based on NFPA 70E®, OSHA and Industry Best Practices

Both NFPA 70E® and OSHA training require that electrical safety training for Qualified Persons be done in the classroom or on-the-job, or a combination of the two. Ideally the formal training part is done live in the classroom with equipment and task training done on the job.

With the advent of technology, instructor-lead electrical safety webinars have become generally acceptable as an alternative to live training, but it doesn’t come without its drawbacks. Most adult learners become bored and disengaged with webinars longer than 45 – 60 minutes, so performing a 1/2 day or 1 day webinar can be challenging for both the learners and instructor. Further, the webinars do not provide any hands-on or real-world training possibilities and are lecture only, requiring additional training to be done on site by the employer (see Electrical Qualified Person training requirements FAQ).

While OSHA has not changed its language on electrical training requirements, NFPA 70E® has expanded the definition of “classroom training” in a footnote to include “interactive electronic or interactive web-based training components.”  These definitions can appear to be too broad and not in the spirit of the requirements by OSHA, depending on how the reader translates this footnote.

The only requirements is that the electrical safety training cover the necessary requirements by OSHA and NFPA 70E®. A shorter course (1/2 to 1 day) is normally for those who are experienced Qualified Persons and have already had full electrical safety training in the past 3 years and are using the shorter course as a refresher.  To cover the updates with NFPA 70E® along with the standard requirements, 1.5 – 2 days of training is  normally required.  If you want hands-on training and validation, the training can be 3 – 5 days.

When looking at the length of training, there are several factors to consider, including:

1. When was the last time the workers were trained?  Have the received updated information on the last release of NFPA 70E®?  If not, covering this information will take more time to cover.
2. How experienced are your workers that interact with energized electrical circuits, and what is the level of hazard they encounter?
3. Do you want hands-on and interactive training, or just lecture?
4. Are you looking for standard information only, or are you looking for electrical safety training that covers all of the requirements such as meter selection, job safety planning, etc.?
5. Do you want real-world electrical safety processes and examples and situations of the equipment and tasks that your workers encounter?
6. Do you want hands-on testing and validation of electrical safety work practices and / or validation on specific equipment and tasks?