Issue link: https://cp.revolio.com/i/488587
www.datacenterjournal.com 4 | THE DATA CENTER JOURNAL t he reason behind this increased scrutiny is alarming. Every year, more than 400 fatalities and nearly 10,000 serious injuries occur because of electrocution and related incidents. Arc-flash incidents alone—which are caused by arcing from an electrical fault, potentially creating a blast similar to an explosion—happen up to five times a day and result in one death every single workday. Because many business-critical facilities do not take equipment offline for service, data center employees are at even greater risk of injury due to arc flash. What's more, greater overall energy us- age as well as higher system voltages and available fault currents means the risk of arc-flash hazards is increasing steadily. neW regulations manDate safer Practices In response to the increased risk, organizations including OSHA and the Na- tional Fire Protection Association (NFPA) have developed even more stringent stan- dards to help create safe environments and prevent electrical accidents. Specifically, the 2015 version of NFPA 70E Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace, which became effective in August 2014, intro- duced changes to safety, training and main- tenance requirements. e changes help facilitate greater awareness and mitigation of electrical hazards. ey require data center managers to take action by revising and updating safety policies to better pro- tect workers and ensure compliance. Although NFPA 70E is not yet an enforceable document in its entirety, NFPA standards serve as part of electrical-safety practices and are oen referenced as part of an OSHA citation. Furthermore, compli- ance with the standards is about the only practical way to demonstrate compliance with OSHA codes and regulations, which are mandatory. If a data center is noncompliant, it not only jeopardizes the safety of its work- ers, it also faces hey fines; potentially costly business disruptions and down- time; damage to equipment and facilities; increased insurance premiums; and even litigation. With so much at risk, data center managers must get up to speed with the latest electrical-code updates. And they must make the appropriate changes to pro- tect their workers and their bottom lines. creating a coDe-comPliant Data center Ensuring that your data center complies with the latest electrical standards begins with understanding what's new. All data center managers must be aware of the following recent regulatory updates, which specify the need to do the following: Qualify workers. OSHA and NFPA recognize the importance of ensuring worker qualifica- tion. To be qualified to work on or around electrical equipment, a worker must dem- onstrate the ability to use—and not just be familiar with the use of—special precau- tionary techniques, personal protective equipment (PPE) including arc flash suits, insulating and shielding materials, and insulated tools and test equipment. Quali- fied persons who perform maintenance on electrical equipment and installations must also be trained and familiar with the specific maintenance and test procedures required. Audit safety policies and programs. NFPA 70E requires employers to develop, implement and document an overall safety program. e program must be designed to train employees and promote awareness of electrical hazards. It should identify hazard/risk-evaluation pro- cedures, electrically safe work procedures, required tools and PPE, and-risk mitiga- tion strategies. NFPA requires data centers to audit their electrical-safety programs at least every three years to ensure compliance. e audits must be documented, and any deficiencies need to be addressed to bring all elements of the safety program into compliance. Provide training for all at-risk workers. Employees who work around—not just on—energized electrical equipment must be safety trained, preferably via an instructor-led course as opposed to web- based training. Qualified electrical workers permitted to work within the limited approach boundary of exposed energized electrical conductors and circuit parts op- erating at 50 volts or more must be trained to understand and observe minimum ap- proach distances to exposed parts. In addition, retraining must occur at least every three years, whenever new procedures or practices are introduced, or when an audit indicates a need for ad- ditional training. Audit safety-training programs. All employee training must be docu- mented and training programs must be audited every three years. Inspect workers annually. Data centers must conduct annual inspections to ensure each employee is complying with safety-related work prac- tices. e annual audit requirement applies to work involving electrical equipment. Maintain an up-to-date single-line diagram. Data center managers must main- tain an accurate, up-to-date and legible single-line diagram. A single-line diagram provides a simplified representation of the power-distribution system. It uses "one line" to represent all three-phase (plus ground and neutral) conductors of a The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) is cracking down on data centers. Citations are on the rise, especially when it comes to employees performing electrical maintenance on or near energized equipment.