This paragraph provides additional requirements for substations
and for work performed in them.
(1)
Access and working space. The employer must provide and maintain sufficient
access and working space around electric equipment to permit ready and safe
operation and maintenance of such equipment by employees.
Note to paragraph (1): American National Standard:
National Electrical Safety Code, ANSI/IEEE C2-2012 contains guidelines for the
dimensions of access and working space about electric equipment in substations.
Installations meeting the ANSI provisions comply with paragraph (u)(1) of this
rule. Oregon OSHA will determine whether an installation that does not conform
to this ANSI standard complies with paragraph (1) of this rule based on the
following criteria:
Whether the installation conforms to the edition of ANSI C2
that was in effect when the installation was made.
Whether the configuration of the installation enables employees
to maintain the minimum approach distances, established by the employer under
paragraph (3)(a) of 437-002-2311, while the
employees are working on exposed, energized parts, and
Whether the precautions taken when employees perform work on
the installation provide protection equivalent to the protection provided by
access and working space meeting ANSI/IEEE C2-2012.
(2) Draw-out-type circuit breakers. The
employer must ensure that, when employees remove or insert draw-out-type
circuit breakers, the breaker is in the open position. The employer must also
render the control circuit inoperable if the design of the equipment permits.
(3) Substation fences. Conductive
fences around substations must be grounded. When a substation fence is expanded
or a section is removed, fence sections must be isolated, grounded, or bonded
as necessary to protect employees from hazardous differences in electric
potential.
Note to paragraph (3): IEEE Std 80-2000, IEEE
Guide for Safety in AC Substation Grounding, contains guidelines for protection
against hazardous differences in electric potential.
(4) Guarding of rooms and other spaces
containing electric supply equipment.
(a)
Rooms and other spaces in which electric supply lines or equipment are
installed must meet the requirements of paragraphs (4)(a) through (4)(e) of
this rule under the following conditions:
(A)
If exposed live parts operating at 50 to 150 volts to ground are within 2.4
meters (8 feet) of the ground or other working surface inside the room or other
space,
(B) If live parts operating
at 151 to 600 volts to ground and located within 2.4 meters (8 feet) of the
ground or other working surface inside the room or other space are guarded only
by location, as permitted under paragraph (5)(a) of this rule, or
(C) If live parts operating at more than 600
volts to ground are within the room or other space, unless:
(i) The live parts are enclosed within
grounded, metal-enclosed equipment whose only openings are designed so that
foreign objects inserted in these openings will be deflected from energized
parts, or
(ii) The live parts are
installed at a height, above ground and any other working surface, that
provides protection at the voltage on the live parts corresponding to the
protection provided by a 2.4-meter (8-foot) height at 50 volts.
(b) Fences, screens,
partitions, or walls must enclose the rooms and other spaces so as to minimize
the possibility that unqualified persons will enter.
(c) Unqualified persons may not enter the
rooms or other spaces while the electric supply lines or equipment are
energized.
(d) The employer must
display signs at entrances to the rooms and other spaces warning unqualified
persons to keep out.
(e) The
employer must keep each entrance to a room or other space locked, unless the
entrance is under the observation of a person who is attending the room or
other space for the purpose of preventing unqualified employees from entering.
(5) Guarding of
energized parts.
(a) The employer must
provide guards around all live parts operating at more than 150 volts to ground
without an insulating covering unless the location of the live parts gives
sufficient clearance (horizontal, vertical, or both) to minimize the
possibility of accidental employee contact.
Note to paragraph (5)(a): American National
Standard: National Electrical Safety Code, ANSI/IEEE C2-2002 contains
guidelines for the dimensions of clearance distances about electric equipment
in substations. Installations meeting the ANSI provisions comply with paragraph
(5)(a) of this rule. Oregon OSHA will determine whether an installation that
does not conform to this ANSI standard complies with paragraph (5)(a) of this
rule based on the following criteria:
Whether the installation conforms to the edition of ANSI C2
that was in effect when the installation was made,
Whether each employee is isolated from energized parts at the
point of closest approach; and
Whether the precautions taken when employees perform work on
the installation provide protection equivalent to the protection provided by
horizontal and vertical clearances meeting ANSI/IEEE C2-2002.
(b) Except for fuse replacement and other
necessary access by qualified persons, the employer must maintain guarding of
energized parts within a compartment during operation and maintenance functions
to prevent accidental contact with energized parts and to prevent dropped tools
or other equipment from contacting energized parts.
(c) Before guards are removed from energized
equipment, the employer must install barriers around the work area to prevent
employees who are not working on the equipment, but who are in the area, from
contacting the exposed live parts.
(d) Proper identification and warning signs
must be posted at all entrances to battery rooms or compartments.
(6) Substation entry.
(a) Upon entering an attended substation,
each employee, other than employees regularly working in the station, must
report their presence to the employee in charge of substation activities to
receive information on special system conditions affecting employee safety.
(b) The job briefing required by
437-002-2302 Job Briefing,
Division 2/RR; must cover information on special system conditions affecting
employee safety, including the location of energized equipment in or adjacent
to the work area and the limits of any deenergized work area. Job briefings
apply equally to unattended and attended substations and to employees already
working in a substation and employees who enter a substation.
(c) A qualified safety watch must be provided
for all other work being performed in any energized substation yard except when
the work is separated from all energized equipment by a barrier.
(d) Qualified nonelectrical workers will be
allowed to work in substations without barriers and without a safety watch if
all the following conditions are observed:
(A) Permission to enter must be obtained from
the substation operator or other authorized person.
(B) Each qualified nonelectrical worker must
be trained and competent as required by
437-002-2300(2)(b)
Training, of Division 2/RR, and must have demonstrated proficiencies in the
work practices involved as required by
437-002-2300
(2)(h) Training, Division 2/RR.
Note: Employees who have not demonstrated
proficiency in the work practices involved are considered to be undergoing
on-the-job training and must be under the direct supervision of a qualified
employee.
(C) The worker
must not work off the ground without the specific approval of the person
responsible for control of entry except to operate such equipment as light
motor vehicles, which have no equipment or loads that can project above the
cab.
