Design requirements for specific types of electrical protective equipment. Rubber insulating blankets, rubber insulating matting, rubber insulating covers, rubber insulating line hose, rubber insulating gloves, and rubber insulating sleeves shall meet the following requirements:

Manufacture and marking of rubber insulating equipment.

Class 4 equipment shall be marked Class 4.

Electrical requirements.

Equipment shall be capable of withstanding the ac proof-test voltage specified in Table I-1 or the dc proof-test voltage specified in Table I-2.

Workmanship and finish.

Foreign material remains in place when the insulating material is folded and stretches with the insulating material surrounding it.

Note to paragraph (a): Rubber insulating equipment meeting the following national consensus standards is deemed to be in compliance with the performance requirements of paragraph (a) of this section:
American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) D120-09, Standard Specification for Rubber Insulating Gloves.
ASTM D178-01 (2010), Standard Specification for Rubber Insulating Matting.
ASTM D1048-12, Standard Specification for Rubber Insulating Blankets.
ASTM D1049-98 (2010), Standard Specification for Rubber Insulating Covers.
ASTM D1050-05 (2011), Standard Specification for Rubber Insulating Line Hose.
ASTM D1051-08, Standard Specification for Rubber Insulating Sleeves.
The preceding standards also contain specifications for conducting the various tests required in paragraph (a) of this section. For example, the ac and dc proof tests, the breakdown test, the water-soak procedure, and the ozone test mentioned in this paragraph are described in detail in these ASTM standards.
ASTM F1236-96 (2012), Standard Guide for Visual Inspection of Electrical Protective Rubber Products, presents methods and techniques for the visual inspection of electrical protective equipment made of rubber. This guide also contains descriptions and photographs of irregularities that can be found in this equipment.
ASTM F819-10, Standard Terminology Relating to Electrical Protective Equipment for Workers, includes definitions of terms relating to the electrical protective equipment covered under this section.

Design requirements for other types of electrical protective equipment. The following requirements apply to the design and manufacture of electrical protective equipment that is not covered by paragraph (a) of this section:

Voltage withstand. Insulating equipment used for the protection of employees shall be capable of withstanding, without failure, the voltages that may be imposed upon it.

Note to paragraph (b)(1): These voltages include transient overvoltages, such as switching surges, as well as nominal line voltage. See appendix B to § 1910.269 for a discussion of transient overvoltages on electric power transmission and distribution systems. See IEEE Std 516-2009, IEEE Guide for Maintenance Methods on Energized Power Lines, for methods of determining the magnitude of transient overvoltages on an electrical system and for a discussion comparing the ability of insulation equipment to withstand a transient overvoltage based on its ability to withstand ac voltage testing.

Equipment current.

When insulating equipment is tested in accordance with paragraph (b)(2)(i) of this section, the equipment current may not exceed 1 microampere per kilovolt of phase-to-phase applied voltage.

Note 1 to paragraph (b)(2): This paragraph applies to equipment that provides primary insulation of employees from energized parts. It does not apply to equipment used for secondary insulation or equipment used for brush contact only.

Note 2 to paragraph (b)(2): For ac excitation, this current consists of three components: Capacitive current because of the dielectric properties of the insulating material itself; conduction current through the volume of the insulating equipment; and leakage current along the surface of the tool or equipment. The conduction current is normally negligible. For clean, dry insulating equipment, the leakage current is small, and the capacitive current predominates.

Note to paragraph (b): Plastic guard equipment is deemed to conform to the performance requirements of paragraph (b) of this section if it meets, and is used in accordance with, ASTM F712-06 (2011), Standard Test Methods and Specifications for Electrically Insulating Plastic Guard Equipment for Protection of Workers.

In-service care and use of electrical protective equipment -

General. Electrical protective equipment shall be maintained in a safe, reliable condition.

Specific requirements. The following specific requirements apply to rubber insulating blankets, rubber insulating covers, rubber insulating line hose, rubber insulating gloves, and rubber insulating sleeves:

Insulating equipment shall be inspected for damage before each day's use and immediately following any incident that can reasonably be suspected of causing damage. Insulating gloves shall be given an air test, along with the inspection.

Note to paragraph (c)(2)(ii): ASTM F1236-96 (2012), Standard Guide for Visual Inspection of Electrical Protective Rubber Products, presents methods and techniques for the visual inspection of electrical protective equipment made of rubber. This guide also contains descriptions and photographs of irregularities that can be found in this equipment.

Insulating equipment shall be cleaned as needed to remove foreign substances.

Protector gloves need not be used with Class 0 gloves, under limited-use conditions, when small equipment and parts manipulation necessitate unusually high finger dexterity.

Note to paragraph (c)(2)(vii)(A): Persons inspecting rubber insulating gloves used under these conditions need to take extra care in visually examining them. Employees using rubber insulating gloves under these conditions need to take extra care to avoid handling sharp objects.

If the voltage does not exceed 250 volts, ac, or 375 volts, dc, protector gloves need not be used with Class 00 gloves, under limited-use conditions, when small equipment and parts manipulation necessitate unusually high finger dexterity.

Note to paragraph (c)(2)(vii)(B): Persons inspecting rubber insulating gloves used under these conditions need to take extra care in visually examining them. Employees using rubber insulating gloves under these conditions need to take extra care to avoid handling sharp objects.

The test method used under paragraphs (c)(2)(viii) and (c)(2)(xi) of this section shall reliably indicate whether the insulating equipment can withstand the voltages involved.

Note to paragraph (c)(2)(ix): Standard electrical test methods considered as meeting this paragraph are given in the following national consensus standards:
ASTM D120-09, Standard Specification for Rubber Insulating Gloves.
ASTM D178-01 (2010), Standard Specification for Rubber Insulating Matting.
ASTM D1048-12, Standard Specification for Rubber Insulating Blankets.
ASTM D1049-98 (2010), Standard Specification for Rubber Insulating Covers.
ASTM D1050-05 (2011), Standard Specification for Rubber Insulating Line Hose.
ASTM D1051-08, Standard Specification for Rubber Insulating Sleeves.
ASTM F478-09, Standard Specification for In-Service Care of Insulating Line Hose and Covers.
ASTM F479-06 (2011), Standard Specification for In-Service Care of Insulating Blankets.
ASTM F496-08, Standard Specification for In-Service Care of Insulating Gloves and Sleeves.

The employer shall certify that equipment has been tested in accordance with the requirements of paragraphs (c)(2)(iv), (c)(2)(vii)(D), (c)(2)(viii), (c)(2)(ix), and (c)(2)(xi) of this section. The certification shall identify the equipment that passed the test and the date it was tested and shall be made available upon request to the Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health and to employees or their authorized representatives.

Note to paragraph (c)(2)(xii): Marking equipment with, and entering onto logs, the results of the tests and the dates of testing are two acceptable means of meeting the certification requirement.

Table I-1–AC Proof-Test Requirements

Table I-2–DC Proof-Test Requirements

Note: The dc voltages listed in this table are not appropriate for proof testing rubber insulating line hose or covers. For this equipment, dc proof tests shall use a voltage high enough to indicate that the equipment can be safely used at the voltages listed in Table I-4. See ASTM D1050-05 (2011) and ASTM D1049-98 (2010) for further information on proof tests for rubber insulating line hose and covers, respectively.

Table I-3–Glove Tests–Water Level¹²

¹ The water level is given as the clearance from the reinforced edge of the glove to the water line, with a tolerance of ±13 mm. (±0.5 in.).

² If atmospheric conditions make the specified clearances impractical, the clearances may be increased by a maximum of 25 mm. (1 in.).

Table I-4–Rubber Insulating Equipment, Voltage Requirements

¹ The maximum use voltage is the ac voltage (rms) classification of the protective equipment that designates the maximum nominal design voltage of the energized system that may be safely worked. The nominal design voltage is equal to the phase-to-phase voltage on multiphase circuits. However, the phase-to-ground potential is considered to be the nominal design voltage if:

(1) There is no multiphase exposure in a system area and the voltage exposure is limited to the phase-to-ground potential, or

(2) The electric equipment and devices are insulated or isolated or both so that the multiphase exposure on a grounded wye circuit is removed.

² The proof-test voltage shall be applied continuously for at least 1 minute, but no more than 3 minutes.

Table I-5–Rubber Insulating Equipment, Test Intervals

¹ If the insulating equipment has been electrically tested but not issued for service, the insulating equipment may not be placed into service unless it has been electrically tested within the previous 12 months.