circuits that are part of a continuous process that would otherwise have to be completely shut down.
Inconvenience, schedule pressure or cost are not reasons to work live.
What the permit includes
- Description of the circuit, equipment and location
- Justification for why the work must be done energized
- Description of the safe work practices to be used
- Shock risk assessment: voltage, limited and restricted approach boundaries, and shock PPE
- Arc flash risk assessment: incident energy or PPE category, arc flash boundary and arc-rated PPE
- How unqualified people will be kept out of the area
- Proof that a job briefing was held, including job-specific hazards
- Signatures of the people who approve the energized work
Tasks that usually don’t need a permit
Under NFPA 70E, qualified persons using proper safe work practices and PPE generally don’t need a permit for:
- Testing, troubleshooting and voltage measuring
- Thermography and visual inspections outside the restricted approach boundary
- Access and egress through an area with no electrical work being done
- General housekeeping and other non-electrical tasks outside the restricted approach boundary
These tasks still require a risk assessment, the right PPE and qualified people.
Testing for absence of voltage is energized work until it’s proven dead. Treat every conductor as live until you’ve tested it. See Testing for Absence of Voltage.
Who can do the work
- Only qualified persons trained in the equipment, the hazards and the safe work practices. See Qualified vs. Unqualified Workers.
- Using insulated tools, voltage-rated gloves and arc-rated clothing and face protection as the assessment requires. See Insulated Hand Tools and Arc Flash.
- With barriers, barricades or attendants to keep others out.
You can say no. If you’re asked to work on live equipment without a justification, a plan or the right PPE, stop and talk to your supervisor. You have the right to refuse work that poses an imminent danger. See Imminent Danger Situations.
Standards & references
- 29 CFR 1910.333(a): Selection and use of work practices (de-energize unless justified)
- NFPA 70E: Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace
- See also: Lockout/Tagout · Permit-to-Work Systems
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