Let’s be real: managing a facility is like juggling chainsaws while riding a unicycle. You’re dealing with HVAC complaints, coordinating maintenance schedules, and somehow you’re supposed to be an expert on every system in your building, including the electrical infrastructure that literally keeps everything running.
Here’s the thing: electrical safety isn’t just another box to check on your compliance list. It’s the difference between a normal Tuesday and a facility shutdown that costs your organization thousands of dollars per hour. Whether you’re overseeing a manufacturing plant, commercial office building, or healthcare facility, understanding electrical safety fundamentals can save lives, prevent fires, and keep your operations humming along smoothly.
In this guide, we’re breaking down the most critical electrical safety practices every facility manager needs to know, from understanding OSHA electrical safety requirements to building a preventive maintenance program that actually works. No engineering degree required.
Why Electrical Safety Can’t Wait Until Tomorrow
You know that electrical panel in the back hallway that’s been making a weird buzzing sound? Or that breaker that trips every few weeks but “still works” when you reset it? These aren’t minor annoyances. They’re warnings.
Electrical hazards cause approximately 300 deaths and 4,000 injuries in U.S. workplaces every year. And here’s what keeps facility managers up at night: many of these incidents happen because problems were identified but not addressed promptly. Budget constraints, staffing shortages, or simply not knowing where to start can turn a fixable issue into a catastrophe.
The good news? Most electrical incidents are completely preventable with the right knowledge and procedures in place.
Understanding Your Compliance Requirements
Let’s talk about the alphabet soup of regulations you’re supposed to follow: NFPA 70E, OSHA 1910 Subpart S, and the National Electric Code. Overwhelming, right?
Here’s what matters most. NFPA 70E standards provide the framework for electrical safety in the workplace, focusing on arc flash hazards, proper work practices, and personal protective equipment requirements. OSHA electrical safety regulations, on the other hand, are the legally enforceable standards that your facility must meet to avoid citations and fines.
At Shaw Consulting Services, we’ve seen facility managers stress about compliance when they don’t even know if their electrical systems have been properly assessed. Start with an arc flash risk assessment. This study identifies potential arc flash hazards and establishes safety boundaries for working on energized equipment. Think of it as a roadmap that tells your team exactly what protective equipment they need and when they need it.
The National Electric Safety Code primarily covers utility and communication systems, but understanding its principles helps you communicate more effectively with electrical contractors and utility providers. You don’t need to memorize every section, but knowing these standards exist and having access to experts who understand them is critical.
Building Your Preventive Maintenance Foundation
Most facilities operate on a reactive model: something breaks, then you fix it. But with electrical systems, that approach is like waiting for your check engine light to turn into engine failure before doing an oil change.
Power studies should be your starting point. These comprehensive analyses examine how electricity flows through your facility, identifying potential weak points, overloaded circuits, and equipment that’s operating outside safe parameters. When you know what’s happening with your electrical distribution system, you can plan maintenance before problems occur.
Here’s a practical maintenance schedule that actually works:
- Monthly checks should include visual inspections of electrical panels, looking for signs of overheating, corrosion, or damage. Train your maintenance staff to spot discolored breakers, burning smells, or unusual sounds. These red flags often appear weeks before a complete failure.
- Quarterly tasks should involve testing GFCI outlets and inspecting emergency systems. This is also when you should review incident logs and near-miss reports. Those small incidents often point to bigger systemic issues.
- Annual assessments need to be more thorough. This is where infrared thermography becomes your best friend. Infrared cameras can detect hot spots in electrical equipment before they become fires. We’re talking about identifying a loose connection that’s generating heat, a connection that looks perfectly fine to the naked eye but is months away from causing serious damage.
- And speaking of annual tasks, electrical breaker maintenance and testing should be non-negotiable. Breakers are designed to protect your systems, but over time, they can become less reliable. Regular testing ensures they’ll actually trip when they’re supposed to, not during normal operations (annoying) or worse, fail to trip during an overload (dangerous).
Equipping Your Team Properly
You can have the best electrical safety training in the world, but if your team doesn’t have the right gear, you’re still at risk.
Electrical safety gloves aren’t optional. They’re classified by voltage rating, and using the wrong class for the job is as dangerous as not wearing any protection at all. Class 0 gloves work for up to 1,000 volts, while Class 4 gloves protect against up to 36,000 volts. Your team needs to know which rating matches the work they’re doing.
Beyond gloves, consider the complete PPE package: arc-rated clothing, face shields, insulated tools, and voltage testers. Yes, outfitting your maintenance crew properly costs money upfront. But compared to a single arc flash incident (which can result in medical costs, downtime, and legal liability running into millions), it’s the bargain of the century.
An electrical safety analyzer helps you verify that your equipment is functioning correctly and that safety measures are working as designed. These devices test everything from ground fault protection to insulation resistance, giving you objective data about your system’s condition.
Training That Sticks (Not Just Checks a Box)
Here’s something you already know: sitting your maintenance staff down for a four-hour PowerPoint presentation once a year isn’t effective electrical safety training. People remember what they practice, not what they passively watch.
Effective training involves hands-on scenarios. Practice lockout/tagout procedures on actual equipment. Run through emergency response protocols. Have team members identify hazards during facility walkthroughs. Make it interactive, keep it relevant to your specific facility, and repeat it regularly.
Don’t forget your non-electrical staff either. Everyone in your facility should be familiar with basic electrical safety best practices: avoid overloading outlets, report damaged cords immediately, and stay away from electrical equipment during water leaks. Y’all, this might sound basic, but basic knowledge prevents basic accidents.
Creating Standardized Safety Procedures
Different crews following different procedures? That’s how accidents happen. Your electrical safety protocols need to be documented, accessible, and consistently enforced across every shift and every team.
Create clear, written procedures for common tasks: energizing equipment, working in electrical rooms, responding to power failures, and conducting inspections. Use simple language and include photos or diagrams. Store these procedures where your team can actually access them, not buried in a filing cabinet nobody opens.
Lockout/tagout deserves special attention. This single procedure prevents more electrical accidents than almost any other safety measure. Every person who might work on electrical equipment needs to know how to properly isolate energy sources and verify they’re de-energized before starting work.
At Shaw Consulting Services, we help facility managers develop these standardized procedures based on their specific equipment and operations. Cookie-cutter approaches don’t work when every facility has unique challenges.
Workplace Electrical Safety Culture Starts at the Top
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: if you, as the facility manager, treat electrical safety as a low priority, your team will too. When someone reports a potential hazard, how quickly does it get addressed? When budget cuts come, are safety inspections the first thing eliminated?
Workplace electrical safety succeeds when everyone (from the executive suite to the maintenance closet) understands that safe operations and productive operations aren’t competing priorities. They’re the same thing.
Encourage reporting of near-misses without fear of punishment. Celebrate safety improvements. Make it clear that no deadline is worth risking someone’s life. This isn’t corporate speak. It’s the foundation of a culture where electrical hazard prevention becomes automatic.
When to Call in the Experts
You’re smart. You’re capable. But you’re not an electrical engineer, and you shouldn’t have to be.
Knowing when to bring in specialists for power studies, arc flash assessments, or complex equipment testing isn’t admitting defeat. It’s smart management. These experts can identify issues you’d never spot, interpret test results accurately, and provide recommendations based on thousands of hours of experience across different facilities.
Think of it like car maintenance. You can change your own oil, but when your transmission starts acting funny, you take it to someone who rebuilds transmissions for a living. The same principle applies to your facility’s electrical systems.
Your Action Plan Starting Today
Don’t try to overhaul everything at once. Start with these three steps:
- Schedule a comprehensive assessment of your electrical systems if you haven’t had one in the past three years. Get your baseline data: arc flash study, power quality analysis, and infrared scan of critical equipment.
- Review your current safety procedures and PPE inventory. Are your protocols actually being followed? Does your team have the right equipment for the voltages they’re working with?
- Set up a meeting with your maintenance team and operations leadership. Get everyone aligned on electrical safety priorities and budget needs. When decision-makers understand the risks and costs of inaction, resources tend to become available.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the difference between NFPA 70E and OSHA electrical safety requirements?
NFPA 70E is a consensus standard that provides detailed guidance on electrical safety practices, while OSHA regulations are legally enforceable rules. OSHA often references NFPA 70E as a recognized standard for compliance, so following NFPA 70E guidelines typically helps you meet OSHA requirements. Think of OSHA as the “what” you must do, and NFPA 70E as the “how” to do it properly.
How often should electrical safety training be conducted?
Most organizations should conduct comprehensive electrical safety training annually at a minimum. However, any time there are changes to equipment, procedures, or after an incident or near-miss, retraining should occur. For employees who work regularly with electrical systems, quarterly refreshers on critical procedures like lockout/tagout are recommended.
What’s included in an arc flash risk assessment?
An arc flash risk assessment analyzes your electrical distribution system to determine the potential incident energy from an arc flash at different locations. It includes a detailed study of your electrical drawings, equipment ratings, and fault current levels. The results determine what level of PPE is required for working on specific equipment and establish safe approach boundaries. You’ll receive labeled equipment and documentation that helps protect workers from arc flash hazards.
Can facility managers perform electrical maintenance without an engineering background?
Facility managers can oversee and coordinate electrical maintenance programs without being licensed electricians or engineers. However, actual work on electrical systems should be performed by qualified electrical personnel with appropriate training and certifications. Your role is to understand enough to ask the right questions, recognize potential hazards, and ensure proper procedures are being followed.
How much does it cost to implement a comprehensive electrical safety program?
Costs vary widely based on facility size, equipment complexity, and the current state of your electrical systems. Initial assessments (arc flash studies, power studies, infrared scans) typically range from a few thousand dollars for small facilities to $50,000+ for large industrial operations. However, these costs are minimal compared to the potential expenses from electrical incidents, which can include medical costs, legal liability, equipment damage, and business interruption that easily run into millions.
What are the most common electrical hazards in commercial facilities?
The most frequent hazards include overloaded circuits, damaged cords and equipment, inadequate grounding, lack of proper PPE, working on energized equipment without proper training, and poorly maintained electrical panels. Environmental factors like moisture exposure, corrosion, and aging equipment also create significant risks. Many incidents result from a combination of these factors rather than a single cause.
Do I need special permits to perform electrical maintenance in Atlanta?
Yes, most electrical work in Atlanta requires permits and must be performed by licensed electricians. The City of Atlanta requires electrical permits for the installation, alteration, or repair of electrical systems. Even maintenance work may require permits depending on the scope. Always check with local building officials before starting electrical projects, as working without proper permits can result in fines and insurance complications.
The Bottom Line
Whether you’re dealing with an aging facility that needs attention or a newer building where you want to establish good practices from the start, the principles remain the same: know your systems, maintain them proactively, train your people properly, and don’t hesitate to bring in expertise when needed.
Your facility’s electrical safety program is only as strong as your commitment to making it a priority. So the real question is: what’s your next move?
Need help getting started with electrical safety assessments or wondering where your facility stands? Contact us today and let us help you build a safer, more compliant workplace. Shaw Consulting Services works with facility managers across the Atlanta area to develop practical, cost-effective electrical safety solutions that actually fit your operations and budget.