Is Your Electrical Maintenance Program As Good As It Could Be?

Most facility managers and EHS leaders have heard of the NFPA 70B 2023 update by now. Many have taken steps to respond; they scheduled an infrared inspection, dusted off the maintenance documentation, or at least flagged it as something to revisit. That's a start. But there's a difference between "we've done something" and "we have a program that would hold up under scrutiny."

The year 2026 is a great time to review whether what you’re doing today reflects what the standard actually requires. Is what you’re doing good enough for an OSHA investigator or an insurance adjuster? Beyond that, are you missing a small but significant item that would make your maintenance program much more solid or sustainable?

NFPA 70B: Where We Were vs. Where We Are

The 2023 edition of NFPA 70B strengthened the rules. For decades, NFPA 70B was a list of recommended practices, guidance that companies could take or leave. In 2023, the language shifted from "should" to "shall"; this word change made it into a mandatory standard for electrical equipment maintenance programs.

The updated standard applies to industrial facilities, commercial buildings, institutional properties, and large multifamily residential complexes. If you operate in any of these spaces, 70B now defines the baseline for how your electrical systems are to be maintained.

Infrared Thermography: Annual Isn't Optional Anymore

The most scrutinized element of the 2023 update is the infrared thermography requirement. Under the standard, IR inspections of all applicable electrical equipment must occur at intervals of no more than 12 months, or less for higher-risk equipment.

Infrared electrical safety scans use thermal imaging to detect overheated components such as loose connections, faulty breakers and overloaded circuits, before they cause failures or injuries. As Guidant's electrical engineers describe it, a rigorous IR program shifts your facility from a posture of "react and repair" to one of "predict and prevent." Read the article: Discover Hidden Electrical Issues with Infrared (IR) Thermography

That said, "all equipment" doesn't mean every outlet in the building. The standard specifies that inspection frequency can be adjusted based on risk level, and manufacturers' instructions take precedence where they exist. The practical approach is to prioritize your highest-risk, mission-critical equipment first: incoming transformers, main switchgear, load centers, motor controllers, bus bars, and any equipment whose failure would cause a significant operational disruption.

If your current program covers some of this but not all of it, or if the last inspection was 14 months ago rather than 12, your chance of problems occurring is creeping up.

"No One's Checking" Is a Shortsighted Point of View

NFPA 70B is not currently enforced by a regulatory body in the way OSHA standards are. However, if an electrical incident occurs and triggers an OSHA investigation, OSHA is likely to reference 70B as the industry benchmark for what a reasonable maintenance program looks like, just like it references NFPA 70E with electrical safety incidents.

That’s when your compliance posture becomes evidence.

The standard also works in tandem with 70E: where 70B governs the condition of your equipment, 70E defines how your workers should safely interact with it. Both are part of what NFPA calls the "electrical cycle of safety." The two standards strengthen each other, so addressing only one leaves real vulnerabilities in the other. Also note that the broader compliance landscape has been tightened; arc flash labeling requirements, for instance, expanded significantly under NEC 2026. Read the recent article: NEC 2026 Section 110.16 Expands Arc-Flash Labeling Requirements

Insurers are watching too. Companies with rigorous, documented maintenance programs carry less risk and are better positioned when premiums and policy terms come up for review.

For NFPA 70E and 70B Compliance, Arc Flash Analyses Are Key

Arc flash evaluations identify your highest-hazard equipment and areas, giving you the data to prioritize intelligently, focusing maintenance efforts and resources where the risk is greatest. The result is a program that protects workers from harm, satisfies OSHA's due diligence requirements for a safe work environment, and makes your compliance investment go further.

The Part Most Programs Are Still Missing: Qualified People

Aside from inspection requirements, which are slowly being understood if not always fully implemented, the other important piece is workforce training. The 2023 standard says that workers performing electrical maintenance must be qualified, so they can recognize hazards and reduce risks by following the correct procedures.

A technician who understands whether something is about to go wrong represents much more than compliance; it points to safety standards that reliably protect your people. Facilities that invest in developing their maintenance teams are better positioned to catch problems during routine work, respond correctly when something unexpected surfaces, and sustain a program that holds up over time.

The Guidant Answer to the Skills Shortage

The Guidant Power Fundamentals of Electrical Maintenance course helps you bridge the skills gap; it is carefully designed to get your staff where they need to be when working with industrial equipment <600 volts.

This Fundamentals course combines the perfect mix of theoretical instruction and hands-on training on real equipment, covering troubleshooting, maintenance procedures, and safe work practices. It is now offered at two convenient locations -- either in our state-of-the-art facility in Cleveland, OH where classes are offered monthly -- or on demand at your facility.

If choosing the on-demand option, your technicians will be able to practice their skills on the same high-quality technical training boards used successfully for years at our training center.

A Risk-Based Program, Not a Reactive One

The most effective path to meaningful 70B compliance isn't trying to inspect everything at once or retrain the entire workforce in a quarter. It's building a risk-based maintenance program that prioritizes maintenance tasks, pairs inspections with a trained team that can act on what those inspections find, and establishes a documentation trail that tells a clear story of due diligence.

That approach acknowledges real-world resource constraints while steadily building toward best-in-class electrical safety, toward a program that would hold up to scrutiny if it ever needed to.

If you've made a start, that's genuinely good. The next question is whether what you've built is enough -- and whether you know the answer before someone else finds it for you.

Guidant Power provides infrared thermography inspections, arc flash analysis, electrical engineering services, and maintenance training to industrial, commercial, and institutional facilities across North America. Contact us to assess where your program stands.

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.