New 2023 NFPA 70B Standards that make electrical infrared inspections Mandatory.

The NFPA 70B Recommended Practice for Electrical Equipment Maintenance has generally
been just that—a recommendation. Since its inception in 1975, it has always been
categorized as a recommended practice.

However, as of January 2023, it has become a recognized standard as the NFPA 70B
Standard for Electrical Equipment Maintenance. The transition means the NFPA
recommendations on what should be done are now standards for electrical equipment
maintenance—setting the stage for OSHA to enforce what must be done.

NFPA 70B Quick Facts
• Consensus standard, effective January 16, 2023
• Used in conjunction with NFPA 70 – National Electrical Code® and NFPA 70E – Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace®
• Not intended to supersede or duplicate manufacturers’ recommendations
• Can become the basis for many enforceable OSHA practices
• Can often be required by insurance companies as a condition for coverage standards for electrical equipment

What is NFPA ? 

The NFPA is a global authority on fire, electrical, and building safety. They produce codes and standards addressing various aspects of electrical safety and reliability, including work practices, equipment maintenance, compliance with electrical regulations, and educational materials.

OSHA often adopts these standards as enforceable.

This standard was also adopted by ANSI. Once a recommended practice, NFPA 70B
is now approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) as a “standard
that can now be both utilized and enforced to ensure that the proper conditions of
maintenance has been established.”

Who is ANSI?

ANSI (American National Standards Institute) is a private non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance U.S. global competitiveness and the American quality of life by promoting, facilitating, and
safeguarding the integrity of the voluntary standardization and conformity assessment system.

OSHA often adopts these standards as enforceable.

Who is OSHA?

 With the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, Congress created the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to ensure safe and healthful working conditions for workers by setting and enforcing standards and by providing training, outreach, education, and assistance. OSHA’s mission is to ensure that employees work in a safe and healthful environment by setting and enforcing standards, and by providing training, outreach, education, and assistance.

Employers must comply with all applicable OSHA standards.

They must also comply with the General Duty Clause of the OSHA Act, which requires employers to keep their workplace free of serious recognized hazards.

Consider This

Your facility relies on proper inspection and maintenance for safe reliable operation.  From the minute you open the door and turn on the lights you are inspecting the predictable functions of your building systems. Inspection is the most important part of maintenance.

 “Just because your facility is working well today, doesn’t mean it will tomorrow. In fact, without proper inspection and maintenance, failure is inevitable.”

When a system or piece of equipment isn’t working as designed or fails, you give it a closer inspection. If a repair is needed, this would be called Reactive Maintenance. You’re waiting for functional failure before taking corrective action. The cost of reactive maintenance is high and indicates a failing preventive maintenance program. This type of maintenance greatly reduces the full life cycle of your equipment.

If a repair is needed on a regular basis to continue reliable operation or at the manufacturer’s recommendation, this would be called Preventive Maintenance. You’re assuming that general maintenance will prevent or stop the failure mode cycle. Only an inspection will prove the effectiveness of your preventive maintenance program.

“Inspections should always inform your maintenance program to ensure the program is effective and efficient. This is one of the many benefits of a Predictive Maintenance Inspection.”

 Early identification of issues before any loss in performance will give you the most options possible for corrective action. Repairs are safer and less costly. When detected early, the issue will have the least impact on your personnel, operations, and production.

                                                                              This is Predictive Inspection.

There’s a lot of information on the Internet about the benefits of Predictive Inspections. 

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