The single most operationally significant change in the 2027 edition of NFPA 70E is one sentence long: when an energized electrical work permit specifies shock or arc flash PPE, at least one additional person must be present. That person must meet the emergency-response training of 110.4(C)(1) and stand outside the limited approach boundary or the arc flash boundary — whichever is greater. This guide covers what the rule actually requires, the mistakes that will fail an audit, and how to staff and document it.
The trigger is the energized electrical work permit. New section 130.2(A)(2) in the 2027 edition requires the additional person whenever the permit specifies shock or arc flash PPE for the task. Work that does not require a permit does not trigger the rule — the permit thresholds themselves did not change in 2027.
One paperwork trap to catch: in the 2027 renumbering, 130.2 is now titled "Work Involving Electrical Hazards," and the energized electrical work permit itself moved from 130.2 to 130.3. If your permit form or written procedures still cite "130.2" for the permit, they now point at the wrong section — update them to 130.3. Our complete 2027 changes guide covers the rest of the renumbering.
The additional person is a standby rescuer. Their entire function is to act if something goes wrong: safely release a worker from contact with an energized part, initiate CPR, and summon emergency help. They are not a second set of hands on the task, not a parts runner, and not the person operating the next breaker in the switching sequence.
Many facilities already put a second person on critical switching — standing at the adjacent gear, participating in the task. That person does not satisfy 130.2(A)(2). A helper inside the boundary is exposed to the same event as the worker; if the arc happens, you have two casualties and no rescuer. The 2027 additional person is defined by three things: rescue training, position outside the boundaries, and a dedicated rescue role.
Nothing prevents a crew from having both — a working partner inside the boundary and an additional person outside it. What the standard will not accept is counting one body for both jobs.
Presence alone is not compliance. The additional person must meet the emergency-response training requirements of 110.4(C)(1) — the training that equips someone to respond to an electrical injury rather than witness one:
Practically, this means you cannot grab whoever happens to be walking past when the permit is signed. The additional person has to come from the pool of people whose emergency-response training is current — which makes that training roster a scheduling input, not just a records item.
The rule says the additional person is positioned outside the limited approach boundary or the arc flash boundary — whichever is greater. The two boundaries protect against different hazards: the limited approach boundary is a shock boundary around exposed energized conductors, while the arc flash boundary is the distance at which incident energy from an arc falls to 1.2 cal/cm² — the onset of a second-degree burn. Depending on the equipment and the system feeding it, either one can be the larger of the two, so the permit has to name the controlling distance for this task, not assume it.
The logic of "outside" is the logic of the whole rule: the additional person is only useful if the event cannot reach them. Close enough to see and act, far enough to survive — that is the position.
130.2(A)(2) is enforced through the paperwork that authorizes the work. Before the permit is signed, it should capture:
If your facility uses a standard permit form, this is a form revision: add the three lines above. A permit that specifies arc flash PPE but names no additional person is now an incomplete permit. Our energized work permit walkthrough shows where these entries fit in the overall document.
A trained rescuer with no plan is half a control. The 2027 edition's expectation is that the emergency response plan exists before anyone opens a panel — settled, briefed, and specific to the work location:
In secured facilities this last item is the one that fails. Mantraps, locked electrical rooms, and front-desk authorization can each cost minutes that a worker in cardiac arrest does not have. The additional person's job includes knowing, in advance, how a gurney gets from the road to the gear.
The 2027 job-briefing expectation is that the briefing protects the person, not just the process. For a permitted energized task, that means the briefing covers the incident energy at the point of work and the PPE it demands, where the approach and arc flash boundaries fall, how each energy source is controlled, and the emergency plan — including where the additional person stands and what they will do. If your crews already brief switching steps, this is an added agenda item, not a new meeting: walk the rescuer's position and actions out loud before the permit is signed.
Every permitted energized task now requires at least two people: the qualified worker and the additional person. That is a real cost, and it is an intentional one. When a marginal energized task costs two people instead of one, the arithmetic shifts toward the top of the hierarchy of controls — establish an electrically safe work condition and do the work de-energized. The rule protects workers twice: once by putting a rescuer outside the boundary, and once by making unnecessary energized work less attractive to schedule.
For work that genuinely must be done energized, plan the staffing consequences: emergency-response training for enough people to cover the permit calendar, rescue equipment staged where permitted work actually happens, and permit templates that capture the assignment. Qualified persons still need demonstrated skills and knowledge on the specific equipment plus safety training on the hazards involved — the additional person's rescue training is a separate requirement on top of the crew's qualification, not a substitute for it.
No. The requirement is tied to the energized electrical work permit: when the permit specifies shock or arc flash PPE, 130.2(A)(2) requires at least one additional person. Tasks that do not require a permit do not trigger the rule.
No. They must be positioned outside the greater of the limited approach boundary or the arc flash boundary, dedicated to rescue. A participant inside the boundary cannot serve as the additional person.
The emergency-response training of 110.4(C)(1): safely releasing a worker from contact, initiating CPR, and summoning emergency help. Their training must be current before the permit is signed.
The greater of the limited approach boundary or the arc flash boundary for the equipment being worked. The permit should name the controlling distance for the specific task.
It is new in the 2027 edition of NFPA 70E, which has been in effect since May 6, 2026 and supersedes the 2024 edition.
This guide is written and reviewed to the 2027 edition by a Certified Safety Professional (CSP) with 35+ years teaching NFPA 70E electrical safety nationwide to electricians, EHS teams, and Fortune 500 operators.
Getting a team current on the 2027 edition, including the additional-person rule? Live, instructor-led NFPA 70E classes run every week. See the schedule.