Is flame-resistant clothing required for employees working on electrical installations covered by Subpart S?
Reply: OSHA’s present requirements in Subpart S, Safety-Related Work Practices, are based on NFPA 70E-1983, which did not at that time include specific provisions for flame-resistant (FR) clothing [protective equipment]. Although more recent versions of NFPA 70E have included such body protection provisions, OSHA has not conducted rulemaking proceedings to update Subpart S by adopting comparable provisions specifically related to the use of FR clothing to protect against arc-flash hazards. OSHA’s existing Subpart S, therefore, does not include a specific requirement for the use of FR clothing. However, arc-flash hazards are addressed in the OSHA electrical safety-related work practices standards. For example, with respect to arc-flash burn hazard prevention, the general provisions for the Selection and use of work practices contained in ยง1910.333(a)(1) generally require deenergization of live parts before an employee works on or near them i.e., employees must first render electric equi
