The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 70E Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace shows employers and employees how to comply with the NEC and OSHA electrical mandates.
Completing an education course is one of the best ways to develop effective safety plans and, in some cases, comply with OSHA.
JADE Learning offers 70E-specific continuing education courses in select states. They are all online, approved by local licensing authorities, and include a certificate of completion.
View the dropdown below to see what is available in your area.
Like the National Electrical Code (NEC), the 70E standard is not considered federal law. It is a voluntary national consensus safety standard and is not included in the Code of Federal Regulations.
But many employers rely on the standard to comply with OSHA regulations. Therefore, companies that use an electrical safety program (ESP) must also provide training to ensure employees follow it.
The standard establishes training requirements based on whether an employee is considered qualified or unqualified.
Qualified persons are trained to apply the required knowledge and skills to complete a specific electrical-based task. They can work on or near energized parts, accurately identify hazards, and mitigate risks.
An unqualified employee is anyone who works with electricity but not energized parts. This can range from using an extension cord for a power tool to starting and stopping a piece of electrical equipment. Although they may not encounter the same risks as a qualified employee, they still need to be trained.
A few job types that would benefit from electrical safety training include:
Failure to follow generally accepted standards can result in many consequences, ranging from reduced productivity to fatal injuries. The 70E standard is not the law, but that doesn't mean it can be ignored completely.
Here are just a few reasons why electrical safety training is essential for the workplace.
There's no arguing with the data; these standards work. According to information gathered from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), fatal and non-fatal electrical injuries have dropped significantly.
Electricity fatalities decreased from 582 in 1980 to 126 in 2020. Electrical injuries requiring time away from work dropped from 4,806 in 1990 to 2,380 in 2020.
But the work is not done. According to data compiled by the Electrical Safety Foundation International, contact with electricity was still one of the leading causes of fatalities in the workplace between 2011 and 2023.
According to OSHA, employers are required to train anyone who works with or around electricity. The training is usually based on 70E, thanks to its strong connection OSHA mandates.
Although 70E is not considered an enforceable law, ignoring it can result in employees being cited for noncompliance.
If an employee is injured or killed and OSHA determines that following 70E's standards could have prevented the incident, OSHA may cite the employer under the general duty clause.
Many professionals, especially electricians, must take continuing education (CE) to maintain their licensure. Depending on the state, 70E training may be included in the CE and license renewal requirements.
Our online courses are state-approved and help electricians understand the rules and requirements found in 70E. In addition, most states allow us to submit your course completion certification for you.
Along with state-specific regulations, our lessons cover subjects like:
Qualified and unqualified professionals who need to renew their licenses can take their required CE with our online self-paced courses.
All of the courses we offer are state-approved and taught by professional electricians and code experts. Access lesson material from any internet-connected device and start and stop as needed.
Understanding safe electrical working conditions doesn't need to be complicated; register for a training course today!
NFPA 70E was developed in 1979 to protect professionals who work closely with installed electrical systems. The first edition included information taken directly from the NEC. However, the 1981 edition added more safe work requirements and shifted focus toward explaining how employers can create a safe workplace.
Today, it offers practical solutions for employers to create a safe working environment, mainly by describing how to create an electrical safety program (ESP) and perform risk assessments.
According to the standard, a thorough ESP explains how to use workplace regulations and personal protective equipment to avoid injury from electrical shock and arc flashes.
The original version of 70E was formalized at the request of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
OSHA used the information in NFPA 70E to help create its own electrical mandates: 29 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 1910 Subpart S and 29 CFR Part 1926 Subpart K.
Since its inception, 70E has evolved alongside OSHA regulations. Simply put, OSHA tells employees what to do, and the 70E standard explains how to do it.
The 70E standard makes up one part of the Electrical Cycle of Safety. The complete cycle includes the following:
When combined, the NFPA says these standards help create a workplace free from injuries, fatalities, noncompliance fines, and lost production time. However, employers can only create this type of workplace by providing proper education.
