Electrical Safety in General Industry is OSHA's set of rules in 29 CFR 1910 Subpart S that governs how workplace electrical systems are designed and installed and how employees work on or near them. It protects electricians, maintenance technicians, machine operators and anyone else who could be shocked, burned or caught in an arc flash.
Nearly every general industry workplace is covered, because nearly every workplace has wiring, panels and cords. The work practice rules matter most for maintenance and facilities teams who open panels, troubleshoot circuits or work near overhead lines.
What Is OSHA Subpart S?
Subpart S runs from 1910.301 to 1910.399. As described in 1910.301, it has two active parts plus definitions:
- Design safety standards (1910.302 to 1910.308). How equipment and wiring are installed: approval of equipment, working space, guarding of live parts, grounding, overcurrent protection, wiring methods, flexible cords and hazardous (classified) locations.
- Safety-related work practices (1910.331 to 1910.335). Rules for people working on or near electrical equipment: training, deenergizing and lockout, approach distances, use of equipment and protective equipment.
- Definitions (1910.399). The meanings of approved, listed, labeled, qualified person and other terms.
Sections reserved for maintenance requirements and special equipment currently contain no text.
Qualified and unqualified persons
The work practice rules depend on whether an employee is a qualified person, meaning someone trained to avoid the electrical hazards of working on or near exposed energized parts. A note to 1910.332 says an employee must have the specific training in 1910.332(b)(3) to be treated as qualified. Qualification is task specific: a person can be qualified for some equipment and unqualified for other equipment.
Who Must Comply?
Subpart S applies to general industry employers. The design rules in 1910.302 cover electrical installations and utilization equipment on the employer's premises, including buildings, yards and parking lots. Ships, aircraft and installations under the exclusive control of electric utilities are among the exclusions.
Installation date matters. Under 1910.302(b), a core set of design requirements applies to all installations regardless of when they were designed. Most of 1910.302 to 1910.308 applies to installations made or overhauled after March 15, 1972, and a smaller set applies only to installations after April 16, 1981 or after August 13, 2007.
The work practice rules cover both qualified and unqualified persons working on, near or with premises wiring. Under 1910.331(c), they do not apply to qualified persons working on electric power generation, transmission and distribution installations, which fall under 1910.269, or on certain communications, vehicle and railway installations. Construction work is covered by 29 CFR 1926 Subpart K. In states with OSHA-approved state plans, the state's rules apply and may be stricter.
Key Requirements
Approved and properly installed equipment
Under 1910.303(a) and (b), electrical equipment must be approved and free from recognized hazards likely to cause death or serious physical harm. Listed or labeled equipment must be installed and used according to its listing or labeling instructions. Unused openings in boxes, cabinets and housings must be effectively closed.
Working space around equipment
1910.303(g) requires clear working space around equipment that may need examination, adjustment, servicing or maintenance while energized. For 600 volts or less, Table S-1 sets the minimum depth: 3 feet for 0 to 150 volts, and 3 to 4 feet for 151 to 600 volts depending on what faces the worker. The space must be at least 30 inches wide or the width of the equipment, whichever is greater, and may not be used for storage.
Guarding, grounding and GFCIs
Live parts operating at 50 volts or more must be guarded against accidental contact. 1910.304 requires grounding paths that are permanent and continuous, overcurrent protection matched to conductor capacity, and ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) protection in certain locations, such as 125-volt, 15- and 20-amp receptacles in bathrooms and on rooftops and receptacles on temporary wiring used during construction-like activities.
Flexible cords and temporary wiring
Under 1910.305(g)(1)(iv), flexible cords may not substitute for fixed wiring, run through walls or doorways, or be attached to building surfaces. Temporary wiring is limited to specific uses, such as remodeling, maintenance, repair, experimental work and emergencies, plus decorative lighting for no more than 90 days, and must be removed when the purpose ends.
Training
1910.332 requires training for employees whose risk of shock is not reduced to a safe level by the installation rules. Table S-4 lists typical higher-risk occupations, including electricians, welders, mechanics and repairers, industrial machine operators, material handling equipment operators and blue collar supervisors. Qualified persons must at least be trained to distinguish exposed live parts, determine their nominal voltage and know the clearance distances in 1910.333(c). Training may be classroom or on the job.
Deenergize first
1910.333(a)(1) requires live parts to be deenergized before an employee works on or near them, unless the employer can show that deenergizing introduces additional or increased hazards or is infeasible because of equipment design or operational limits. Live parts under 50 volts to ground need not be deenergized if there is no increased exposure to burns or arc explosion.
Electrical lockout and tagging
1910.333(b)(2) sets lockout and tagging steps for fixed equipment. The employer must keep written procedures available for inspection. Control devices such as push buttons and interlocks cannot be the only means of deenergizing. Stored energy must be released, and a lock and tag placed on each disconnecting means. Before work starts, a qualified person must verify the equipment cannot restart and use test equipment to confirm the circuit is deenergized. A lockout/tagout program that meets the Control of Hazardous Energy standard is accepted if it also covers electrical hazards and includes these electrical steps.
Working on or near energized parts
Only qualified persons may work on energized parts. For overhead lines, unqualified employees and any conductive object they handle must stay at least 10 feet from unguarded energized lines of 50 kV or less, plus 4 inches for every 10 kV above 50 kV. The same baseline applies to vehicles and mechanical equipment, with limited exceptions. Other rules in 1910.333(c) cover lighting, nonconductive ladder siderails, conductive jewelry and clothing, and defeating interlocks.
Equipment use and protective equipment
1910.334 covers handling and inspecting portable electric equipment, removing damaged equipment from service and not reclosing a tripped circuit until it is safe. 1910.335 requires electrical personal protective equipment, insulated tools and alerting methods such as safety signs, barricades and attendants.
Records, Training and Inspection
Subpart S does not set a fixed retraining interval or a retention period for electrical training records. In practice, employers should keep:
- The written electrical lockout and tagging procedures required by 1910.333(b)(2)(i).
- Training records showing who is designated as a qualified person, and for which equipment and voltages.
- Inspection and test records for GFCIs, cords, portable equipment and any assured equipment grounding conductor program.
- Inspection and test records for rubber insulating equipment under 1910.137.
Common Violations and Penalties
- Blocked panels. Storage in the working space in front of panels and disconnects.
- Cords used as permanent wiring. Extension cords run through walls or doorways to feed fixed equipment.
- Open knockouts and missing covers. Unused openings in boxes and panels left uncovered.
- Working hot without justification. Repairs on energized equipment when deenergizing was feasible.
- Skipping verification. Applying locks but not testing for absence of voltage.
- Undocumented qualification. No record of which employees are qualified persons.
OSHA's maximum civil penalties for penalties assessed after January 15, 2026 are $16,550 per serious or other-than-serious violation and $165,514 per willful or repeated violation. Amounts are adjusted annually, so check OSHA's penalties page for current figures.
How to Comply: Step by Step
- Inventory electrical equipment. List panels, disconnects, temporary wiring and hazardous locations, with voltages.
- Inspect installations. Check working space, covers, grounding, GFCI protection and cord use against 1910.303 to 1910.305.
- Assess electrical tasks. Use a risk assessment to find tasks that expose employees to energized parts and choose controls.
- Write electrical lockout procedures. Cover deenergizing, locks and tags, stored energy and testing for absence of voltage.
- Designate and train qualified persons. Cover the 1910.332(b)(3) topics, and train other at-risk employees on the practices that apply to them.
- Provide protective equipment. Supply insulated tools, rated gloves, face and eye protection and alerting devices, and keep them inspected.
- Control energized work. Require a documented justification and plan before any work on exposed live parts.
- Audit and correct. Inspect regularly and track corrective actions to closure.
How SMS360 Helps
SMS360's Risk Assessment module gives safety teams a consistent way to evaluate electrical tasks, rate hazards and record the controls chosen for each job. Assessments can be completed on mobile devices, linked to corrective actions with owners and due dates, and reviewed on dashboards so managers can see which electrical hazards remain open. Alongside SMS360's training and document tools, teams can keep electrical procedures, qualified person training records and inspection checklists in one place.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is OSHA Subpart S?
Subpart S is the electrical section of OSHA's general industry standards, 29 CFR 1910.301 through 1910.399. It covers how electrical systems must be designed and installed and the work practices employees must follow on or near electrical equipment. Construction electrical work is covered separately in 29 CFR 1926 Subpart K.
Who counts as a qualified person for electrical work?
A qualified person is someone trained to avoid the electrical hazards of working on or near exposed energized parts. At a minimum, they must be able to distinguish exposed live parts, determine nominal voltage and know the required approach distances. Qualification is task specific.
How much clearance is required in front of an electrical panel?
For equipment of 600 volts or less, OSHA requires working space at least 3 feet deep for 0 to 150 volts and 3 to 4 feet for 151 to 600 volts, depending on what is opposite the equipment. The space must be at least 30 inches wide or the width of the equipment, and cannot be used for storage.
Can employees work on energized equipment?
Only when the employer can show that deenergizing would create greater hazards or is infeasible, such as during some diagnostic testing. Only qualified persons may then do the work, using appropriate work practices, protective equipment and insulated tools.
