CSA Z462 – Workplace Electrical Safety – Second Edition

In 2008, CSA Group released the first edition of the Z462 Workplace Electrical Safety Standard. Developed in parallel with NFPA's 70E Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace, CSA Z462 provides guidance on the assessment of electrical hazards and design of safe work spaces around electrical power systems. It stipulates requirements for identifying hazardous equipment and for the development of safe work procedures around this equipment, and also provides guidance to electrical workers on the selection of appropriate personal protective equipment and protective clothing.

The second edition of CSA Z462 has been extensively revised and updated, with expanded criteria and guidance material, and a new, more robust design to better withstand the rigors of reference on the job site and in the field. It has also been aligned with the extensive changes and revisions to the 2012 Canadian Electrical Code, Part I.

Among the important changes to the new edition:

• Improved direction on hazard identification and risk assessment; in particular, the concepts of "hazard" and "risk" and the use of these terms is more in line with current occupational health and safety standards
• New safety procedures and assessment tables for work around DC systems
• New tables for the selection of personal protective equipment
• Added guidance on safe procedures and training
• New Annexes on safety around high-voltage systems and electrostatic discharges
• Expanded Annexes and reference materials on Safety Management Systems, Hazard Identification, and Risk Assessment
• Guidance on integration of electrical safety programs into Occupational Health & Safety (OHS) Management Systems
• New robust design with spiral binding