Energized Electrical Work Permit Generator
Under 29 CFR 1910.333(a)(1) live parts are deenergized before work, and the employer must be able to demonstrate why an exception applies. This permit records that demonstration, the safety-related work practices actually verified on site, and the signatures. Every field cites its paragraph of the Code of Federal Regulations. Nothing you type is sent to our servers.
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Template for informational purposes only. This document must be reviewed and adapted by a competent or qualified person for your specific jobsite, equipment, and applicable federal, state, and local requirements. It does not constitute legal, engineering, or safety advice and does not by itself establish compliance with OSHA or any other standard. SteelToeTools assumes no liability for its use. Nothing you type is sent to our servers.
How to use this permit
- 1Start by trying to avoid it. 1910.333(a)(1) makes deenergizing the default. The first question is not "how do we work it live" but "what stops us from shutting it down".
- 2Write the justification in plain words. One of the two grounds, then the specific hazard or limitation. "Production" is not a ground; "the process cannot be restarted without venting the reactor" might be.
- 3Walk the checklist on site, not at a desk. Each line is a paragraph of 29 CFR. Anything you cannot verify stays unchecked and the permit shows it.
- 4Sign before, and close after. The qualified persons and the authorizing person sign before work starts. The last line is signed when the equipment is back to normal and the area is released.
- 5File it with your electrical safety program. The permit is evidence that the exception in 1910.333(a)(1) was assessed, not assumed.
What OSHA requires — and what this permit is not
OSHA has no paragraph called "energized electrical work permit". The document exists because 29 CFR 1910.333(a)(1) puts the burden on the employer to demonstrate that deenergizing is not possible, and a written permit is how most employers carry that burden. The energized work permit as an industry practice comes from NFPA 70E, a private consensus standard that OSHA references but does not publish; its form and its content are copyrighted and are not reproduced here. Every field and every checklist line below comes from the Code of Federal Regulations, which is public domain.
| Requirement | Source |
|---|---|
| Live parts are deenergized before work, unless the employer can demonstrate that deenergizing introduces additional or increased hazards, or is infeasible due to equipment design or operational limitations | 29 CFR 1910.333(a)(1) |
| Parts under 50 volts to ground need not be deenergized if there is no increased exposure to electrical burns or to explosion due to electric arcs | 1910.333(a)(1), exception |
| Where parts stay energized, other safety-related work practices must protect employees against direct and indirect contact | 1910.333(a)(2) |
| Only qualified persons may work on electric circuit parts or equipment that have not been deenergized | 1910.333(c)(2) |
| Qualified persons are trained to identify exposed live parts, determine the nominal voltage, and know the clearance distances for that voltage | 1910.332(b)(3) |
| Minimum approach distances by voltage for qualified persons; 10 ft for unqualified persons near exposed energized overhead lines up to 50 kV | 1910.333(c)(3)(ii) and Table S-5; (c)(3)(i)(A) |
| Illumination adequate; no reaching blindly into areas that may contain energized parts | 1910.333(c)(4) |
| Confined or enclosed spaces with exposed live parts: shields, barriers or insulating materials; doors and panels secured | 1910.333(c)(5) |
| Conductive materials handled to prevent contact; nonconductive ladder siderails; conductive apparel removed; no housekeeping close to live parts | 1910.333(c)(6)–(c)(9) |
| Electrical protective equipment provided, maintained and inspected or tested; nonconductive head protection; eye and face protection against arcs and flashes | 1910.335(a)(1)(i)–(v); 1910.137 |
| Insulated tools and handling equipment; nonconductive ropes and handlines; shields, barriers and insulating materials | 1910.335(a)(2) |
| Safety signs and tags, barricades, and an attendant where signs and barricades are not enough | 1910.335(b)(1)–(3) |
| A circuit that a protective device opened is not manually reenergized until it is determined the equipment and circuit can be safely energized; repetitive reclosing is prohibited | 1910.334(b)(2) |
| Construction: no work in proximity to a power circuit unless protected by deenergizing and grounding, or by effective guarding; tags on controls, equipment and circuits | 1926.416(a)(1); 1926.417 |
| Where 1910.269 or 1926 Subpart V applies, the employer estimates incident heat energy and provides arc-rated protection above 2.0 cal/cm²; clothing that melts or ignites is excluded | 1910.269(l)(8); 1926.960(g) |
Approach boundaries, PPE categories and incident-energy tables outside 1910.269 and 1926 Subpart V are not published by OSHA. Your employer's electrical safety program — commonly built on NFPA 70E — sets them. Ask for yours; this page will not invent one.
Frequently asked questions
Sources & references
- 29 CFR 1910.333 — Selection and use of work practices: deenergized parts, the two exceptions, and working on or near exposed energized parts (c)(1)–(c)(9)
- 29 CFR 1910.335 — Safeguards for personnel protection: electrical protective equipment, insulated tools, signs, barricades and attendants
- 29 CFR 1910.332 — Training: content for unqualified persons and the three additional skills required of a qualified person
- 29 CFR 1910.334(b)(2) — Reclosing circuits after protective device operation
- 29 CFR 1910.399 — Definition of qualified person (Notes 1 and 2)
- 29 CFR 1926.416 and 1926.417 — Construction: protection of employees near circuits; lockout and tagging of circuits
Content checked against these sources — last reviewed August 28, 2026.