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Information Sharing Requirements

Information sharing is required when a contract employer/subcontractor is working in a covered process

Information sharing applies when:

  • Work is performed as a “Qualified Employee” under 1910.269 or 1926 Subpart V.

  • Nonelectrical work is performed by an employee within a restricted area covered by 1910.269 or 1926 Subpart V. (i.e., substations, poles, towers and similar structures, testing facilities, generation facilities, etc.)

Host Employers are required to share the following information: (Note: specific areas of the standard may require sharing such network protectors, unique electrical equipment, etc.)

    • System characteristics

      • Nominal voltage of lines and equipment

      • Max switching-transient voltages per unit (T-factors)

      • Hazardous induced voltages

      • Presence of protective grounds and equipment grounding conductors

      • Location of circuits and equipment including supply, communication and fire protective signaling circuits.

      • Other know system information related to safety and requested by contractor.

    • Known conditions

      • Known condition of protective grounds and equipment grounding conductors.

      • Known condition of poles.

      • Known environmental conditions relating to safety.

    • System design information needed for assessments

      • Whether an enclosed space must be entered as a permit-required confined space.

      • Whether forced air ventilation has been maintained long enough that a safe atmosphere exists.

      • What is the MAD for the work to be performed.

      • Whether employees are exposed to hazards from flames or electric arcs.

      • What is the estimated incident energy from an electric arc.

      • Whether devices are designed to open or close circuits under load conditions.

      • What are known sources of electric energy, including back feed, supplying electric circuits.

      • What are the sources of hazardous energy including potentially hazardous stored or residual energy.

      • Whether protective grounds have adequate current carrying capacity.

      • Whether there is a possibility of hazardous transfer of potential should a fault occur.

      • Whether overhead structures, poles and towers, are capable of sustaining stresses imposed by work.

    • Other known system information related to safety and requested by contractor

 Host is required to:

  • Develop and implement procedures that are adequate to communicate the required information effectively to contractors and subcontractors performing work under the covered process. Host has the responsibility to implement procedures that are adequate for subcontractors to have information necessary to comply with covered process standards.

    • Employers can either exchange information directly with each other or can arrange to handle their information exchange through contacts with entities that do have contractual relationships with each other.

    • Procedures may include but are not limited to the following:

      • Host can instruct, though an appropriate method, subcontractors hired to perform work under the contract.

      • Host can contract for the contractor to share the covered process required information with any subcontractors hired to perform work under the contract.

      • Host may establish centralized procedures for contract and subcontractor employers to obtain, or share, required information.

      • Host may be able to use maps, tagging or barricade systems to provide necessary information.

        • The Host employer is required to provide information or guidance to understand the system used.

  • Coordinate work rules and procedures to ensure each employee is protected as required by the standard.

    • The coordination process must communicate how the host employer and the contract employer will exchange information required under the covered process.

Information can be provided through any appropriate method which includes but is not limited to the following:

  • telephone call

  • email

  • text message

  • bid package

  • contract

  • orientation session

  • Developed website or other computer program

  • Map or similar document along with the information or guidance to interpret the map or document.

Appropriate Method – Must effectively communicate the required information to the contract employer in a manner to enable the contact employer to pass the information to its employees and to use the information to comply with the standards.

 

Electric Power, Safety Culture