New Annexes and Content Updates - CSA Z462:24

Jim Roberts

Jim Roberts brings over 43 years of experience in the electrical field. A graduate from the Georgian College Electrical Engineering program, he started his career at Toronto Hydro Electrical Systems as a High Voltage Underground Cable Fault Technician then proceeded to Toronto Transit Commission where he obtained his red seal 309A el...

New Annexes and Content Updates - CSA Z462:24

By Jim Roberts,

The CSA Z462:2024 update includes several new annexes and significant content updates aimed at enhancing workplace electrical safety. Here are the details of these changes:

New Annexes

  • Annex W: Working with Capacitors
    • Content: This new annex provides extensive guidelines on handling capacitors, including safety-related requirements, figures, tables, and equations.
    • Topics Covered: It includes specific terms and conditions related to capacitors, such as boundary, hearing protection, charge transfer, dielectric absorption, and grounding procedures.
    • Purpose: To ensure comprehensive safety measures when working with capacitors, addressing their unique hazards.

Content Updates to Existing Annexes

  • Annex F: Battery Risk Assessment and Arc Flash Incident Likelihood
    • Updates: Expanded to include new guidelines for battery risk assessment and factors affecting the likelihood of arc flash incidents.
    • Specifics: Addition of Figure F.8 "Assessing Hazards Associated with Work on Batteries" and a new section F.8 on battery risk assessment. The relocation of Clause 4.3 Table 2 to Annex F as Table F.2 emphasizes factors that affect arc flash incident likelihood.
  • Annex K: Electrical Hazard Classifications
    • Updates: Reorganized to provide a clearer distinction between shock and arc flash hazards with added guidance on associated injuries.
    • Details: Expanded to include additional classifications of electrical hazards such as thermal energy, blast pressure energy, acoustic (sound) energy, and light energy.
  • Annex V: Arc Flash PPE Selection Table Method
    • Changes: Significant updates to the arc flash PPE selection tables, with new entries to increase granularity and a new figure to guide the use of Table V.1.
    • Key Points: Removal of arc flash PPE categories, replaced with minimum arc rating values (4, 8, 25, 40, 75 cal/cm²). The updated tables (V.2 and V.3) now follow Table V.1 in Annex V, reflecting these changes.
  • Annex B: Assessing Condition of Maintenance
    • Additions: New content added to section B.5, providing guidance on assessing the condition of maintenance for electrical equipment and systems.
    • Objective: To ensure that maintenance practices are up-to-date and effectively reduce the risk of electrical hazards.

General Content Updates

  • Leather Protectors Terminology: Changed to "Protectors" to allow for new materials that provide enhanced protection, such as cut resistance, as per the new ASTM F3258 standard.
  • Emergency Response Plans: Added as a requirement for Job Safety Planning, aligning with contact release training requirements for all qualified electrical workers.
  • Energized Electrical Work Permit Exemptions: Expanded the list of activities that do not require an energized electrical work permit, streamlining safety procedures for specific conditions.

These updates aim to improve safety protocols, provide clearer guidelines, and incorporate the latest safety technologies and practices into workplace electrical safety standards.

To learn more and improve your understanding of electrical safety, explore our specialized courses:

These courses provide practical training and essential knowledge to ensure your team’s compliance with CSA Z462 and workplace safety standards.

Discover other updates and changes that came with the recent CSA Z462:24 update:

https://www.canada-training-group.ca/mind-your-safety/97/updates-and-changes-that-came-with-the-recent-csa-z462-24-update