Pennsylvania commission approves new electric safety regulations
The Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission (PUC) recently voted to adopt the electric safety standards included in the National Electric Safety Code (NESC) into PUC regulations.
The Final Rulemaking Order, which was adopted in a 5-0 vote, is designed to clarify minimum industry standards for Pennsylvania electric utilities, aid the PUC’s Electric Safety Division’s efforts to enforce those standards, and reduce the number of serious injuries and fatalities that occur each year involving power lines.
The PUC’s Electric Safety Division, which was created in 2014, works to improve the safety of utility employees, contractors, construction workers and homeowners working around power lines. An average of 24 serious injuries and six deaths involving individuals working around utility company power lines occur each year in Pennsylvania.
The rulemaking will be submitted for review to the Office of Attorney General, the Governor’s Budget Office, designated committees of both houses of the General Assembly and the Independent Regulatory Review Commission. Pending those reviews, the regulations will become effective once published in the Pennsylvania Bulletin.