Executive Committee
CSA-Z462 TC
As many Occupational Health and Safety Professional are aware, in the Fall of 2006 a Technical Committee was formed to develop
Canada’s first Workplace Electrical Safety Standard; known as CSA-Z462. Many refer to it as the Canadian adoption of NFPA 70E, The Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace.
Canada currently does not have a National Standard for workplace electrical safety. Throughout
Canada, many workers have been exposed and have suffered serious, even fatal, injury as a result of electrical contact and arc flash.
Before proceeding, it is vital that some very important information be clarified:
As with any CSA Standard, CSA-Z462 is being developed by a voluntary technical committee that has been selected by CSA using a balanced matrix process to ensure that stakeholders (industry, labour, government) from all Provinces in
Canada are allowed an opportunity to be represented.
The first edition of CSA-Z462 will initially be recognized as a voluntary best practice standard for use anywhere in
Canada. In the future, as Z462 gains acceptance, each Province and the Federal Government may choose to reference it in regulations, and thereby make it mandatory. This is a similar process followed by regulators in referencing the Canadian Electrical Code (CEC) Part 1, 20thEdition, C22.1-06. Therefore it must be understood that CSA-Z462, like many CSA standards, will be a voluntary standard. Similar to NFPA 70E, it will be recognized as a standard and best practice guide to be used by Canadian companies. It will not be incorporated into Provincial or Federal Law or enforced by regulators unless a particular Regulatory Authority (e.g. the Ontario Ministry of Labour) chooses to adopt it and make it mandatory.
The Canadian Electrical Code has not adopted NFPA 70E. If it had, NFPA 70E would likely be enforced by regulators. The Canadian Electrical Code (CEC) Part 1, 20thEdition, C22.1-06 simply makes reference to NFPA 70E in Appendix B in discussing Rule 2-306 (Warning Labels for Electric Shock and Arc Flash; now required on panelboards, switchgear, etc in industry). This code Rule 2-306 was adopted from the (
U.S.) National Electrical Code.
The origin of CSA-Z462 is not the Canadian Electrical Code; it is actually CSA-Z460, Control of Hazardous Energy - Lockout and Other Methods. During round table discussions on testing and troubleshooting, the technical committee for Z460 brought forward the need for a national Canadian standard that would address protection of workers from electric shock and arc flash while performing the tasks of testing and troubleshooting on exposed energized electrical equipment. This need also became apparent when the CSA-Z460 training program began to be offered across
Canadian 2005, where many electrical workers were concerned on a Standard which would address testing and troubleshooting on energized circuits and equipment.
In the NFPA 70E Standard, the task of an “Arc Flash Hazard Analysis” is discussed. Although it is recommended in the determination of a “Hazard Risk Category” and proper selection of “Personal Protective Equipment” and FR (Flame/Flash Resistant) clothing, it is not mandatory and being enforced by Provincial or Federal Regulators.
Nor is it the only protection method discussed in NFPA 70E in the final determination of equipment to protect a worker from burn injuries sustained from an electric arc flash event.
Finally, CSA-Z462 will be developed in parallel with the 2009 edition of NFPA 70E, and based on an agreement with NFPA 70E, an attempt will be made to harmonize Z462 with NFPA 70E as much as practicable for Canadian Workplaces. Several general meetings of the technical committee will be held throughout 2007, and into 2008. The first edition of the CSA-Z462 Standard will be completed in late 2008.
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