Why Every Electrical Worker Needs a PESD
Imagine this: you're deep underground at a mining site, or standing in front of a live MCC in a food processing plant. You flip the disconnect, pull your lockout tag, and prepare to work. You think the equipment is de-energized. But how sure are you?
In the world of electrical maintenance, certainty isn't optional. It's the difference between going home safe or not going home at all. And yet, for decades, we’ve relied on a flawed system that requires technicians to open enclosures and expose themselves to potentially lethal voltage just to prove a negative: that energy is no longer present.
Fortunately, PESDs are changing the game in Lockout/Tagout (LOTO). Here's why you shouldn’t work another job without one.
What is a PESD?
A Permanent Electrical Safety Device (PESD) is an externally mounted component, like a voltage indicator, test point, or combination unit, that provides a safe, accessible way to detect voltage presence or absence without opening the enclosure. Grace pioneered PESDs with a philosophy of Safety-by-Design. These devices include:
- Voltage Indicators that visually alert to live voltage
- Safe-Test Points™ that enable safe absence of voltage testing using a voltmeter
- ChekVolt®, a hybrid PESD that combines both features into one compact, potted, touch-safe unit
PESDs are tested to UL 61010, meet OSHA 1910.333 and 1910.147 standards, and enhance compliance with NFPA 70E 120.6 for establishing an electrically safe work condition. But the real value of a PESD lies in its simplicity: it keeps voltage testing outside the box.
How PESDs Work
PESDs are hardwired into the electrical system, typically connected to either the line or load side of a disconnect switch or circuit breaker. They provide:
- Visual confirmation of voltage presence through flashing or solid LEDs
- Touch-safe test points that allow a qualified worker to verify absence of voltage using a properly rated voltmeter.
By removing the need to open doors or expose live components during testing, PESDs reduce the risk of arc flash, shock, and procedural error.
Life Without PESDs: A Gamble Every Time
Without PESDs, verifying the absence of voltage is a dangerous dance:
- Suit up in PPE
- Crack open the cabinet
- Insert probes into tight, energized spaces
This process exposes workers to arc flash risk, even during routine LOTO. It also slows everything down. It introduces human error. One missed step or failed assumption, and disaster strikes.
In fact, LOTO ranks among the top ten OSHA violations year after year due to improper hazardous energy control. And while standards like NFPA 70E exist to guide safe practices, compliance alone doesn’t guarantee safety. It must be paired with the right tools.
Why PESDs? Because Humans Are Human
GracePESDs® were designed around a simple truth: even highly trained professionals are fallible. PESDs reduce reliance on procedural perfection by:
- Making voltage status visible at a glance
- Allowing voltage checks without opening doors
- Eliminating guesswork around stored energy or stuck blades
- Enabling a proper live-dead-live test with a voltmeter, through-door
The result? Safer workflows. Fewer mistakes. Reduced PPE requirements. And LOTO procedures that take 30 to 45 minutes less per instance. That’s not only safer—it’s more productive.
If you've ever had to radio for help mid-LOTO because of a blown fuse, or if you've ever wondered whether the power was really off, then you've already lived the problem PESDs solve.
Compliance That Goes Beyond the Minimum
According to NFPA 70E 120.6(7), qualified personnel must verify absence of voltage using a test instrument at the point of work. The ChekVolt® and Safe-Test Point™ models are explicitly designed to meet these requirements. They’re also:
- UL Listed to meet rigorous safety and performance standards
- IP69 rated for harsh industrial environments (ChekVolt)
- Certified for hazardous locations (Class I Div 2)
- Fully potted to endure vibration, dust, and moisture
- Designed with no voltage to the door
Contrast that with other indicators that route voltage through the enclosure door or rely on internal fusing that can fail silently. These shortcuts aren’t just dangerous—they’re deceptive.
Enter ChekVolt®: The Benchmark in PESDs
ChekVolt is our flagship PESD, designed to combine everything needed for safe, fast, and compliant LOTO in one 30mm knockout device. In the time it takes to drink your coffee, you can have one installed.
- Voltage presence LEDs with redundant visual confirmation
- Voltmeter test points for live-dead-live confirmation
- Touch-safe, fully potted, and built to last
- Available in AC and DC models, including 3kV versions for solar, EV, and mining applications
Electrical safety shouldn’t rely on hope. PESDs are a proven solution to a known problem, backed by compliance, driven by design, and shaped by real-world pain points from the shop floor to the mine shaft.
Once you've used a GracePESD® like the ChekVolt, you’ll never want to LOTO without it again. Request Your ChekVolt Sample Today!
