Electrical Safety Community of Practice Workshop - Summer 2026
Working Group Descriptions
The Utility Standards Interface Group is a collaborative initiative aimed at enhancing safety and operational consistency across electrical utility systems within the Department of Energy (DOE) complex. The group works to identify, develop, and implement common standards and safety procedures that align with best practices in the utility industry. By leveraging partnerships with national laboratories and DOE Headquarters participants, the group fosters a unified approach to safety and operational excellence.
The Safety by Design Working Group focuses on providing guidance for designing safety into systems to reduce or eliminate exposure to electrical hazards. Formed in 2024, the working group has published two best practices and one position paper, with another best practice currently under leadership review. 2026 deliverables will be solidified and drafted at the summer workshop. Following the workshop, the working group will further refine these documents before submitting them for approval and release.
The DC Energy Working Group continues its multi-year effort to address the unique safety and operational challenges posed by direct current (DC) energy systems across the Department of Energy (DOE) complex. This group builds directly on prior EFCOG work — including EFCOG Best Practice 194 (DC Arc Hazard Spreadsheet, published April 2023) and Electrical Safety Position/Guidance Paper 2012-01 — to keep DOE complex guidance current with the rapidly evolving landscape of DC energy safety research and standards development. Since these foundational products were published, the pace of DC energy work in both industry and research has accelerated significantly. This working group will prioritize meaningful, targeted updates to ensure both products remain accurate, relevant, and actionable for DOE electrical safety professionals.
The Hazardous Energy Control Working Group is focused on improving the effectiveness, clarity, and consistency of hazardous energy control practices across the DOE complex. The group supports worker safety by advancing practical tools and communication resources related to lockout/tagout (LOTO) and electrical safety. Through collaboration and knowledge sharing, the working group aims to strengthen implementation of hazardous energy control requirements and promote safer work planning and execution.
The Regulatory Reform Working Group is a newly formed EFCOG initiative focused on reviewing and recommending updates to 10 CFR 851 regulations to better align with current industry standards, including key portions of NFPA 70E and applicable OSHA electrical safety regulations. This group also incorporates elements of Project Velocity to streamline regulatory compliance processes and enhance electrical safety across all DOE laboratories and facilities. The working group’s aim to support DOE-wide consistency in electrical safety regulations, reduce administrative burdens, and promote best practices for regulatory adoption and implementation.
The AI Best Practice Working Group will discuss the impacts of AI use in the DOE complex. This is a newly formed working group that will also explore possible uses of AI and development of large language models (LLMs) in the electrical safety industry and develop best practices around AI use. Meetings of this group leading up to the summer workshop will be held to flesh out these ideas and come up with more ideas for the workshop.
Working Group Meeting selection
Tour Opportunities/citizenship questions
