HOST EMPLOYER RESPONSIBILITY
The safety of your contractors is just as important as the safety of your employees. Employers are responsible for ensuring that electrical hazards are clearly marked and indicated for employees and contractors. This is true even if your employees do not perform any electrical work themselves and all of your electrical work is done by outside contractors. Regulations require anyone working near electrical systems to be aware of the hazards. Label Requirements.
PRE-JOB PLANNING
Both employees and contractors must be notified of hazards and given safety information for the facility. Before contractors start a job, the employer should provide a job briefing where they run through the task, identify safety measures and emergency procedures, and outline how workers will follow electrical safety protocol. Your organization is liable for electrical safety no matter who is working around or on the equipment.
Check out our contractor agreement form for help creating something similar for your facility.
USING THE TABLES METHOD
Contractors will make decisions based on equipment labels and markings; if there are no markings on your equipment, it’s a code violation. Generic labels are acceptable, though when contractors have to perform their own calculations and consult the NFPA 70E tables before they begin the work you’ve hired them for, jobs can take two or three times as long, so an arc flash study can be a good way to save contractor hours and ensure safety in the long run.
It is important that you select a contractor to perform work at your facility that is not only qualified but also meets your standards for safety. Electricians, even those outsourced, are your responsibility when working in your facility!
