How to Make Absence of Voltage Testing Safer & More Productive

Posted by Nick Schiltz on March 2

Burnie and Les Discover VTS

One of the most innovative product lines that Grace Technologies manufacturers are Permanent Electrical Safety Devices (PESDs). These devices have been distributed in industries around the world to improve overall safety and productivity. PESDs are permanently mounted and allow electricians to validate energy presence with voltage indicators and absence with the Safe-Test Point and Voltage Test Station. Here's a quick look at how PESDs can improve your interactions around voltage through safety-by-design.

Voltage indicators provide a consistent reliable presence of voltage indication with their LED lights. However, when the equipment connected to the indicator is turned off, the LED lights go out as well. It should be noted that this indication is not a compliant method for verifying absence of voltage. Additional steps must be taken before an electrician or maintenance personnel is going open a cabinet that has been deenergized. That’s where the Safe-Test Point and Voltage Test Station PESDs come into play.

Burnie and Les VTS Race (1)

These absence of voltage testing PESDs allow qualified personnel to take a metered test at the test points while standing safely outside of the electrical equipment. The end result has proven to create a safer working environment time and time again. Using PESDs to test for absence of voltage through high-impedance-protected test points will always put your personnel on the safe side of controlling hazardous energy.

Absence of Voltage Testing is a hot topic among safety experts and electrical safety product manufacturers right now. This comes in the wake of a recent revision to NFPA 70E with Exception No. 1 of Article 120.5 (7). This Exception, based within the Control of Hazardous Energy standard, has been wildly speculated upon and has caused quite a stir in its true interpretation when it comes to application. We have a few folks at Grace with decades of experience in this sector who have helped pull together the clearest interpretation of what exactly Exception No. 1 means for Absence of Voltage Testing and GracePESDs.

Exception No. 1 states: An adequately rated permanently mounted test device shall be permitted to be used to verify the absence of voltage of the conductors or circuit parts at the work location, provided it meets all the following requirements:

  1. It is permanently mounted and installed in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions and
    tests the conductors and circuit parts at the point of work
  2. It is listed and labeled for the purpose of verifying absence of voltage
  3. It tests each phase conductor or circuit part both phase-to-phase and phase-to-ground
  4. The test device is verified as operating satisfactorily on any known voltage source before and
    after verifying the absence of voltage

Misconceptions  Social Ad_23

To dive into what this means for our Permanent Electrical Safety Devices (PESDs), Director of Technical Marketing, Bhanu Srilla, has written an interpretation to this Exception along with the most common misconceptions surrounding the use of PESDs for Absence of Voltage. Download this article here.

View Absence of Voltage Testing Article

upcoming-events_orig

Date: March 2, 2022

Location: Jacksonville, FL

Booth Number: #209

Info: Participating in the Electrical Safety Workshop (ESW) means you will find yourself in the company of people who share a passion for advancing the state of the art in electrical safety. You will hear viewpoints from diverse perspectives. People from different industries, from science and medicine, from electrical technology companies, from safety professionals, from government regulators, and from people from countries other than yours. If you're attending, stop by booth #209 and check out our demos!


Stay safe and have a great week!

nick schiltz humpday

LinkedIn icon.jpgFacebook icon.jpgTwitter icon.jpgYouTube icon.jpg
connect with us!

Topics: HumpDay Blog Entry, GracePESDs

Subscribe Here!

Previous Blog Posts