NFPA 70E
My brother, a union electrician in NYC, is a very busy guy
Too busy, he says, to do his mandatory online safety classes
So he pays me, a poetry grad student, to do them for him
Which I'm all too happy to do, not just for the money, or to help my brother
But because it likely makes me the only poet able to name the three electrified work zones
And recite the OSHA definition of a qualified worker
I see this as a poetic advantage
Because isn't poetry the art of examining everything?
And having taken 30 hours of OSHA training
I can now write poems about PPE, Live-Dead-Live Tests, Shock Risk Assessments
And the 42 inch limited approach boundary necessary when working with 220 volts
All of which I intend to do, if I ever get enough sleep to put my thoughts together
But lately I'm up all night, worrying about my brother
Who doesn't know the proper Lockout/Tagout Techniques
As seen in Section 120.25 of the NFPA 70E codebook