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Home›Courses›Safety Training›The Mark Standifer Story: Lessons Learned From an Arc Flash Tragedy Interactive Training

The Mark Standifer Story: Lessons Learned From an Arc Flash Tragedy Interactive Training

12 minutesEN / ESSafety Training29 CFR 1910 Subpart S, 29 CFR 1910.147, NFPA 70E
Quick Answer

The Mark Standifer Story: Lessons Learned From an Arc Flash Tragedy is a 12-minute online course that uses a real-world arc flash incident to teach employees about electrical safety, arc flash hazards, and the consequences of bypassing safety procedures. It is designed for electrical workers, maintenance personnel, and all employees who work near energized equipment and includes a downloadable certificate of completion.

Course Overview

Mark Standifer received second and third-degree burns over 40% of his body when he was engulfed in an arc blast while performing electrical work at a wastewater treatment plant. While installing relays on the door of a 13,800-volt switchgear, he made several critical errors that are common in electrical incidents - errors that this course examines in detail. OSHA's electrical safety standards under 29 CFR 1910 Subpart S and 29 CFR 1926 Subpart K address arc flash hazards, and the NFPA 70E standard provides the framework for electrical workplace safety including arc flash risk assessments, PPE requirements, and safe work practices. Electrical contact and arc flash incidents are among the most severe workplace injuries, often resulting in fatal burns, blast trauma, or permanent disability.

This course uses Mark Standifer's firsthand account to train your team on the devastating reality of arc flash incidents and the specific safety failures that lead to them. Your employees will learn about the energy involved in arc flash events, the importance of de-energizing equipment before work, proper PPE selection for electrical tasks, and the lockout/tagout procedures that prevent arc flash exposure. The personal narrative format makes the hazard real in a way that statistics alone cannot achieve.

What You'll Learn

  • Mark Standifer's arc flash incident - what went wrong and the consequences
  • Arc flash energy levels and the severity of thermal and blast injuries
  • OSHA electrical safety requirements under 29 CFR 1910 Subpart S
  • The importance of de-energizing equipment before performing electrical work
  • Lockout/tagout procedures for electrical isolation
  • Arc-rated PPE selection and the role of NFPA 70E in electrical safety

Who Needs This Training

  • Electricians and electrical maintenance workers who service energized equipment
  • Maintenance technicians working near switchgear, panels, and high-voltage systems
  • Utility and wastewater treatment plant workers performing electrical tasks
  • Supervisors overseeing electrical work and enforcing safe work practices
  • Apprentice electricians in early stages of their electrical safety education
  • Facility managers responsible for electrical safety programs and NFPA 70E compliance

Regulatory Background

Electrical safety in the workplace is regulated under OSHA 29 CFR 1910 Subpart S (Electrical) for general industry and 29 CFR 1926 Subpart K (Electrical) for construction. NFPA 70E, the Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace, provides detailed requirements for arc flash risk assessments, safe work practices, and PPE selection that OSHA references during enforcement actions. OSHA's Control of Hazardous Energy standard (29 CFR 1910.147) - which covers lockout/tagout procedures - ranked 4th on the FY 2025 Top 10 Most-Cited list with 2,177 violations. Electrical-related citations appear across multiple OSHA standards. Serious violations carry penalties up to $16,550, with willful violations reaching $165,514. Arc flash incidents are among the most severe electrical injuries, with temperatures reaching 35,000 degrees Fahrenheit and blast pressures capable of throwing workers across rooms.

Frequently Asked Questions

An arc flash is a sudden release of electrical energy through the air when a current jumps between two conductors or from a conductor to ground. Arc flash temperatures can reach 35,000 degrees Fahrenheit - roughly four times the surface temperature of the sun. The resulting blast can produce shrapnel, molten metal, and pressure waves strong enough to throw workers across a room. Arc flash incidents frequently result in severe burns, permanent disability, or death.
OSHA's electrical safety standards under 29 CFR 1910 Subpart S (general industry) and 29 CFR 1926 Subpart K (construction) address electrical hazards including arc flash. OSHA also enforces the lockout/tagout standard at 29 CFR 1910.147 for de-energizing equipment before work. NFPA 70E provides the detailed framework for arc flash risk assessments and PPE requirements that OSHA references during inspections. Together, these standards require employers to identify arc flash hazards, implement safe work practices, and provide appropriate protective equipment.
NFPA 70E requires employers to conduct arc flash risk assessments and provide PPE rated for the incident energy level at each work location. Arc-rated PPE includes flame-resistant clothing, arc-rated face shields and hoods, insulated gloves rated for the voltage level, and safety glasses. The specific PPE category depends on the calculated arc flash boundary and incident energy, which vary by equipment type and available fault current. Standard work clothing provides virtually no protection against arc flash.
No. This course provides awareness-level training using a real-world incident to reinforce the importance of electrical safety procedures. It supplements but does not replace the qualified electrical worker training required under OSHA standards and NFPA 70E. Qualified electrical workers must receive additional training on specific equipment, lockout/tagout procedures, arc flash risk assessment, and the use of voltage-rated tools and PPE appropriate to their work.
The incident resulted from multiple safety failures including working on energized 13,800-volt equipment without de-energizing, inadequate lockout/tagout procedures, and insufficient arc-rated PPE. Following OSHA's lockout/tagout requirements under 29 CFR 1910.147, conducting an arc flash risk assessment per NFPA 70E, and wearing appropriate arc-rated PPE would have prevented the incident. The course examines each failure point as a learning opportunity.

Related Courses

Employers building a comprehensive electrical safety program should pair this with Electrical Safety: Arc Flash Prevention for the technical training component and Lockout Tagout: Secure Safely to ensure workers understand the energy isolation procedures that prevent arc flash exposure.

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$24.95
per person
Volume Pricing
Team Size Price per Person
1 - 9$24.95
10 - 24$19.95
25 - 49$17.95
50 - 99$17.50
Subtotal $24.95
Language

This course is available in English and Spanish at no additional charge.

Certificate of completion included. Downloadable upon passing the final assessment.

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$24.95
per person