• The flowof electricity and its effects have been known for

centuries, especially when traveling through air in the form of

lightning. It wasn’t until the late 18th and early 19th centuries,
however, that scientists began to discover and analyze what
electricity really is and how to harness it for man’s benefit.
• Thus began the need to regulate electrical installations to
protect people and equipment from its unintended effects.
• With the advent of the electric light bulb and electric motors
in the late 19th Century, it was soon discovered that
electricity could also cause fires and kill people.
• Thomas Edison is said to have developed the first “fuse” by
using a wire between two terminals that would melt if too
much current flowed through it.
• In 1882, Edison opened the world’s first central electric light
power station in New York City. It produced enough DC
current to power 7200 electric lamps.
• In 1887, Edison was issued the first fuse patent. Ever since,
controlling electricity and protecting wires from fire has
become more and more complex.
• In 1889, the state of New York commissioned the
development of the electric chair for their capital punishment
program. Even though Edison was not a proponent of capital
punishment, he was asked to design the electric chair and
assumed Westinghouse would be approached if he refused.
• Edison viewed this asan opportunity to prove that AC was
more dangerous than DC and designed the “chair” using AC.
• In 1893, George Westinghouse received the contract to design the
“Palace of Electricity” at the World’s Columbian Exposition in
Chicago.
• AC was used and shown to be safely applied.
• Westinghouse also had a better plan for generating and
distributing electrical energy over long distances at higher
voltages and then transforming it to lower useable voltages. Thus
began the need for increased electrical construction and safety
standards.
• Because insurance companies were concerned about fire safety
and electricity, the Underwriters Electrical Bureau (later to
become UL) was established in 1894 to review various electrical
safety standards and building codes that were quickly being
developed.
• In 1913, the first edition of the “American Electricians’
Handbook” was issued. In the 1930’s, the Wiggington Voltage
Tester (a.k.a. the “Wiggie”) was developed for testing the
presence of voltage, etc.
• In June of 1940, UL published the first circuit breaker standard,
UL489, entitled “Branch-Circuit and Service Circuit-Breakers.” It
was later in the 1940’s when the first current-limiting fuses were
developed.
• Electricians often test for the presence of voltage bybtouching
the conductors with the fingers. This method is safe where the
voltage does not exceed 250 and is often convenient to locating a
blown-out fuse or for ascertaining whether or not a circuit is
alive.
• In 1970, when the Williams-Steiger Act was signed into law, the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was
created. It took OSHA several years before they issued
comprehensive regulations that governed aspects of all
workers safety.
• At OSHA’s request, the National Fire Protection Association,
which issues the National Electrical Code, (NFPA 70), was asked
to research and provide guidelines for electrical safety in the
workplace.
• In 1979, the NFPA issued the first edition of NFPA 70E, entitled
“Standard for Electrical Safety Requirements for Employee
Workplaces” (since renamed the “Standard for Electrical Safety
in the Workplace.”) This was the first nationally accepted
standard that addressed electrical safety requirements for
employee workplaces.