SSSTS – Site Supervisors Safety Training Scheme (SSSTS)

Correct: According to NFPA 70E Article 110.2, training for electrical workers must be classroom-based, on-the-job, or a combination of both. It must ensure that employees are able to identify and understand the hazards associated with their work. Furthermore, the standard explicitly requires that retraining be performed at intervals not to exceed three years, or sooner if there are changes in the workplace, equipment, or if the employee is not following safe work practices.

Incorrect: The requirement for a master electrician license is a state licensing issue and does not define a qualified person under NFPA 70E, which focuses on specific task-based safety training. While retraining is required after safety violations or equipment changes, the standard also mandates a maximum three-year interval regardless of performance. Finally, NFPA 70E requires that all training, including the content and the names of the employees, be documented throughout the duration of employment.

Takeaway: NFPA 70E requires documented training that enables hazard recognition, with mandatory retraining at least every three years or upon significant changes in the work environment.

Correct: According to NFPA 70E Article 120.5, the process for establishing an electrically safe work condition requires that the absence of voltage be verified before any grounding equipment is applied. Furthermore, temporary protective grounding equipment must be rated for the maximum available fault current and the duration of the fault to ensure it can safely clear a fault without failing or creating additional hazards.

Incorrect: Applying grounding cables before verifying the absence of voltage is a critical safety violation that could result in an arc flash if the system is still energized. Relying solely on the permanent equipment grounding conductor is insufficient for temporary protective grounding, as it may not be rated for the specific fault currents or accessible at the point of work. Bonding to building steel is a permanent safety feature but does not replace the requirement for temporary grounding to protect workers from induced voltages or accidental re-energization during maintenance.

Takeaway: Temporary protective grounding must only be applied after verifying the absence of voltage and must be specifically rated for the system’s available fault current.

Correct: NFPA 70E 130.7(C)(9) explicitly prohibits the use of meltable synthetic materials such as acetate, nylon, polyester, polypropylene, and spandex in undergarments. This is because an arc flash generates intense thermal energy that can pass through the arc-rated outer layer; if the undergarment is meltable, it can melt onto the skin, causing severe and permanent injury, regardless of whether the outer layer was breached or ignited.

Incorrect: NFPA 70E allows the use of non-melting, flammable fibers like 100% cotton, silk, or wool as undergarments, so requiring all layers to be arc-rated is not a standard requirement. There is no specific NFPA 70E requirement for a safety factor margin beyond the rating being equal to or greater than the hazard. While daily inspections of PPE are required before each use, the standard focuses on the overall condition and cleanliness rather than a specific mandate for daily internal seam checks for thread degradation.

Takeaway: Undergarments made of meltable synthetic materials are strictly prohibited under arc-rated clothing because they can melt to the wearer’s skin during a thermal event.

Correct: NFPA 70E Section 110.5(M)(1) explicitly states that the Electrical Safety Program shall be audited at intervals not to exceed 3 years. This programmatic audit is necessary to ensure that the written procedures, risk assessment processes, and safety principles align with the most recent safety standards and organizational needs.

Incorrect: The requirement for a program audit is a fixed time-based mandate and is not contingent upon changes in personnel or facility infrastructure. While field work audits are required annually under 110.5(M)(2) to verify employee compliance, they are a separate requirement from the comprehensive program audit and do not satisfy the 3-year program review. A five-year interval exceeds the maximum three-year limit established by the standard.

Takeaway: NFPA 70E mandates a comprehensive audit of the Electrical Safety Program at least every three years, independent of employee field audits or incident history.

Correct: According to NFPA 70E Article 120.5(7), the process for establishing an electrically safe work condition requires that the test instrument be verified on a known voltage source before and after the test. This ‘Live-Dead-Live’ procedure ensures that the meter is functioning correctly and has not failed during the measurement, preventing a false negative reading that could lead to accidental contact with energized parts.

Incorrect: Using non-contact proximity detectors is generally discouraged as the primary verification method because they may not detect shielded cables or DC voltage and are prone to interference. Relying on pilot lights or visual indicators is a violation of safety standards because indicators can fail or be wired incorrectly, providing a false sense of security. Testing only at the disconnect switch is insufficient because it does not account for potential backfeeds, stored energy, or downstream sources that may still be present at the actual point of work.

Takeaway: The Live-Dead-Live method is the mandatory standard for verifying that a test instrument is functioning properly when establishing an electrically safe work condition.

Correct: According to NFPA 70E Section 110.1(I), a job safety plan must be completed by a qualified person for each task and must be documented. This plan must include a description of the job, identification of electrical hazards, a risk assessment, and the work procedures involved. Additionally, a job briefing must be held before starting each job to ensure that all employees involved understand the hazards and the required safety procedures.

Incorrect: Maintaining only a verbal agreement is insufficient because NFPA 70E specifically requires the job safety plan to be documented. The claim that briefings are only for energized work is incorrect; safety planning and briefings are required for all electrical work, including de-energized tasks. Deferring documentation until the end of the project violates the requirement that the plan be completed and the briefing held before the work begins.

Takeaway: NFPA 70E mandates that every electrical task be preceded by a documented job safety plan and a job briefing to ensure all personnel are aware of hazards and risk control measures.

Correct: An effective ground-fault current path must be permanent, continuous, and have low impedance to facilitate the operation of the overcurrent protective device (OCPD). According to NFPA 70E and the NEC, the earth is not permitted to be used as the sole equipment grounding conductor because its resistance is too high to allow enough current to flow to trip a breaker or blow a fuse. Consequently, if a ground fault occurs, the metal frame of the equipment will remain energized at line voltage, posing a severe shock hazard to anyone who touches it.

Incorrect: The lack of a direct bond to the neutral bus (Option B) primarily affects the stability of the system voltage and the ability to clear faults, but it does not directly cause the dielectric failure of insulated tools. Arc flash incident energy (Option C) is determined by the magnitude of the fault current and the duration of the fault; while grounding affects these, there is no standard 1.5 multiplier associated with ground rods. Lockout/tagout compliance (Option D) is focused on the isolation of energy sources and the verification of a zero-energy state; while grounding is part of safety, LOTO verification is not dependent on the presence of a grounding bus for the use of proximity testers.

Takeaway: An effective ground-fault current path must have low impedance to ensure overcurrent devices trip quickly during a fault, preventing equipment enclosures from remaining energized at lethal voltages.

Correct: According to NFPA 70E, when working in hazardous (classified) locations, electrical equipment and tools must be specifically rated for the environment (e.g., intrinsically safe). If non-rated equipment is used, the risk assessment must ensure the atmosphere is made non-hazardous through ventilation and confirmed via continuous monitoring before and during the work. Using standard equipment in a Class I, Division 1 area without these specific mitigations introduces a high risk of ignition in an explosive atmosphere.

Incorrect: The failure to renew a general permit within 24 hours is an administrative oversight but does not directly address the physical ignition hazard posed by the equipment. While a safety watch is a valid precaution for many energized tasks, it does not mitigate the primary hazard of using non-rated electrical tools in an explosive environment. The lack of a calibration sticker is a quality control and maintenance issue rather than a specific NFPA 70E safety violation regarding hazardous location classifications.

Takeaway: In hazardous locations, the risk assessment must prioritize the elimination of ignition sources by using rated equipment or ensuring the atmosphere is rendered non-explosive through monitored engineering controls.

Correct: According to NFPA 70E, before any work is performed on or near energized electrical equipment, the immediate priority is to perform a risk assessment. This process involves identifying the hazards (shock and arc flash), estimating the likelihood and severity of injury, and determining the necessary protective measures, including Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and the establishment of limited and restricted approach boundaries. Even in emergency systems where uptime is critical, the safety of the personnel must be established through a formal assessment before physical interaction with the equipment occurs.

Incorrect: Manually forcing a transfer switch without a risk assessment is extremely dangerous and could trigger an arc flash event. Reviewing single-line diagrams is a secondary step for system understanding but does not address the immediate physical hazards present at the equipment. Initiating a visual inspection inside the enclosure involves entering the restricted or limited approach boundaries, which requires the worker to have already completed the risk assessment and donned the appropriate PPE.

Takeaway: The safety of the electrical worker, established through a formal risk assessment and hazard identification, must always precede troubleshooting or maintenance actions, regardless of the system’s criticality.

Correct: According to NFPA 70E Section 110.2, retraining for qualified persons must be performed at intervals not to exceed three years. Furthermore, the standard requires that the employer document that each employee has received the training required, and this documentation must be made when the employee demonstrates proficiency in the work practices involved. The documentation must contain the content of the training, each employee’s name, and the dates of the training.

Incorrect: The suggestion that retraining is only mandatory upon a violation or equipment change is incorrect because NFPA 70E establishes a hard limit of three years for retraining regardless of performance. The claim that unqualified persons are exempt from training is false; unqualified persons must be trained in and be familiar with any electrical safety-related practices necessary for their safety. The idea that qualified status is maintained indefinitely through performance reviews alone contradicts the regulatory requirement for periodic formal retraining and documentation.

Takeaway: Qualified persons must receive documented retraining at least every three years to ensure continued proficiency and compliance with evolving safety standards.