Does NFPA 70 (NEC) and NFPA 70E Add Electrical Safety Value to Electric Utilities?

For decades, two nationally recognized documents related to safe electrical design and installation of electrical equipment and safe electrical work practices for employees have essentially been overlooked and under appreciated by many electric utilities.Under the "Not Covered" scope of article 90 of both the National Electrical Code (NEC), also known as National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 70 and NFPA 70E, Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace, we find an interesting exclusion buried within a subsection. 90.2(D)(5)(b) of the NEC and 90.3(B)(4)(c) of NFPA 70E, both state "This code/standard does not cover installation/safety-related work practices for the following: Are on property owned or leased by the electric utility for the purpose of communications, metering, generation, control, transformation, transmission or distribution of electric energy."This paper will attempt to correct a long-established misunderstanding that the NEC and 70E provides no or very little safety value to electric generation plants and transmission and distribution (T&D) substations because they are technically not applicable to them. Consequently, many electrical design engineers and safety professionals employed within electric utilities are either unaware of the safety value offered by NEC and 70E or choose to ignore their merit.