What Electrical Safety Month Actually Means for Industrial Facilities

Every May, National Electrical Safety Month arrives as a signal: electrical risks remain one of the most serious and persistent threats in industrial workplaces. It is a month worth attention, not just because it appears on a safety calendar. The data on electrical injuries and fatalities in industrial sites is a story that facilities managers, EHS professionals, and operations leaders cannot ignore.

Between 2011 and 2024, there were 2,070 workplace fatalities involving electricity in the United States, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Notably, 70% of those fatalities occurred in non-electrical occupations. Most workers killed by electrical risks were not electricians. They were maintenance workers, material handlers, production staff, and others encountering energized equipment while on the job. This pattern immediately affects industrial facilities. Electrical protection cannot be limited to job titles containing ‘electrical.’

The Hazards That Show Up Most in Manufacturing

In industrial facilities, three types of electrical risks cause most incidents. These are electric shock from contact with energized parts, arc flash, and failures in Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) procedures. LOTO failures allow equipment to become unexpectedly energized during maintenance or servicing.

Arc flash is among the most severe. An arc flash event can reach temperatures of 35,000 degrees Fahrenheit. It can also generate blast pressures strong enough to throw a worker across a room. These events are not limited to high-voltage environments. The 2024 edition of NFPA 70E clarified that even 120V circuits can pose arc-flash hazards under certain conditions. These include high available fault current and slow-clearing times. This finding challenges the assumption that lower-voltage systems are inherently safe.

LOTO failures are equally serious and alarmingly common in manufacturing. From 2022 to 2023, LOTO violations increased by 29%, from 1,368 citations across 2,532 inspections. This generated over $20 million in penalties. The manufacturing sector carries much of this burden. Food manufacturing, fabricated metal products, and plastics and rubber products lead in citation counts. In these industries, electrical work is not the primary activity. Instead, workers interact with energized equipment during daily operations. LOTO gaps expose them every shift.

What NFPA 70E and OSHA Actually Require

NFPA 70E, Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace, is the primary standard for industrial and commercial work. The current edition is NFPA 70E-2024, updated every 3 years. OSHA references it as the recognized industry practice for electrical safety. OSHA does not have its own arc-flash standard. Instead, inspectors use the General Duty Clause to cite employers for failing to comply with NFPA 70E. The standard is voluntary but still carries enforcement weight.

For industrial facilities, NFPA 70E compliance centers on several core obligations that are worth reviewing against current practice:

Arc-flash risk assessments must be conducted before any work on or near energized electrical equipment. The assessment determines the incident energy a worker could face. This guides the required PPE category and arc flash boundary distance. The assessment must be reviewed at intervals of no more than 5 years. Updates are needed whenever major modifications or renovations happen. Many facilities perform an initial assessment, but let it go stale as systems change.

Lockout/Tagout documentation must identify and document procedures specific to the workplace and its equipment. The 2024 edition of NFPA 70E requires employers to establish and document a policy for an electrically safe work condition. This policy has to prioritize hazard elimination for any work involving energized equipment. Facilities with LOTO procedures documented only on paper and not verified against current equipment are at high risk.

PPE selection and verification must match the actual arc-flash hazard level identified in the risk assessment. In November 2024, OSHA released new arc flash guidance for the first time in nearly 20 years. The guidance focuses on the lack of arc-rated clothing and PPE in industrial sites. Arc-rated PPE must be tested and rated in calories per square centimeter. Standard flame-resistant clothing without this arc rating does not meet the requirement. This point is often misunderstood in facilities that believe regular FR workwear covers electrical risks.

Training requirements apply to both qualified and unqualified workers. Qualified workers need training specific to the hazards they encounter and the protective measures required. Unqualified workers in proximity to energized equipment need awareness-level training. This must be enough to recognize electrical risks and understand approach boundaries.

Making Electrical Safety Month Meaningful

The value of National Electrical Safety Month is not the campaign itself. It is a prompt to review something that is often deferred in favor of immediate priorities. For industrial facilities, the review should cover several basics. Check whether arc-flash assessments are up to date and correspond to the facility’s electrical system. Confirm that LOTO procedures are specific, documented, and known to workers who must use them. Ensure workers near energized equipment are wearing arc-rated PPE suited to their hazard level. Ensure electrical safety training records remain up to date for all workers. Capture and investigate near misses involving electrical risks, rather than treating them as non-events.

Arbill’s guide on arc flash and electrical safety covers key compliance areas for industrial facilities. Arbill’s safety advisors can help you assess your current program against NFPA 70E and OSHA requirements. Electrical Safety Month is a good time to find out. Safer. Every Day.

What to Do Now

Industrial facilities and EHS leaders can take concrete steps this May to close the gaps that electrical safety reviews most commonly surface:

• Review arc flash assessment currency. Verify that your most recent assessment reflects the facility’s actual electrical system configuration and has been updated within the past five years. Any major equipment additions or modifications since the last assessment require an updated study.
• Audit LOTO procedures against current equipment. Pull your written LOTO procedures and verify them against actual equipment configurations on the floor. Procedures written for previous equipment layouts that no longer match present conditions are a citation and an incident waiting to happen.
• Verify PPE ratings for electrical tasks. Confirm that workers carrying out tasks near energized equipment are wearing arc-rated PPE matched to the incident energy levels identified in your arc flash study. Standard FR clothing is not a substitute for arc-rated protection.
• Check training records for all workers near energized equipment. Confirm that training is up to date for both qualified and unqualified workers, including anyone who works in close proximity to electrical panels, switchgear, or energized machinery as part of their routine tasks.
• Capture and investigate near misses involving electrical risks. If near misses involving electrical equipment are not being reported or investigated, the reporting culture needs attention before an incident provides a more serious prompt.

About Arbill

Arbill is America’s largest women-owned, safety-only distributor, with nearly 80 years of experience protecting workers across manufacturing, warehousing, utilities, construction, and logistics. Arbill provides PPE, safety equipment, technology solutions, and EHS advisory services to high-risk industries nationwide.

If Electrical Safety Month surfaces gaps in your arc flash program, LOTO documentation, or PPE compliance, arrange a conversation with Arbill’s safety advisors before those gaps become citations or incidents. Safer. Every Day.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is National Electrical Safety Month? 

National Electrical Safety Month is observed every May and is led by the Electrical Safety Foundation International. It is designed to raise awareness of electrical dangers in the workplace and at home, and to encourage organizations to review their electrical safety programs and practices.

What is NFPA 70E, and why does it matter? 

NFPA 70E is the standard for electrical safety in the workplace, updated every three years by the National Fire Protection Association. Although technically voluntary, OSHA considers it the recognized industry practice for electrical safety and cites employers who fail to follow its requirements under the General Duty Clause.

How often do arc flash risk assessments need to be updated? 

NFPA 70E requires arc-flash risk assessments to be reviewed at intervals not exceeding 5 years and updated whenever a major modification or renovation affects the electrical system. Facilities that complete an initial assessment and allow it to go stale while equipment changes carry unaddressed compliance risk.

What is the difference between FR clothing and arc-rated PPE? 

Flame-resistant clothing is designed to self-extinguish and resist ignition, but it does not carry an arc rating unless it has been specifically tested for arc flash protection and rated in calories per square centimeter. Standard FR workwear without an arc rating does not meet NFPA 70E requirements for tasks that entail arc-flash exposure.

Why do LOTO violations keep increasing in manufacturing? 

LOTO violations in manufacturing frequently stem from procedures written for one equipment configuration that have not been updated as equipment is modified or replaced. Workers may also follow informal practices that differ from documented procedures under production pressure. Both issues require a system-level response rather than individual retraining alone.