MODEL ELECTRIC SUPPLY
SERVICE AND WORKER
RELIABILITY STANDARDS
To ensure reliable and safe electricity
supply, industry workers must possess the requisite skills, knowledge,
and competence to operate all segments of the electric supply industry.
The public interest regarding reliable and safe delivery of electric
power is not served when electricity generating, transmission, and
distribution companies employ untrained, unskilled workers. In order
to assure a consistently reliable, safe and efficient electric delivery
system, every worker in the industry must be required to complete
uniform training, and demonstrate required proficiencies.
The electric supply system, consisting
of generation, transmission, and distribution, is dependent upon
each part in equal measure to deliver service to the customer. No
one function is more important than the other; without any one function,
reliability is in jeopardy. In order to maintain and enhance reliability,
existing guidelines and industry consensus standards must be enforced
and new standards for the construction, operation, maintenance,
and inspection of electric supply facilities developed as necessary.
Voluntary industry consensus codes and standards are designed to
provide a level of safety for workers and the public during the
construction, operation, maintenance, and inspection of electric
supply facilities.
The Secretary of Energy shall, jointly
with the electric supply industry and recognized employee representatives,
develop model guidelines to support electric supply system reliability
and safety. Each employer shall ensure that all workers engaged
in the construction, operation, maintenance, and inspection of electric
power facilities are trained and certified according to these guidelines.
Each electric supply facility shall be constructed, operated, maintained,
and inspected in accordance with the following guidelines.
These guidelines shall include, at
a minimum:
1) Requirements for worker training,
competency, and certification, developed using criteria set forth
by the Utility Industry Group (UIG) recognized by the National Skill
Standards Board (NSSB), and
2) Consolidation of existing
guidelines on the construction, operation, maintenance, and inspection
of electric supply generation, transmission and distribution facilities
such as those established by the National Electric Safety Code and
other industry consensus standards.
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