Led by Sandia grid energy storage researcher David Rosewater, the Energy Facilities Contractors Group (EFCOG) and the IEEE Energy Storage and Stationary Battery (ESSB) committee collaborated to submit public comments for the next edition of NFPA 70E Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace. These public inputs, submitted on June 4, 2024, represent the culmination of more than two years of research and consensus work.
As batteries have fallen in cost they are more commonly installed in cars, homes, business, and utility applications by a new workforce of battery technicians. This new workforce needs specific guidance for how to safely assemble, maintain, repair, and disassemble battery systems. The proposed changes will help keep battery workers safe by effectively controlling the electrical hazard.
Building on Dr. Rosewater’s DOE-funded research, these groups worked to improve specific procedures for establishing a lower risk working condition in batteries. These processes, similar to lock-out/tag-out in facility electrical systems, reduce the risk of electrical accidents by sectionalizing a battery into lower voltage, lower energy strings.
EFCOG is an organization of electrical safety professionals at Department of Energy National Labs while the ESSB committee is comprised of stationary battery and energy storage industry professionals.
For more information and purchasing options on the Standard, visit NFPA 70E, Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace.
D M. Rosewater “Reducing Risk When Performing Energized Work on Batteries” IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications, vol. 60, no. 2, pp. 2732-2741, March-April 2024, DOI: 10.1109/TIA.2023.3332828.
This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Electricity (OE), Energy Storage Division.