Electrical Safety Isn't One Thing. It's Everything Working Together.
- Paul Decker
- 1 day ago
- 9 min read
Six Steps to Closing The Gaps
Most facilities treat electrical safety like a checklist. Get the study. Do the training. Check the box.
On paper, it looks like everything has been covered. But in reality, there are gaps between the checkboxes. Equipment changes go unrecorded. Training becomes superficial. Workers rely on labels that no longer match what is behind the panel door.
And that is where the risk lives.
Nobody dropped the ball. The dots just never get connected.
I've spent over 25 years leading industrial technology companies, and I've watched this pattern repeat across industries and facility sizes.
The organizations that get electrical safety right share a common trait: they see it as one connected system rather than a collection of separate line items. When each element reinforces the next, these facilities are known for running well, protecting their people, and doing things the right way.
This is how leading companies build cohesive electrical safety and maintenance programs in six logical steps.
Start With What You Don’t Know.
Arc flash analysis: a foundational inspection
Most leaders think they understand the risk. Many don’t.
OSHA’s General Duty Clause, along with NFPA 70E, creates a clear expectation that arc flash hazards are identified and managed. Facilities that haven't conducted an analysis to identify arc flash hazards are exposed to OSHA citations and, more importantly, to the possibility that their workers face real and present danger.
A complete evaluation of your entire electrical distribution system
An arc flash analysis is an engineering study that calculates fault currents, evaluates protective device coordination, determines incident energy levels, and produces labels that tell your workers what PPE is required before they work on electrical equipment.
It also delivers the most current one-line diagram of your electrical system, which is the map your maintenance and engineering teams depend on to locate, understand, and resolve everyday issues.
Why the five-year interval for arc flash analysis
NFPA 70E and OSHA both call for an arc flash study every 5 years, or sooner if the electrical system has been modified.
Electrical systems change over time. Equipment is added. Settings are adjusted. Loads shift. Each change impacts the risk in the panels. The labels may no longer be accurate. That puts your employees at risk.
We routinely find dangerous shortcuts, typically made to get production running, and are then forgotten. Some examples include copper pipes in fuse holders or unprogrammed main breakers. That is why it is required to inspect the equipment in full every five years, and not just rely on the statement “nothing has changed.”
An arc flash study answers a simple question: Do your labels match reality?
It's the foundation on which every other safety decision rests, from PPE selection to approach boundaries and safe work procedures.
The Guidant Power approach
During a Guidant arc flash analysis inspection, our technicians often complete data collection, labeling, and critical risk alerts in a single visit. With over 7,000 analyses completed, we deliver results through a personalized Guidant portal where you can access reports, model files, and documentation around the clock.
Want to understand why five-year updates require real engineering effort, and where savings are possible? Read our detailed breakdown: Why Arc Flash Updates Still Cost Real Money Every Five Years.
See What Changes Between Studies.
Infrared inspections are your early warning system
Between arc flash studies, your equipment doesn't pause. Unseen forces loosen connections, degrade components, and shift load patterns as production demands change. These are conditions that generate heat – the precursor to failure.
The silent problem with electrical equipment
Mechanical problems usually give you warning. You hear them. You feel them.
Electrical problems do not. Equipment can operate normally one moment and fail catastrophically the next, with no audible or visible warning in between.
Infrared inspections reveal hidden issues
Guidant thermographers use years of training and experience, combined with professional-grade thermal imaging, to identify overheating components, loose connections, overloaded circuits, failing breakers, and degraded terminations while there is time to fix them.
Waiting for failure is expensive
When an electrical component does fail unexpectedly, the replacement part is rarely what costs you. Lost production, emergency labor, collateral damage, and injury are the costs that escalate quickly.
For your organization's reputation, an electrical fire or arc flash incident carries consequences that extend well beyond the repair invoice.
A compliance landscape that has changed
NFPA 70B's 2023 update moved infrared inspections from recommended to expected, with minimum intervals of 12 months and more frequent scanning for critical equipment. This reflects a growing recognition across the industry that annual thermographic inspection is fundamental to responsible electrical equipment maintenance.
Where the system starts working together
Robust infrared programs document equipment changes as they happen throughout the year, including new installations, replaced components, modified settings, and load changes. When your records stay current between arc flash studies, it means fewer surprises when your next study comes due– and potentially reduced scope and cost.
Guidant infrared thermography: an essential, integrated diagnostic service
Through our 2025 acquisition of respected provider Monroe Infrared, infrared thermography inspections now complement our arc flash analysis services. This means that findings from one inspection can directly inform the other. There's no handoff between separate vendors, nothing lost in translation. With over 25,000 inspections completed across four decades, Guidant (formerly Monroe) thermographers bring the deep field experience and training needed to distinguish real hazards from normal operating conditions.
Owning an X-ray machine does not make someone a radiologist. Owning a thermal camera does not make someone a thermographer. It is the years of experience interpreting images, combined with knowledge of how the equipment being inspected operates that matters.
Build the Capability to Stay Vigilant Year-Round
Infrared cameras and training are popular, but for a different reason
Infrared cameras have never been more affordable or easier to buy. Guidant Power sells IR cameras and provides training. This equipment and training are perfect for troubleshooting and diagnosing mechanical, HVAC, or electrical problems.
However, there is a difference between using a camera for troubleshooting and performing a full inspection program. One is occasional. The other requires constant practice and judgment.
The difference is similar to surgery. You want the person who does it every day.
What professional training delivers
If you want to invest in an infrared program, Guidant’s (formerly Monroe) certified infrared training teaches your team the physics that drive thermal behavior, the practical methods for capturing accurate data, and the analytical skills to interpret their findings with confidence. Your people spot developing problems between formal inspections and feed updated information into both your maintenance workflow and your arc flash documentation.
Deep expertise in infrared inspections
Guidant Power, formerly Monroe Infrared is one of the nation's leading infrared training providers having trained over 17,000 thermographers. We offer Level I, II, and III certification courses, plus specialized tracks including moisture detection and certified residential thermography, delivered onsite at your facility, via live webinar, or at our training center.
Make Sure Your People Act on What the Data Tells Them
Let’s say your arc flash labels are current, your IR program is active, and your system is well documented with one-line diagrams and lockout procedures.
Next question: does each person opening, say, an equipment panel really understand what the label is instructing them to do, such as: how far away to stand, what personal protective equipment to wear, and when to step away if something seems abnormal?
The human link in the safety chain
Every piece of data your safety program produces, labels, boundaries, and PPE, only works if the person in front of the equipment understands what to do and acts on it.
That is where safety breaks down. Not in the study. Not in the label. In the moment a decision is made.
OSHA is clear on this. Under 1910.332, anyone exposed to electrical hazards must be trained. And only qualified electrical workers are allowed to perform work on or near energized equipment. “Qualified” does not mean experienced. It means being trained to recognize the hazard and know how to avoid it.
Exposure to electricity: not exclusive to electricians
A janitor resets a breaker after hours.
A machine operator works near an open panel.
A contractor opens the wrong disconnect.
These are not rare events. They are everyday situations. And they are exactly where serious incidents happen, when someone who is not properly trained steps into a hazard they do not fully understand.
Training is what closes that gap. It turns information into judgment, and judgment into safe action.
Five courses designed for five different roles
Guidant Power offers five courses for five roles:
Covers hazard recognition, protection boundaries, and the critical skill of knowing when to stop. This course is designed for anyone who works near electrical equipment, regardless of their primary role. No prerequisites required, and it's available on demand.
Provides an essential introduction or annual refresher on core electrical safety practices. It's ideal for onboarding new team members or keeping current staff up to date. Available in both English and Spanish.
Goes deeper into NFPA 70E safety practices, including PPE selection, risk assessment, energized work procedures, and how to read and act on arc flash labels. This is the course that directly connects your arc flash data to your workers' daily decisions.
Addresses the additional hazards and procedures for workers on equipment above 600V, covering OSHA 1910.269, NFPA 70E requirements, high-voltage PPE, and temporary protective grounds.
Equips your most qualified staff to teach electrical safety across your organization, multiplying your training investment from a single course into an ongoing internal capability.
The connection that completes the picture
Arc flash analysis gives you the numbers. Infrared inspections keep them honest.
Training is what makes it real.
It is the difference between information on a label and a decision in the moment. Between knowing and doing. Between luck and safety.
This is where leadership shows up.
When the newest hire and the most experienced electrician can both explain the hazard, the boundary, and what they will do before they touch the equipment, that is not compliance. That is a system working.
High-quality, hands-on instruction built for the real world and adaptable to your facility
Every course is developed by Brian Hall, Guidant's Lead Trainer, who brings over 30 years of experience, including nuclear power industry instruction.
Courses are practical and scenario-based, built around real-world situations your team will recognize. Available onsite at your facility, via live webinar, or on demand.
Select courses are offered in Spanish.
Close the Skills Gap Before It Widens
An industry shortage that is now your problem
Across the country, we hear the same concern from customers.
“I can’t find enough qualified electrical workers.”
“I’ve got strong mechanical people, but they’re not trained for electrical work.”
“How do I upskill the team I already have?”
At the same time, experienced electricians are retiring, taking decades of practical knowledge with them. New hires are coming in, but many lack the hands-on experience needed to troubleshoot and repair real equipment safely.
So the gap keeps widening.
Maintenance takes longer. Troubleshooting becomes guesswork. And the risk of mistakes goes up, especially when people are working outside their depth.
This is not just a staffing issue. It is a safety and reliability risk.
Four days that change the trajectory:
We built this course in direct response to the well-known "skills gap" problem.
The course is a four-day, eight-module program designed to take capable mechanical and maintenance personnel and give them the electrical knowledge and hands-on experience they need to work safely and effectively.
The course moves from core electrical fundamentals into real-world troubleshooting. NFPA 70E safety practices and OSHA requirements are built into every step, so safety is not separate from the work; it is part of how the work gets done.
The goal is simple: give your team the skill, confidence, and judgment to do the job right, and do it safely.
Now available at your facility
The course has built a strong reputation at Guidant's training center in Cleveland, Ohio, where it runs monthly. Now, the same course is available on demand at your facility. The result is that your crew can be trained when production shifts allow, travel costs are eliminated, and your whole team can be trained in a shorter time frame.
Connect Each Component Into a Unified Electrical Safety Program
Each of the services listed above delivers clear value on its own. Safety does not.
Safety only happens when everything works together.
Leading organizations understand this; they build systems instead of checklists.
If you'd like to see how the pieces connect for your facility, Guidant Power can help you evaluate where you stand today and what to prioritize next.
70E®, Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace®, NFPA 70®, NEC®, and National Electrical Code® are registered trademarks of the National Fire Protection Association, Quincy, MA. All rights reserved. This informational material is not affiliated with nor has it been reviewed or approved by the NFPA.