OSHA Releases Final Rule Covering Electrical Safety for Power Plant, Power Line Workers

The Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, in a final rule scheduled for publication in the April 11 Federal Register, includes measures intended to update protections for workers performing construction or maintenance at power plants or on power lines.

The 1,600-page rule (RIN 1218-AB67) brings OSHA’s electricity construction standard in line with present industry consensus standards, replacing OSHA rules adopted in 1972 and 1994.

The new final rule applies to general industry employers covered by 29 C.F.R. § 1910.269, Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution, and construction employers covered by 29 C.F.R. § 1926 Subpart V ...