Electrical Safety Program Gap Assessment
Twenty-nine questions that separate a program that exists on paper from one that would survive an OSHA inspection or a serious incident investigation. Scored by section, with your specific gaps named.
Dan Mercer, CSP — 35+ years EHS experience, trainer to Fortune 500 industrial and tech clients.
01What this actually measures
I have reviewed a lot of electrical safety programs. The failure mode is almost never "we don't have one." It's a binder written years ago by someone who has since left, containing requirements nobody in the field has been trained on, referencing an arc flash study that predates the last two switchgear changes.
This assessment maps to the program elements NFPA 70E Article 110 requires and that OSHA inspectors and plaintiff's experts actually ask for. It won't replace an on-site audit — no self-assessment can — but it will tell you where to look first, and it will give you something concrete to bring to a budget conversation.
02Score your program
Start the assessment
Answer all 29 questions to get a complete score. Nothing leaves your browser.
Your results
Score by program element
Your gaps, in the order I'd fix them
Ordered by consequence, not by how hard they are. Red is a gap that would be a citation or a deposition question. Amber is a partial that will not hold up under scrutiny.
Get the written gap report
I'll email you your full scored results and gap list in a format you can forward to a plant manager — plus the complete NFPA 70E template pack: the energized work permit, the pre-job briefing card, the host/contractor information exchange, and the qualification matrix and audit checklist. One email. No sequence, no drip.
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Your answers are included with the report so it can be written to your actual results. Used only to send this report and occasional NFPA 70E updates from Dan Mercer. Unsubscribe any time. Not sold or shared.
On its way.
Check your inbox in a few minutes — and your spam folder if it doesn't land. If your score flagged gaps in program documentation or the electrically safe work condition, those are the two I would put on this quarter's plan.
Want to print or save your score right now? Use your browser's print function — the results section prints on its own.
03How to read a low score
A low score is not evidence that your people are unsafe. Most of the plants I walk into with weak paper programs have experienced electricians doing careful work. The problem is that the program is what stands between "we were lucky" and "we were controlled" — and it's what stands between you and a willful citation if something does happen.
The three findings I see most often, in order:
- An arc flash study nobody has revisited. The system changed; the labels didn't. Every downstream control inherits that error.
- Energized work happening without permits because "troubleshooting" got quietly classified as something other than energized work. Diagnostics are energized work. The permit exemption is narrower than most programs assume.
- Training that documents attendance, not qualification. A sign-in sheet is not a determination that a person is qualified for a specific task on specific equipment.
I develop electrical safety programs written for the specific facility, industry, and equipment, current to the NFPA 70E 2027 edition. Sample excerpts from real deliverables are on the service page, so you can see the actual writing before you talk to anyone.
Live NFPA 70E classes taught by the author of this tool. Find training in your state.
On-site and virtual NFPA 70E training built around your actual program gaps — not a generic slide deck.