Most electrical injuries come from a few habits: working live because it is quicker, trusting a switch instead of a test, carrying a metal ladder under a line. OSHA's electrical work practice rules for general industry address each of them. This quiz reviews those rules, with the paragraph of 29 CFR 1910 Subpart S behind every answer.
Which rules apply, and who must be trained
OSHA's electrical standards for general industry are in 29 CFR 1910 Subpart S: installation requirements, and the safety-related work practices of 1910.331 to 1910.335. Training is required for employees who face a risk of electric shock that the installation requirements do not reduce to a safe level, such as electricians, welders, industrial machine operators and their supervisors (29 CFR 1910.332). It can be classroom or on the job, scaled to the risk.
A qualified person, permitted to work on or near exposed energized parts, is trained at least to tell exposed live parts from other parts, to determine their nominal voltage, and in the required clearance distances (1910.332(b)(3)). Many employers also use NFPA 70E, a consensus standard published by the National Fire Protection Association; it is not an OSHA regulation, and this quiz sticks to the text of the CFR.
Deenergize first, then verify
Live parts are deenergized before work on or near them, unless the employer can show that deenergizing creates greater hazards, like shutting down life support or alarms, or is infeasible (29 CFR 1910.333(a)(1)). Then:
- Push buttons, selector switches and interlocks are never the only means of deenergizing (1910.333(b)(2)(ii)(B)).
- Stored energy is released: capacitors discharged, high capacitance elements short-circuited and grounded (b)(2)(ii)(C).
- A lock and a tag go on each disconnecting means (b)(2)(iii)(A).
- A qualified person uses test equipment to verify that parts are deenergized before anyone works on them (b)(2)(iv)(B).
Working near live parts and overhead lines
Only qualified persons work on parts that have not been deenergized (1910.333(c)(2)). Unqualified persons, and the longest conductive object they handle, stay at least 10 feet from unguarded overhead lines up to 50 kV (c)(3)(i). Portable ladders near exposed energized parts need nonconductive siderails, conductive jewelry stays off, and nobody reaches blindly into spaces that may hold live parts (c)(4), (c)(7), (c)(8). The working space around electric equipment is never used for storage (29 CFR 1910.303(g)(1)).
Using the quiz
Play it with mixed groups: unqualified employees learn what not to touch and how far to stay from lines, qualified ones review lockout and testing. Quizhat is an independent tool, not affiliated with or endorsed by OSHA.