The most comprehensive revision of electrical safety regulations was published in May 2025, and employers who fail to comply by June 2027 will be liable for a very serious violation.
Regulatory Standard No. 10 was rewritten by Ministry of Labor and Employment Ordinance No. 737, making it explicit that the mere presence of work near electrical installations is sufficient for a company to have obligations. More than just technical adjustments, it changes the logic of electrical risk management within organizations.
5 points deserve immediate attention from managers:
1. Electrical risk falls under the general duty of prevention, which is increasingly enforced by the courts: The new wording stipulates that electrical risk management must be integrated into the same program that manages other workplace risks (the Occupational Risk Management Program), in accordance with Regulatory Standard No. 1. Thus, electrical safety is no longer an isolated technical checklist but becomes part of the duty to prevent occupational accidents and illnesses, an area in which courts have been holding companies liable for failing to prevent such incidents, and not merely for the accident itself. In practice, risk assessments, hazard inventories, procedures, and criteria for selecting personal protective equipment are now subject to traceability within Occupational Risk Management, requiring demonstrable technical documentation, rather than generic training.
2. Personal protective equipment becomes the last line of defense: The standard reduces reliance on personal protective equipment as the sole safety measure and organizes the measures in order of priority: first, de-energization; then, collective protection; administrative measures; and only then, personal protective equipment. The company will need to demonstrate that it has followed this hierarchy.
3. The scope has been expanded, and the documentation serves as proof: The standard will apply to work performed in the vicinity of energized installations, covering sectors that were previously considered outside its scope. Specifically, it will apply to any establishment with electrical installations and employees exposed to electrical hazards, even if only indirectly. And for all of them, studies, procedures, and records of the electrical installations must exist and be up to date: during an inspection or legal proceeding, anything that is not documented is treated as if it had not been done.
4. Transition framework through 2027: The company must follow certain steps, such as: mapping facilities and equipment and identifying where risks lie; technically assessing the appropriate collective protective measures and personal protective equipment; organizing and updating facility documentation under the supervision of a qualified professional; ensuring medical evaluations for workers who handle electricity; and, finally, completing mandatory training and issuing formal work authorizations. This is a process that involves multiple areas and, therefore, must begin early.
5. The clock is already ticking: The regulation was published on June 1, 2026, but it takes effect generally on June 1, 2027. This is a short timeframe given the volume of documentary, technical, and training adjustments required.
The transition period is not a break; it is a window of opportunity for planning. Reviewing facilities, updating short-circuit and power studies, formalizing procedures, and integrating everything into the Risk Management Program takes months. Getting a head start on this compliance protects the company from fines, accident-related liabilities, and, most importantly, fatal accidents, turning a regulatory obligation into a management advantage.
