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Contents
Page last reviewed: 08/21/2007
Highlights
  • Ergonomics: Solutions for Electrical Contractors. OSHA eTool. Describes common hazards that electrical contractors may encounter and possible solutions for these hazards.
  • Hurricane eMatrix. OSHA eTool. Provides information on many of the most common and significant additional hazards that response and recovery workers might encounter when working in an area recently devastated by a hurricane.
    • Restoring Electrical Utilities. Provides an activity sheet is for trained electrical utility workers and supervisors assessing and restoring electrical utility services. For some operations or situations (e.g., permit-required confined space entry, trenching, heavy equipment use) other activity sheets also apply; see related activity sheets.
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Electric Power Generation, Transmission, and Distribution Industry

This page is a part of OSHA's commitment to provide employers and workers in the electric power generation, transmission, and distribution industry with information and assistance to help them comply with OSHA standards and ensure a safe workplace

Electric power companies under federal jurisdiction must comply with Federal OSHA Occupational Safety and Health Standards for general industry (29 CFR 1910).

OSHA Standards

This section highlights OSHA standards, the Regulatory Agenda (a list of actions being taken with regard to OSHA standards), preambles to final rules (background to final rules), Federal Registers (rules, proposed rules, and notices), directives (instructions for compliance officers), and standard interpretations (official letters of interpretation of the standards) related to the electric power generation, distribution, and transmission industry.

Note: Twenty-five states, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands have OSHA-approved State Plans and have adopted their own standards and enforcement policies. For the most part, these States adopt standards that are identical to Federal OSHA. However, some States have adopted different standards applicable to this topic or may have different enforcement policies.

Frequently Cited Standards

The following standards, in order, were the most frequently cited by Federal OSHA during October 2010 through September 2011, in Electric Services Industry Group (SIC code 491).

Other Highlighted Standards

General Industry (29 CFR 1910)

Regulatory Agenda

The OSHA Regulatory Agenda contains an entry related to electric power generation, transmission, and distribution.

Preambles to Final Rules

Federal Registers

Directives

Standard Interpretations

Minimum Approach Distance

Working Alone

Grounding

Fall Protection

Miscellaneous

OSHA Bulletins (SHIBs), (HIBs) and (TIBs)

Construction

For information related to construction, see OSHA's Electric Power Generation, Transmission, and Distribution Industry - Construction page.

Other Federal Agencies

Other federal agencies are involved with many aspects of electric power generation, transmission and distribution. For example, new technologies being developed through the US Department of Energy (DOE) Fossil Energy program could virtually eliminate the sulfur, nitrogen, and mercury pollutants released when coal is burned. It may also be possible to capture greenhouse gases emitted from coal-fired power plants and prevent them from contributing to global warming concerns. Other Federal agencies with jurisdiction and/or safety and health programs pertaining to the electric power generation, transmission, and distribution industry are:

Department of Energy (DOE)

  • Electricity. Indicates that more than half of the electricity generated in the United States comes from coal. For the foreseeable future, coal will continue to be the dominant fuel used for electric power production. The low cost and abundance of coal is one of the primary reasons why consumers in the United States benefit from some of the lowest electricity rates of any free-market economy.

  • Office of Nuclear Safety. Responsible for the nuclear safety requirements in the following rules:

Note: These are NOT OSHA regulations. However, they do provide guidance from their originating organizations related to worker protection.

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)

  • Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Regulates the interstate transmission of electricity, natural gas, and oil. FERC which is an independent agency also reviews proposals to build liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals and interstate natural gas pipelines as well as licensing hydropower projects.
    • Energy Policy Act (EPAct) of 2005. Helps to keep track and participate in the activities surrounding implementation of some of the Act’s requirements.
    • Electric. Has jurisdiction over hydropower projects, but no authority over the construction or maintenance of power generating plants. FERC has significant limited jurisdiction over transmission line siting.

Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)

  • Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). Regulates civilian use of nuclear materials. NRC is an independent agency established by the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 headed by a five-member Commission. Its mission is to regulate the nation's civilian use of byproduct, source, and special nuclear materials to ensure adequate protection of public health and safety, to promote the common defense and security, and to protect the environment.

    Note: These are NOT OSHA regulations. However, they do provide guidance from their originating organizations related to worker protection.

  • 10 CFR, Nuclear regulatory commission

  • Ways To Access NRC's Regulations. Provides access to regulations and guidance.

  • Basic References. Includes links to basic references with regulatory information, key guidance documents, a glossary, general information about NRC and newsletters.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

  • Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Establishes guidelines for protecting the public from radiation exposure, such as when to evacuate or relocate citizens. EPA also monitors and assesses radioactivity in the environment from an accident to define the extent of exposure from that accident. In addition, as the Lead Federal Agency, EPA coordinates the Federal response to an emergency if a nuclear accident occurs in a foreign country or if a domestic emergency involves unregulated material.

  • Clean Energy. Provides objective information about Clean Energy technologies, policy options, create networks between the public and private sectors and provide technical assistance.

  • AP 42, Fifth Edition, Volume I, Chapter 3: Stationary Internal Combustion Sources. Includes information on emissions factors which are representative values that attempts to relate the quantity of a pollutant released to the atmosphere with an activity associated with the release of that pollutant. The full Compilation of Air Pollutant Emission Factors, Volume I: Stationary Point and Area Sources, also known as AP 42, is available for download.
    • Stationary Gas Turbines [84 KB PDF, 20 pages]. (2000, April). Identifies the primary pollutants from gas turbine engines are nitrogen oxides (NOX), carbon monoxide (CO), and to a lesser extent, volatile organic compounds (VOC). Particulate matter (PM) is also a primary pollutant for gas turbines using liquid fuels. Trace to low amounts of HAP and sulfur dioxide (SO2) are emitted from gas turbines. Ash and metallic additives in the fuel may also contribute to PM in the exhaust. Oxides of sulfur (SOX) will only appear in a significant quantity if heavy oils are fired in the turbine. Emissions of sulfur compounds, mainly SO2, are directly related to the sulfur content of the fuel.

  • How does electricity affect the environment? Identifies electricity generation as the dominant industrial source of air emissions in the United States today. Of the total energy consumed in America, about 39% is used to generate electricity. Fossil fuel-fired power plants are responsible for 67% of the nation's sulfur dioxide emissions, 23% of nitrogen oxide emissions, and 40% of man-made carbon dioxide emissions.

    There are links to environmental impacts of electricity generation technologies as well as various energy resources.

  • Natural Gas

  • Coal

  • Oil

  • Nuclear Energy

  • Municipal Solid Waste

  • Hydroelectricity

  • Non-Hydroelectric Renewable Energy

  • Air Emissions

  • Water Resource Use

  • Water Discharge

  • Solid Waste Generation

  • Land Resource Use

  • Ready to Respond: EPA's Radiological Emergency Preparedness and Response Programs. Assigns roles to several Federal agencies that contribute to an emergency response, including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). EPA's three major responsibilities in the Federal Radiological Emergency Response Plan (FRERP) flow from the Agency's overall mission: to protect human health and the environment. FRERP was approved in 1985 and revised in 1996

  • The Emissions and Generation Resource Integrated Database (eGRID). Reports in eGRID 2000, that the average emissions rates in the United States from natural gas-fired generation are: 1135 lbs/MWh of carbon dioxide, 0.1 lbs/MWh of sulfur dioxide, and 1.7 lbs/MWh of nitrogen oxides. In the same report, the EPA found that compared to the average air emissions from coal-fired generation, natural gas produces half as much carbon dioxide, less than a third as much nitrogen oxides, and 1% as much sulfur oxides at the power plant. In addition, the process of extraction, treatment, and transport of the natural gas to the power plant generates additional emissions.

Department of the Interior (DOI)

Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)

  • Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). Provides affordable and reliable power, promotes sustainable economic development, and acts as a steward of the Valley's natural resources as its three-fold mission. The TVA is a federal corporation and the nation’s largest public power company. It operates fossil-fuel, nuclear, and hydropower plants, and also produces energy from renewable sources. It manages the nation’s fifth-largest river system to minimize flood risk, produce power, maintain navigation, provide recreational opportunities, and protect water quality in the 41,000-square-mile watershed.
    • TVA Reservoirs and Power Plants. Provides an interactive map of the entire Tennessee Valley Authority power system, including fossil and nuclear plants, dams and reservoirs. Details are provided on each facility and how they interact.

Industry Hazards

Many of the specific hazards associated with this industry are similar to those found in other large industries. In addition, workers in other industries have experienced electrocution injuries and fatalities from distribution lines, most notably in the telephone and cable industries (see Hazards for Other Workers). The most important hazards associated with the electric power industry are:

Electrocution

Student Safety Manual

  • Electrical Safety: Safety and Health for Electrical Trades--Student Manual [2 MB PDF, 88 pages]. US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Workplace Safety and Health Topic Publication No. 2002-123, (2002, January). Provides a safety and health curriculum for secondary and post-secondary electrical trades courses.

Electrocution Reports

  • Electrical Safety. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Workplace Safety and Health Topic. Provides links to in-house and state based fatality investigation reports of incidents in which electrical incidents resulted in worker deaths, NIOSH publications, and other related web sites.

  • Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Program. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Studies fatal occupational injuries to prevent occupational fatalities across the nation by identifying and investigating work situations at high risk for injury and then formulating and disseminating prevention strategies to those who may intervene in the workplace. It provides users with access to the full text of hundreds of fatality investigation reports, indexes reports by program, industry and cause of fatality. 

  • Journeyman Wireman Electrocuted After Contacting Energized Switchgear Components at Power Plant--West Virginia. FACE 94-10, (1994). A 53-year-old journeyman wireman was electrocuted when he contacted two energized 6.9 kV buss terminals at a power plant.

  • Power Substation Worker Falls 12 Feet to His Death After Contacting a 26,000 Volt Power Line. FACE 91-NJ-003-01, (1991, July 23). A 53-year-old electrical substation mechanic suffered a fatal fall after making contact with an energized 26,000-volt power line. The incident occurred when the victim climbed a ladder and attempted to free a jammed switching device. Thinking that the lines were de-energized, the worker was shocked after touching a live electrical conductor, causing him to fall 12 feet to the ground.

  • Power Company Worker Electrocuted in Underground Utility vault. FACE 8816, (1988). A 35-year-old cable splicer was electrocuted when he contacted an energized pipe that was connected to a 220-volt sump pump.

US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Publications

Falls

  • Worker Deaths by Falls: A Summary of Surveillance Findings and Investigative Case Reports. US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Workplace Safety and Health Topic Publication No. 2000-116, (2000, September). Also available as a 2 MB PDF, 334 pages. Reports that falls from elevations were the fourth leading cause of occupational fatalities from 1980 through 1994. The 8,102 deaths due to falls from elevations accounted for 10% of all fatalities and an average of 540 deaths per year. Between 1982 and 1997, NIOSH investigated 90 falls incidents that resulted in 91 fatalities.

  • A Plant Operator at a Coal Fired Power Generation Plant in Texas, Died When He Fell Between the Bypass Dampers Located in the Flu Gas Disulfurization Unit. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Workplace Safety and Health Topic Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) 98TX23501, (1998, December 28). A 32-year-old plant operator died while performing regularly scheduled maintenance on bypass dampers in the flu gas disulfurization unit at a power generation plant.

  • Electrician Falls to His Death From an Old Wooden Transformer Platform. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Workplace Safety and Health Topic, Iowa Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) 981A053, (1998). A 47-year-old city electrical supervisor died from injuries suffered when he fell 25 feet from a wooden utility platform. The transformer platform was not well designed for safe maintenance work. It was too wide to enable accessing the transformers from a bucket, yet it was not built for safe access while standing on the platform.

  • Lineman Dies from Fall from Utility Pole. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) 8839, (1988). The belt and safety strap worn by the victim would have been adequate to prevent a fall if used, but these were not utilized due to the difficulty in passing the television cable. A second strap, to provide protection until the climber had the primary strap in place above the lower cable, could have prevented this fall. In this incident the victim was only wearing leather (non-insulated) gloves when he contacted the energized line. If insulated gloves and sleeves had been worn, the victim would not have received the electrical shock which contributed to the fatal fall.

  • 33 Year-Old Apprentice Substation Electrician Fatally Injured. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) 8610, (1986). A 33-year-old electrician came into contact with electrical energy while cleaning a substation switch. He died from injuries sustained as a result of falling from the aerial bucket from which he was working. The victim did not have himself belted to the aerial bucket as required. This would have prevented his fall and the injuries sustained in the fall.

  • For additional information, see OSHA's Safety and Health Topics Page on:

Confined Spaces

  • Worker Deaths in Confined Spaces: A Summary of NIOSH Surveillance and Investigative Findings. US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Publication No. 94-103, (1994, January). From December 1983 through September 1993, the deaths of 480 workers in 423 incidents were investigated. Seventy of these investigations involved confined spaces where 109 persons died. In 25 of the confined-space incidents, there were multiple fatalities, including those deaths which involved persons attempting rescue.

  • Preventing Occupational Fatalities in Confined Spaces. US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Workplace Safety and Health Topic Publication No. 86-110, (1986, January). The deaths of workers in confined spaces constitute a recurring occupational tragedy; approximately 60% of these fatalities have involved would-be rescuers. NIOSH investigations indicate that workers usually do not recognize that they are working in a confined space and that they may encounter unforeseen hazards. Testing and evaluation of the atmosphere are typically not initiated prior to entry and monitoring is not performed during the confined space work procedures. Rescue is seldom planned and usually consists of spontaneous reaction in an emergency situation.

  • For additional information, see OSHA's Safety and Health Topics Page on:

Fires and Explosions

Sprains, Strains, and Fractures

Environmental Stress

  • Cold Stress Equation. OSHA Publication 3156, (1999). Also available as a 20 KB PDF, 4 pages. Summarizes information to recognize and avoid hazards associated with working in cold environments.

  • Protecting Workers from Heat Stress [35 KB PDF*, 2 pages]. OSHA Quick Card, (2010). Summarizes information to recognize and avoid hazards associated with working in hot environments.

  • Heat Stress. OSHA Safety and Health Topics Page.

Industry Overview

The electric power industry is a large, diverse, and fully integrated combination of several sub-industries. The major sub-industries and their SIC and NAICS codes are:

2002
NAICS		 1987
SIC		 Corresponding Index Entries
2211 4911 Electric Power Generation, Transmission, and Distribution
22111 4911 Electric Power Generation
221111 4911 Hydroelectric Power Generation
  4911    Electric services-hydroelectric power generation
4931    Electric & other services combined-hydroelectric power generation
4939    Combination utilities-hydroelectric power generation
221112 4911 Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation
  4911    Electric services-electric power generation by fossil fuels
  4931    Electric & other services combined-electric power generation by fossil fuels
  4939    Combination utilities-electric power generation by fossil fuels
221113 4911 Nuclear Electric Power Generation
  4911    Electric services-electric power generation by nuclear fuels
  4931    Electric & other services combined-electric power generation by nuclear fuels
221119 4911 Other Electric Power Generation
  4911    Electric services-other electric power generation
  4931    Electric & other services combined-other power generation
  4939    Combination utilities-other power generation
22112 4911 Electric Power Transmission, Control, and Distribution
221121 4911 Electric Bulk Power Transmission and Control
  4911    Electric services-electric power transmission and control
  4931    Electric & other services combined-electric power transmission
  4939    Combination utilities-electric power transmission
221122 4911 Electric Power Distribution
  4911    Electric services-electric power distribution
  4931    Electric & other services combined-electric power distribution
  4939    Combination utilities-electric power distribution

Hazards for Other Workers

The industries with the highest number of electrocutions were construction, followed by manufacturing, transportation, communications, and public utilities. Although the workers in these industries are not employees of the electric power generation, transmission, and distribution industry, they often work near energized power lines. This subjects them to the risk of electrocution when:

  • A boomed vehicle, truck, or other vehicle comes into contact with electric power distribution or transmission lines,

  • A ladder or scaffold comes into contact with electric power distribution or transmission lines,

  • A backhoe or other digging device comes into contact with underground electric power distribution or transmission lines, or

  • A worker makes bodily contact with electric power distribution or transmission lines.

Cable Installers

Construction Workers

Tree Trimmers

Truck Drivers

Other

Safety References

Workers who will be performing work within the minimum approach distances of power lines established in [29 CFR 1910.269(r)(1)(iii)], training them solely in the use of personal protective equipment such as rubber gloves and sleeves alone will not satisfy the training requirements of 29 CFR 1910.269. The employees must be either (1) trained as qualified employees, or (2) must be undergoing on-the-job training, have demonstrated an ability to perform duties safely at their level of training, and be under the direct supervision of a qualified employee.

Apparel

  • Guidelines for the Enforcement of the Apparel Standard, 29 CFR 1910.269(l)(6). OSHA Standard Interpretation, (1995, August 10). When work is performed within reaching distance of exposed energized parts of equipment, the employee should remove all exposed conductive articles, such as key or watch chains, rings, or wrist watches or bands. Clothing made from acetate, nylon, polyester, or rayon, either alone or in blends, is prohibited unless the employer can demonstrate that the fabric has been treated to withstand the conditions that may be encountered.

Fall Protection

Minimum Approach Distance

  • Clarification of 1910.269 as applied to line-clearance tree-trimming operations. OSHA Standard Interpretation, (1999, April 26). Provides a clarification of line-clearance tree-trimming work. The employees must be either (1) trained as qualified employees, or (2) must be "undergoing on-the-job training," have "demonstrated an ability to perform duties safely at [their] level of training," and be "under the direct supervision of a qualified [employee]."

  • Permit space entry. OSHA Standard Interpretation, (1994, August 8). Provides a response to a question about what confined space entry requirements apply to subcontractors who perform work (not involving power generation, transmission, or distribution) in utility company manholes and vaults.

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Report

  • Worker Deaths by Electrocution: A Summary of Surveillance Findings and Investigative Case Reports. US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Workplace Safety and Health Topic Publication No. 98-131, (1998, May). Also available as a 137 KB PDF, 51 pages. Reports the industries with the highest percentage of electrocutions were construction (40%), transportation, communication, and public utilities (16%), and agriculture, forestry, and fishing (11%).

Additional Information

Related Safety and Health Topics Pages

Training

Other Resources

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