Electrical safety program generator (QEW)
An electrical safety program is the written document that says who in your company is a qualified electrical worker, when equipment must be de-energized, when energized work is allowed and who signs the permit, and how PPE, training and audits are handled. NFPA 70E requires employers to have one, and OSHA’s electrical work-practice rules (29 CFR 1910.331–.335) require the training, the de-energize-first rule and written lockout procedures that the program ties together. Any company whose people open panels, test circuits or work near exposed energized parts needs it.
What you get
A ready-to-use PDF with your company filled in, version and effective date, a management signature block and an annual review line. Blank lines are left where only your site can answer.
- Policy: de-energize first, energized work only when justified
- Qualified vs unqualified persons — the OSHA definition and how you designate a QEW
- Electrically safe work condition and your LOTO procedure reference
- Shock and arc flash risk assessment, job briefing
- Energized electrical work permit — when it is required, who authorizes it, plus a blank permit form
- Approach boundaries and overhead line distances
- PPE, rubber goods testing and test instruments
- Training, retraining at intervals not exceeding 3 years, and audits
- QEW roster, annual review and signature
Fill in and download
What the document is built on
- NFPA 70E — Article 110 (program, training, audit), Articles 120 and 130
- 29 CFR 1910.332 — training; 1910.399 — "qualified person"
- 29 CFR 1910.333 — de-energize, LOTO, approach distances
- 29 CFR 1910.335 and 1910.137 — PPE and rubber goods
- 29 CFR 1910.147 and 1926.417 — lockout / tagging
When the job needs documented training, not just a talk — certificate issued the same day.
Questions safety managers ask
What makes someone a qualified electrical worker?
OSHA 1910.399: a person who has received training in and has demonstrated skills and knowledge in the construction and operation of electric equipment and installations and the hazards involved. It is task- and equipment-specific — someone can be qualified on 480 V panels and unqualified on medium-voltage switchgear. The employer decides and documents it.
How often do QEWs need retraining?
NFPA 70E requires retraining in safety-related work practices at intervals not to exceed three years, and sooner when supervision or an audit shows someone is not following the practices, when new equipment or procedures come in, or when the job changes.
When do we need an energized electrical work permit?
When work is done on or near exposed energized parts that have not been put in an electrically safe work condition — for example, inside the restricted approach boundary. NFPA 70E exempts some tasks, such as testing, troubleshooting and voltage measuring by qualified persons using the right PPE. The template includes a blank permit form.
Is NFPA 70E the law?
It is a consensus standard, not an OSHA regulation, and OSHA does not adopt it by reference. OSHA’s own rules set the requirements; NFPA 70E is how most employers show they are meeting them, and customers and insurers routinely ask for a 70E-based program.
Other program generators
A template, not legal advice. It gives you the structure and the regulatory elements; it becomes your program when you fill in the blanks, adapt it to your work, train your people on it and keep it current. Check the current standards and any state OSHA plan that applies to you.