Electrical Safety Certification Training

OSHA requires electrical safety training for employees who work around electricity–on that, there is no question. Where confusion exists is how often operators need electrical safety refresher training or recertification. Outside of the initial safety training class, it is common to see companies set recertification every three years. We are one of them. And here’s why:

As far as this 3-year electrical safety training certification goes, OSHA regulations are very specific when it comes to forklifts and a couple of other pieces of equipment. However, on everything else they are not so clear. They just state the employer must regularly provide safety training for their employees. Following industry best practices, we’ve adopted this 3-year term in order to help employers comply with the general standard of regularly providing and proving electrical safety training.

Ultimately, it is up to the employer to determine how frequently their employees need to be trained. Many of our customers require it more often, annually even. Others may stretch it out a bit. In working with OSHA, though, it is our experience that they like to see employers adopt the strictest standard when the regulations are not clear. For instance, we know of companies that didn’t train every three years and were reprimanded by OSHA for not offering additional training more often.

So, with that in mind, we say employees must be re-evaluated every three years to determine if they are still competent enough to operate safely. We also state that this every-three-year electrical safety evaluation is the maximum time that should be allowed to pass before an employee receives recertification. According to OSHA, there are several instances that will require additional electrical safety training and observation before the three-year period is up:

Yes, you need to take an electrical operator safety training course. No matter how long you’ve been on the job, OSHA requires electrical safety training, a written exam, and a practical evaluation. There is no way around it. The extent of the classroom training can be adapted by the instructor according to student needs. The written exam proves mental competency and understanding of the safety principles taught. And the practical evaluation proves the employee not only understands but is capable of operating safely. Many of our customers believe the practical evaluation has the greatest overall value.

This is a common question, especially among laborers-for-hire who may sub out from job to job. Technically, it is your current employer who is responsible for saying whether or not you have been trained specifically for the type of electrical hazards and the job. If you bring an electrical safety certificate or license (wallet card) to your new employer, they do not have to accept it. It is their right to require you to take their own training class. This is because if there is an accident, they will likely be responsible and need to prove to OSHA that they trained you on electrical safety.

This, above all, causes a lot of confusion. Bottom line, OSHA states that employers are responsible to train their employees. Generally speaking, there are three ways they can do this:

In terms of using a 3^rd party’s safety training materials (like our electrical training kits on CD or our electrical online training classes), OSHA does not recognize one company over another. They simply state that training needs to occur and outline the things an employee should be trained on.

Contrary to popular belief, OSHA does not dictate what a passing score entails. That is ultimately up to the employer, who is responsible for certifying, or authorizing, their employee to operate around electricity. If you want to pass him at 80% on the electrical safety course exam, fine. But what if a question or two among the 20% missed could lead to an accident or death? Is it worth it? Our recommendation is that you always go over any missed questions with your trainees—even if they just missed one. Once they understand the principle they missed, have them write their initials by the correct answer. That way, you are protecting them and those around them from potential accidents in the future.

The online electrical course covers OSHA’s requirements for the classroom portion. Many employers prefer online training because they know exactly what electrical safety training the operator will receive. In live classes, the training sometimes varies. A written exam is included at the end of our online training courses. After the electrical safety class and exam are finished, you and your safety managers will have immediate access to a practical evaluation checklist. This can be printed off and used by your supervisor to help him or her evaluate you. When the practical evaluation is done, they can sign it and file it with your exam. This will satisfy OSHA’s requirements for electrical safety certification.