Overview
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires training for employees who may reasonably be expected to face risk of injury due to electric shock or other electrical hazards. Employees must be trained in and familiar with the safety-related work practices that pertain to their respective job assignments.
Qualified persons (i.e. those permitted to work on or near exposed energized parts) must, at a minimum, be trained in and familiar with the following:
- The skills and techniques necessary to distinguish exposed live parts from other parts of electric equipment;
- The skills and techniques necessary to determine the nominal voltage of exposed live parts; and
- The clearance distances and the corresponding voltages to which the qualified person will be exposed.
A qualified person, as applied to electrical work activities, is an individual trained and knowledgeable of the construction and operation of equipment or a specific work method, and trained to recognize and avoid the electrical hazards that might be present with respect to that equipment or work method. A person can be considered qualified with respect to certain equipment and methods, but still be unqualified for others. An employee who is undergoing on-the-job training and who, in the course of such training, has demonstrated an ability to perform duties safely at his or her level of training, and who is under the direct supervision of a qualified person, is considered to be a qualified person for the performance of those duties.
If an employee does not meet the requirements of a qualified person, they are considered an unqualified person as applied to electrical work activities. Unqualified persons must also be trained in, and familiar with, any electrically related safety practices which are necessary for their safety.
Qualified person – one who has received training in and has demonstrated skills and knowledge in the construction and operation of electric equipment and installations and the hazards involved.