Section 296-307-38018. How must electrical protective devices be maintained and used?

(1) Electrical protective equipment must be maintained in a safe, reliable condition.

(2) The following specific requirements apply to insulating blankets, covers, line hose, gloves, and sleeves made of rubber:

(a) Maximum use voltages must meet the requirements in Table 4.

(b) Insulating equipment must be inspected for damage before each day's use and immediately following any incident that can reasonably be suspected of having caused damage. Insulating gloves must be given an air test, along with the inspection.

(c) Insulating equipment with any of the following defects must not be used:

(i) A hole, tear, puncture, or cut;

(ii) Ozone cutting or ozone checking (the cutting action produced by ozone on rubber under mechanical stress into a series of interlacing cracks);

(iii) An embedded foreign object;

(iv) Any of the following texture changes: Swelling, softening, hardening, or becoming sticky or inelastic;

(v) Any other defect that damages the insulating properties.

(d) Insulating equipment found to have other defects that might affect its insulating properties must be removed from service and returned for testing under (h) of this subsection.

(e) Insulating equipment must be cleaned as needed to remove foreign substances.

(f) Insulating equipment must be stored in such a location and in such a manner as to protect it from light, temperature extremes, excessive humidity, ozone, and other injurious substances and conditions.

(g) Protector gloves must be worn over insulating gloves.

(h) Electrical protective equipment must be subjected to periodic electrical tests. Test voltages and the maximum intervals between tests must be according to Table 4 and Table 5.

(i) The test method used must reliably indicate whether the insulating equipment can withstand the voltages involved.

Note:	Standard electrical test methods considered as meeting this requirement are given in the following national consensus standards:
	• American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) D 120-87, Specification for Rubber Insulating Gloves.
	• ASTM D 1048-93, Specification for Rubber Insulating Blankets.
	• ASTM D 1049-93, Specification for Rubber Insulating Covers.
	• ASTM D 1050-90, Specification for Rubber Insulating Line Hose.
	• ASTM D 1051-87, Specification for Rubber Insulating Sleeves.
	• ASTM F 478-92, Specification for In-Service Care of Insulating Line Hose and Covers.
	• ASTM F 479-88a, Specification for In-Service Care of Insulating Blankets.
	• ASTM F 496-93b, Specification for In-Service Care of Insulating Gloves and Sleeves.

(j) Insulating equipment that fails inspections or electrical tests must not be used by employees, except as follows:

(i) Rubber insulating line hose could be used in shorter lengths with the defective portion cut off.

(ii) Rubber insulating blankets could be repaired using a compatible patch that results in physical and electrical properties equal to those of the blanket.

(iii) Rubber insulating blankets could be salvaged by severing the defective area from the undamaged portion of the blanket. The resulting undamaged area must not be smaller than twenty-two inches by twenty-two inches (560 mm by 560 mm) for Class 1, 2, 3, and 4 blankets.

(k) Repaired insulating equipment must be retested before it may be used by employees.

(l) You must certify that equipment has been tested in accordance with the requirements of (h), (i), and (k) of this subsection. The certification must identify the equipment that passed the test and the date it was tested.

Note:	This requirement may be met by marking the equipment and entering the results of the tests and the dates of testing onto logs.

(3) Where switches or fuses of more than 150 volts to ground are not guarded during ordinary operations, suitable insulating floors, mats or platforms must be provided on which the operator must stand while handling the switches.

[WSR 97-09-013, recodified as § 296-307-38018, filed 4/7/97, effective 4/7/97. Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.040, [49.17.]050 and [49.17.]060. WSR 96-22-048, § 296-306A-38018, filed 10/31/96, effective 12/1/96.]

WSR 97-09-013, recodified as § 296-307-38018, filed 4/7/97, effective 4/7/97. Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.040, [49.17.]050 and [49.17.]060. WSR 96-22-048, § 296-306A-38018, filed 10/31/96, effective 12/1/96.