What 29 CFR 1910.269 requires (plain English)
29 CFR 1910.269 covers the operation and maintenance of electric power generation, control, transformation, transmission, and distribution lines and equipment: the work of electric utilities and those who operate and maintain high-voltage systems. It is one of OSHA's most detailed standards, reflecting the extreme hazards of the highest-energy electrical work.
Its core protections include: de-energizing and grounding lines and equipment before work (and the strict rules for the less-common energized "live-line" work); minimum approach distances that workers and their conductive objects must keep from energized parts, scaled to the voltage; protection from electric arcs, which requires the employer to assess the incident heat energy of potential arcs and provide arc-rated protective clothing and equipment so workers are not burned; rules for specific tasks (grounding, live-line tools, aerial devices, enclosed spaces, and more); and requirements for host and contract employers to share information and coordinate. Only qualified employees, trained and demonstrating the required skills, perform work on or near energized parts.
1910.269 (with its construction counterpart in 1926 Subpart V) is the specialized rule for utility electrical work, distinct from the general electrical standards (1910.331–.335) that cover most other workplaces. Because the voltages and energies are so high, its de-energize-and-ground default, minimum approach distances, and arc-flash requirements are what keep line workers and power-plant electricians alive.