29 Fr 1910.137

e-CFR Data is current as of January 17, 2013

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Title 29: Labor
PART 1910—OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH STANDARDS
Subpart I—Personal Protective Equipment

§ 1910.137   Electrical protective equipment.

(a) Design requirements. Insulating blankets, matting, covers, line hose, gloves, and sleeves made of rubber shall meet the following requirements:

(1) Manufacture and marking. (i) Blankets, gloves, and sleeves shall be produced by a seamless process.

(ii) Each item shall be clearly marked as follows:

(A) Class 0 equipment shall be marked Class 0.

(B) Class 1 equipment shall be marked Class 1.

(C) Class 2 equipment shall be marked Class 2.

(D) Class 3 equipment shall be marked Class 3.

(E) Class 4 equipment shall be marked Class 4.

(F) Non-ozone-resistant equipment other than matting shall be marked Type I.

(G) Ozone-resistant equipment other than matting shall be marked Type II.

(H) Other relevant markings, such as the manufacturer's identification and the size of the equipment, may also be provided.

(iii) Markings shall be nonconducting and shall be applied in such a manner as not to impair the insulating qualities of the equipment.

(iv) Markings on gloves shall be confined to the cuff portion of the glove.

(2) Electrical requirements. (i) Equipment shall be capable of withstanding the a-c proof-test voltage specified in Table I-2 or the d-c proof-test voltage specified in Table I-3.

(A) The proof test shall reliably indicate that the equipment can withstand the voltage involved.

(B) The test voltage shall be applied continuously for 3 minutes for equipment other than matting and shall be applied continuously for 1 minute for matting.

(C) Gloves shall also be capable of withstanding the a-c proof-test voltage specified in Table I-2 after a 16-hour water soak. (See the note following paragraph (a)(3)(ii)(B) of this section.)

(ii) When the a-c proof test is used on gloves, the 60-hertz proof-test current may not exceed the values specified in Table I-2 at any time during the test period.

(A) If the a-c proof test is made at a frequency other than 60 hertz, the permissible proof-test current shall be computed from the direct ratio of the frequencies.

(B) For the test, gloves (right side out) shall be filled with tap water and immersed in water to a depth that is in accordance with Table I-4. Water shall be added to or removed from the glove, as necessary, so that the water level is the same inside and outside the glove.

(C) After the 16-hour water soak specified in paragraph (a)(2)(i)(C) of this section, the 60-hertz proof-test current may exceed the values given in Table I-2 by not more than 2 milliamperes.

(iii) Equipment that has been subjected to a minimum breakdown voltage test may not be used for electrical protection. (See the note following paragraph (a)(3)(ii)(B) of this section.)

(iv) Material used for Type II insulating equipment shall be capable of withstanding an ozone test, with no visible effects. The ozone test shall reliably indicate that the material will resist ozone exposure in actual use. Any visible signs of ozone deterioration of the material, such as checking, cracking, breaks, or pitting, is evidence of failure to meet the requirements for ozone-resistant material. (See the note following paragraph (a)(3)(ii)(B) of this section.)

(3) Workmanship and finish. (i) Equipment shall be free of harmful physical irregularities that can be detected by the tests or inspections required under this section.

(ii) Surface irregularities that may be present on all rubber goods because of imperfections on forms or molds or because of inherent difficulties in the manufacturing process and that may appear as indentations, protuberances, or imbedded foreign material are acceptable under the following conditions:

(A) The indentation or protuberance blends into a smooth slope when the material is stretched.

(B) Foreign material remains in place when the insulating material is folded and stretches with the insulating material surrounding it.

Note: Rubber insulating equipment meeting the following national consensus standards is deemed to be in compliance with paragraph (a) of this section:

American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) D 120-87, Specification for Rubber Insulating Gloves.

ASTM D 178-93 (or D 178-88) Specification for Rubber Insulating Matting.

ASTM D 1048-93 (or D 1048-88a) Specification for Rubber Insulating Blankets.

ASTM D 1049-93 (or D 1049-88) Specification for Rubber Insulating Covers.

ASTM D 1050-90, Specification for Rubber Insulating Line Hose.

ASTM D 1051-87, Specification for Rubber Insulating Sleeves.

These standards contain specifications for conducting the various tests required in paragraph (a) of this section. For example, the a-c and d-c proof tests, the breakdown test, the water soak procedure, and the ozone test mentioned in this paragraph are described in detail in the ASTM standards.

(b) In-service care and use. (1) Electrical protective equipment shall be maintained in a safe, reliable condition.

(2) The following specific requirements apply to insulating blankets, covers, line hose, gloves, and sleeves made of rubber:

(i) Maximum use voltages shall conform to those listed in Table I-5.

(ii) Insulating equipment shall be inspected for damage before each day's use and immediately following any incident that can reasonably be suspected of having caused damage. Insulating gloves shall be given an air test, along with the inspection.

(iii) Insulating equipment with any of the following defects may not be used:

(A) A hole, tear, puncture, or cut;

(B) Ozone cutting or ozone checking (the cutting action produced by ozone on rubber under mechanical stress into a series of interlacing cracks);

(C) An embedded foreign object;

(D) Any of the following texture changes: swelling, softening, hardening, or becoming sticky or inelastic.

(E) Any other defect that damages the insulating properties.

(iv) Insulating equipment found to have other defects that might affect its insulating properties shall be removed from service and returned for testing under paragraphs (b)(2)(viii) and (b)(2)(ix) of this section.

(v) Insulating equipment shall be cleaned as needed to remove foreign substances.

(vi) Insulating equipment shall be stored in such a location and in such a manner as to protect it from light, temperature extremes, excessive humidity, ozone, and other injurious substances and conditions.

(vii) Protector gloves shall be worn over insulating gloves, except as follows:

(A) Protector gloves need not be used with Class 0 gloves, under limited-use conditions, where small equipment and parts manipulation necessitate unusually high finger dexterity.

Note: Extra care is needed in the visual examination of the glove and in the avoidance of handling sharp objects.

(B) Any other class of glove may be used for similar work without protector gloves if the employer can demonstrate that the possibility of physical damage to the gloves is small and if the class of glove is one class higher than that required for the voltage involved. Insulating gloves that have been used without protector gloves may not be used at a higher voltage until they have been tested under the provisions of paragraphs (b)(2)(viii) and (b)(2)(ix) of this section.

(viii) Electrical protective equipment shall be subjected to periodic electrical tests. Test voltages and the maximum intervals between tests shall be in accordance with Table I-5 and Table I-6.

(ix) The test method used under paragraphs (b)(2)(viii) and (b)(2)(ix) of this section shall reliably indicate whether the insulating equipment can withstand the voltages involved.

Note: Standard electrical test methods considered as meeting this requirement are given in the following national consensus standards:

American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) D 120-87, Specification for Rubber Insulating Gloves.

ASTM D 1048-93, Specification for Rubber Insulating Blankets.

ASTM D 1049-93, Specification for Rubber Insulating Covers.

ASTM D 1050-90, Specification for Rubber Insulating Line Hose.

ASTM D 1051-87, Specification for Rubber Insulating Sleeves.

ASTM F 478-92, Specification for In-Service Care of Insulating Line Hose and Covers.

ASTM F 479-93, Specification for In-Service Care of Insulating Blankets.

ASTM F 496-93b Specification for In-Service Care of Insulating Gloves and Sleeves.

(x) Insulating equipment failing to pass inspections or electrical tests may not be used by employees, except as follows:

(A) Rubber insulating line hose may be used in shorter lengths with the defective portion cut off.

(B) Rubber insulating blankets may be repaired using a compatible patch that results in physical and electrical properties equal to those of the blanket.

(C) Rubber insulating blankets may be salvaged by severing the defective area from the undamaged portion of the blanket. The resulting undamaged area may not be smaller than 22 inches by 22 inches (560 mm by 560 mm) for Class 1, 2, 3, and 4 blankets.

(D) Rubber insulating gloves and sleeves with minor physical defects, such as small cuts, tears, or punctures, may be repaired by the application of a compatible patch. Also, rubber insulating gloves and sleeves with minor surface blemishes may be repaired with a compatible liquid compound. The patched area shall have electrical and physical properties equal to those of the surrounding material. Repairs to gloves are permitted only in the area between the wrist and the reinforced edge of the opening.

(xi) Repaired insulating equipment shall be retested before it may be used by employees.

(xii) The employer shall certify that equipment has been tested in accordance with the requirements of paragraphs (b)(2)(viii), (b)(2)(ix), and (b)(2)(xi) of this section. The certification shall identify the equipment that passed the test and the date it was tested.

Note: Marking of equipment and entering the results of the tests and the dates of testing onto logs are two acceptable means of meeting this requirement.

Table I-2—A-C Proof-Test Requirements

Class of equipment	Proof-test voltage rms V	Maximum proof-test current, mA (gloves only)
		267-mm (10.5-in) glove	356-mm (14-in) glove	406-mm (16-in) glove	457-mm (18-in) glove
0	5,000	8	12	14	16
1	10,000		14	16	18
2	20,000		16	18	20
3	30,000		18	20	22
4	40,000			22	24

Table I-3—D-C Proof-Test Requirements

Class of equipment	Proof-test voltage
0	20,000
1	40,000
2	50,000
3	60,000
4	70,000

Note: The d-c voltages listed in this table are not appropriate for proof testing rubber insulating line hose or covers. For this equipment, d-c proof tests shall use a voltage high enough to indicate that the equipment can be safely used at the voltages listed in Table I-4. See ASTM D 1050-90 and ASTM D 1049-88 for further information on proof tests for rubber insulating line hose and covers.

Table I-4—Glove Tests—Water Level ^1,2

Class of glove	AC proof test		DC proof test
	mm.	in.	mm.	in.
0	38	1.5	38	1.5
1	38	1.5	51	2.0
2	64	2.5	76	3.0
3	89	3.5	102	4.0
4	127	5.0	153	6.0

¹ The water level is given as the clearance from the cuff of the glove to the water line, with a tolerance of ±13 mm. (±0.5 in.).

² If atmospheric conditions make the specified clearances impractical, the clearances may be increased by a maximum of 25 mm. (1 in.).

Table I-5—Rubber Insulating Equipment Voltage Requirements

Class of equipment	Maximum use voltage 1a-c—rms	Retest voltage 2a-c—rms	Retest voltage 2d-c—avg
0	1,000	5,000	20,000
1	7,500	10,000	40,000
2	17,000	20,000	50,000
3	26,500	30,000	60,000
4	36,000	40,000	70,000

¹ The maximum use voltage is the a-c voltage (rms) classification of the protective equipment that designates the maximum nominal design voltage of the energized system that may be safely worked. The nominal design voltage is equal to the phase-to-phase voltage on multiphase circuits. However, the phase-to-ground potential is considered to be the nominal design voltage:

(1) If there is no multiphase exposure in a system area and if the voltage exposure is limited to the phase-to-ground potential, or

(2) If the electrical equipment and devices are insulated or isolated or both so that the multiphase exposure on a grounded wye circuit is removed.

² The proof-test voltage shall be applied continuously for at least 1 minute, but no more than 3 minutes.

Table I-6—Rubber Insulating Equipment Test Intervals

Type of equipment	When to test
Rubber insulating line hose	Upon indication that insulating value is suspect.
Rubber insulating covers	Upon indication that insulating value is suspect.
Rubber insulating blankets	Before first issue and every 12 months thereafter. 1
Rubber insulating gloves	Before first issue and every 6 months thereafter. 1
Rubber insulating sleeves	Before first issue and every 12 months thereafter. 1

¹ If the insulating equipment has been electrically tested but not issued for service, it may not be placed into service unless it has been electrically tested within the previous 12 months.

[59 FR 4435, Jan. 31, 1994; 59 FR 33662, June 30, 1994]

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