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Basic Electrical Safety

We rely on electricity, but sometimes underestimate its capability of causing injury. Even household current (120 volts) can stop your heart. UW personnel need to be aware of the hazards electricity poses, such as shock, fire and explosion, and either eliminate or control those hazards.

Electrical shock happens when current passes through the body. Electricity travels through closed circuits, and people, sometimes tragically, can become part of the circuit. When a person receives a shock, electricity flows between parts of the body or through the body to a ground. This can happen if someone touches both wires of an energized circuit, touches one wire of the circuit while standing unprotected or touches a metal part that has become energized.

Electrocution refers to the injury or lethal dose of electrical energy. Electricity can also cause forceful muscle contraction or falls. The severity of injury depends on the amount of current flowing through the body, the current's path through the body, the length of time the body remains in the circuit and the current's frequency.

Fire/Explosion

Electrical fires may be caused by excessive resistance that generates heat from any of the following:

• Too much current running through wiring where overcurrent protection fails or does not exist
• Faulty electrical outlets resulting in poor contact or arcing
• Poor wiring connections and old wiring that is damaged and cannot support the load

An explosion can occur when electricity ignites a flammable gas or combustible dust mixture in the air. Ignition from a short circuit or static charge is possible.

What you need to know

Electrical safety basics.

• Don't work with exposed conductors carrying 50 volts or more.
• Make sure electrical equipment is properly connected, grounded and in good working order.
• Extension cords may not be used as permanent wiring and should be removed after temporary use for an activity or event.
• Surge suppressors with built-in circuit breakers may be used long-term and are available with three, six and 15 foot-long cords.
• High amperage equipment such as space heaters, portable air conditioners and other equipment must be plugged directly into permanent wall receptacles.
• Do not access, use or alter any building’s electrical service, including circuit breaker panels, unless you are specifically qualified and authorized to do so.
• Wet environments can increase the risk of an electrical shock.

Read more information about electrical cords, including extension cords, surge suppressors and power strips .

Housekeeping and maintenance

• Maintain at least 30 inches of clearance in front of electrical panels to ensure a safe environment for facilities workers.  
• Make sure that all junction boxes are covered.

What you can do to stay safe

Avoid activities that require training .

• Working with exposed conductors carrying 50 volts or more
• Making repairs or alterations to any electrical equipment
• Opening up the case, or removing barrier guards, of any equipment that utilizes electricity
• Using any tools or a meter to measure for the presence of electricity
• Reseting a tripped circuit breaker, or replace a blown fuse

Ask a qualified person to perform these tasks.

To prevent electrical hazards, always make sure equipment is properly grounded. Electrical grounding provides an alternate path for electricity to follow, rather than going through a person. Equipment with a grounding prong must be plugged into an extension cord with a ground; the grounding plug should not be removed from the equipment. 

Wet locations

When using electricity in a wet or damp location, including outdoor locations, a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) must be used. The GFCI ensures that any electrical shock is brief. Although painful, it wouldn’t be fatal because the GFCI creates a ground fault or leak in the current.

Additional information about GFCI devices can be found in the Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter Focus Sheet.

Lockout/Tagout

When servicing and maintenance tasks involve electricity and electrical equipment, you must prevent the unexpected startup of equipment. More information on lockout/tagout procedures is available on the Hazardous Energy Control page .

Services available

EH&S provides the following services:

• Consultation on basic electrical safety
• Advice on safe work practices for energized circuits and parts, or high voltage electrical transmission and distribution systems
• Investigation of accidents and injuries to help educate and prevent recurrence

All injuries and near-misses, including those potentially caused by electricity or electrical equipment, must be reported using the  Online Accident Reporting System (OARS) .

More information

Lockout-Tagout

Lockout-Tagout Awareness/Refresher

Electrical Safety in the Workplace

Electrical Safety Low Voltage Qualified

Codes and standards

• Seattle Fire Code Chapter 6 Building Services and Systems
• Seattle Electrical Code

Definitions

Part of an arc fault, a type of electrical explosion or discharge that results from a low-impedance connection through air to ground or another voltage phase in an electrical system; it is also called a flashover and is distinctly different from the arc blast.

A ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI), also called ground fault interrupter (GFI) or residual current device (RCD) is a device that shuts off an electric power circuit when it detects that current is flowing along an unintended path, such as through water or a person

In electrical engineering, ground or earth is the reference point in an electrical circuit from which voltages are measured, a common return path for electric current, or a direct physical connection to the Earth

Occupational Safety and Health Contact

• Electrical Safety Program Workshop
• Arc Flash Study
• Arc Flash Training
• Resource Hub
• Immersive Training

The Ultimate Guide to Improve Electrical Safety In Your Workplace (2023)

Are you struggling to wrap your head around what an electrical safety program (ESP) is? What do you need to do to create one? And how you are possibly going to implement and manage it?

Well, look no further.

In this ultimate guide, I’m going to go over everything you need to do to create, implement and manage your very own.

I will also be periodically checking back in on this article adding links to resources and updating my ideas as time goes on.

• Chapter #1: Elements of your ESP
• Chapter #2. Overall guidance & structure
• Chapter #3. Practical applications - Step 1: Create a job planning method - Step 2: Make hazard identification easy for workers - Step 3: Train your workers to understand the risks - Step 4: Implement proper mitigation techniques - Step 5: Develop safe work practices - Step 6: Continually check the process
• Chapter #4. Conclusion

What hazards are we talking about?

Just to make sure you’re in the right place... this guide will focus on the two primary electrical hazards: 

• Electrical shock

As well as other auxiliary hazards:

• Electrical fires

Who will this guide help?

You are probably going to fall under one of these categories if you’ve read this far.

• Electrical Foreman/Supervisor – You can really feel the heat. You know that the people reporting to you are relying on sound judgement and good guidance in order to keep them safe. The people you report to though are more interested in up-time and productivity (which is important, don’t get me wrong).
• Safety Professional – You work for a medium-to-large size industrial corporation and this has been on your bucket list for years. You have extensive experience in operations but when it comes to high voltage electrical systems you could use some guidance.
• Electrical Engineer/Technologist – Due to your technical background you have been asked to champion the initiative. Trouble is you have little practical knowledge of influencing a safety culture and the company’s complex organizational structure only adds to the challenge.
• Manager or Owner – Thank you! If you are reading this, I’m so happy. You must understand that a safety program takes leadership, authority and access to resources to be effective and you as a manager have the ability to access all three.

Intro: The story of Bob (please read it… it will help)

Imagine a guy named Bob.

Bob is interested in improving his health and decides he needs a fitness program in order to attain his goals.

Bob goes to his favorite exercise facility, walks up to the lady behind the counter and says, “I would like to purchase one fitness program please”.

The lady looks at the pizza stains on Bob’s shirt and wonders how serious this guy really is. Then she thinks to herself, you should give people the benefit of the doubt you know. So, she goes to the end of the counter and grabs a binder off the shelf marked fitness program and hands it to Bob. “That’ll be $237 please”.

Bob reaches into his pocket, pulls out his credit card and 45 minutes later is back at home watching TV with his newly purchased fitness program tucked away neatly on the top shelf of his bookcase.

The fitness program remains on the shelf for the next 2 years before Bob’s wife throws it in the garbage during a spring-cleaning session. Bob never lifted a finger the entire time.

Let me explain...

Now, I haven’t explained what an electrical safety program is, but there are a few fundamental lessons we can learn from Bob’s story that will help us understand.

The first thing is that it’s not a document which sits on your shelf. It is documented, but you can’t pick up the program in one hand and say, “this is my program”, there are other pieces which all need to fit together to make up the program. Just like there are other things that Bob needed to be doing for his fitness program.

Let’s look at what Bob does have, what the missing pieces are, and how it all relates to your program.

What Bob has in his possession is a blueprint that describes what he needs to be doing to attain his goals for improved health and overall fitness level.

It describes what Bob should eat, how much sleep he needs, how often he needs to work out, what his routines are composed of, how often he should go for a run, bike or swim.

The plan has all the necessary sheets he needs to track his progress and some data tables to determine how he stacks up against other men who are his age.

It describes how often he must check in with his fitness instructor, his swimming coach, and his doctor. It describes what tests he is going to take when he visits the doctor and how often they are going to check his weight.

What Bob has is a plan.

When it comes to electrical safety this is often the step that people start with and unfortunately fail at. As I mentioned earlier most people assigned to develop the program are technical people, not safety professionals or management.

So, by nature, they focus on the technical aspects like calculating arc flash and determining the PPE that needs to be worn but they totally miss the planning portion!

While those things are very important, they do not make up a complete plan or program. There are other fundamental things that are required to ensure success.

When you choose to take on something like this you are changing the way people think about how they do their jobs… and this is often very challenging. 

The plan needs to describe all of the day-to-day things someone needs to do but also how you are going to manage the overall program itself.

CHAPTER #1: ELEMENTS OF YOUR ESP

There are two elements of your ESP that need to be considered in order for it to be a success.

The first is how the program works as a whole, who is responsible for managing it, what are all the components that it is made up of, and how will it grow and evolve over time.

The second element is the details, or better yet the technical stuff... it answers the questions “what does this look like on a day-today basis?” and “what are my electrical safe work procedures?”.

You want to make sure that these items are practical and can be easily implemented.

Let’s take a closer look at each of these elements.

Element 1: Overall guidance & structure

A safety program that works well not only has practical information for the workforce to follow but also is one that is easily maintained and managed.

To feel good about having a program that is firing on all cylinders you should be able to answer these questions with a yes.

• Is it clear who needs to follow the program?
• Is it clear who is responsible for managing and implementing each part?
• Does the company have participation from all levels of the organization?
• Is it documented?
• Is there a process that ensures it’s being followed?
• Is there a process that ensures it’s being updated?

Once you can answer all these, you know that the program itself is working… but you still need the second component in order for complete success.

Element 2: Practical applications

Let’s imagine for a minute that you’ve created and successfully implemented your program… 

at that point, you should feel 100% confident that every electrical job would go something like this.

• Worker’s put together a plan
• The hazards are properly identified
• The likelihood of occurrence (chances that something bad will happen) is properly estimated
• Mitigation techniques are decided upon (what PPE do I need?)
• The work is done in a safe manner following proper procedures
• The entire process was documented and checked.  

Your program has to have all the components to enable each one of these steps to be very easy for the workforce to implement.

The rest of the guide is going to go through each of these components and let you in on what you actually need to do to achieve them.

CHAPTER #2: OVERALL GUIDANCE & STRUCTURE

Who needs to follow the program.

The easy answer to this is everybody.

It’s not just the qualified electrician that this applies to. 

Operators need to perform lockout tagout, other employees will need to use extension cords and therefore need to understand how to use a ground fault circuit interrupter, and people using heavy machinery will need to understand the dangers of overhead lines.

The majority of the program will focus on the things required by the qualified electrical worker... but make sure we are clear that it has to cover everyone.

Who is responsible for the program?

This one is up to you... or your organization.

It really depends on how you are set up and the size of your company.

Early in the development process, you will want to decide who is responsible for at least these tasks:

• Implementation of the ESP
• Budgets and funding set aside
• Training and orientation are completed
• Audits are completed
• PPE is purchased
• Proper tools are purchased
• Incident reporting is effective
• Engineering studies are completed ( arc flash study )

Participation from everyone

One of the biggest challenges you will have is getting buy-in to the program.

If the program is developed in the “ivory tower” and then dispersed to the rest of the organization, you can pretty much consider it a flop.

Who doesn’t love walking into work one day and having someone drop off a new 132-page document and saying “here is our new electrical safety program from head office”... I’m kidding.

So... you need participation.

Think about having a group of people dedicated to building your program and getting these people from all over the organization. 

The ideal group would probably look like this:

• Safety manager/coordinator
• Lead hand electrician
• E&I supervisor
• Maintenance superintendent; and
• Electrical engineer  

Or something along those lines.

You just want to make sure you’re getting buy-in at all levels of the organization as early as possible in the process.

Writing your ESP Document

Now... there is more than one way to skin a cat.

In the end, it really doesn’t matter how this is laid out so much as if you are actually doing all of these things.

But like anything else, if it’s documented and structured properly it will be that much easier to follow.

Personally, I like to use this template for building any safety policies.

Table of contents

• Legal requirements
• Definitions
• Roles and responsibilities
• Electrical safe work practices (this is the biggest section)

PPE, Tools & Equipment

• Training & competency
• Procurement & contracting 
• Evaluation & corrective action
• Incident analysis

Stay current with industry best practices

About every 3 years the electrical safety landscape seems to go through significant change. Or at least that’s been the case for the last 10-15 years.

You’ll need to account for these changes over time, so you’ll need a plan in place to make sure this doesn’t fall through the cracks.

Typically, this is as simple as designating someone as your electrical safety person and assigning them this responsibility in your roles and responsibility section.

This person would then need to stay up on industry news, read the latest articles from our blog (wink, wink), and maybe even get the chance to attend a conference (such as the IEEE ESW).

Use management workshops to build momentum

The best way to get your program off the ground is to educate the workforce about some of the new policies in place, what the expectations are going to be, and any other requirements of the program that were not part of their regular duties before the program was initiated.

Workshops are a great way to bring your management team and supervision up to speed quickly and consistently.

The reason I'm referring to this as a workshop is that it is a bit more involved than a training session. It will involve round-table discussions and problem-solving exercises for the challenges the group is currently having. 

You may want to hold several workshops until the program is completely rolled out.

It might seem like a lot, but you will need to take one to two days with the entire group and go through the program step by step. 

In the end, though, this will pay off because the leadership in your organization is coming from this group of individuals and when rolling out a new initiative good leadership is vital.  

Develop a process to monitor day-to-day activities

Another important thing you will want to consider is evaluation and corrective action.

Evaluation and corrective action are things that can be done every day and are on a smaller scale.

A supervisor observing an electrical job and then giving feedback to the workers on how to improve their safety while doing the job would be a good example of this.

Develop a process for auditing the program as a whole

Audit is a word that typically sends chills down people’s spines, but I think that comes from the insurance world… a safety audit should bring a positive feeling. 

At least that’s the feeling it brings me.

An audit is a chance to look at your entire program up to this point and then see where you could improve.

Audits can be done internally or by an outside source and both carry their own benefits. 

I usually recommend getting an initial 3rd party audit or assessment done upfront to give you a baseline for where you are today and where you need to go.

Then for the next 2 to 3 years work away at implementing your program and doing self-checks and internal audits.

CHAPTER #3: PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

Once you’ve got all the administrative things out of the way it’s time to get down to the real important stuff.

These are the things that are going to affect your workers on a day-to-day basis.

Most of these items will end up in your “electrical safe work practices” section of your document.

Here we are going to focus on why you need to have them and what other things you’ll need to support it.

Remember we are ultimately trying to accomplish these steps on every job:

• The likelihood of occurrence (risk) is properly estimated
• Mitigation techniques are decided upon
• The entire process was documented and checked.

Step 1: Create a job planning method

When it comes to safety there is a saying that I've heard time and time again... if you didn't document it then it didn't happen.

This is great advice if all you are worried about is proving due diligence and covering your butt, but there is another benefit to documentation that is not talked about so much.

The power of documentation

When you write something down on paper, statistics show that you are far more likely to accomplish whatever it is you wrote down than if you simply thought about it or discussed it with someone.

I'm not sure of the exact number, but it hovers somewhere around 20% to 40% better chances of success if written down. Truly it doesn't matter what the number is when it comes to safety as any increase is beneficial.

Job safety plan

So, we are going to write everything down on some kind of job safety plan.

It doesn’t matter what you call it (JSA, JSHA, work permit, safe work plan, etc.), just as long as it covers the basics of an electrical job plan:

• What task are we doing?
• Who is doing the work?
• What are the hazards?
• What PPE, tools and equipment are required?
• Do I need lockout tagout?
• Do I need an energized work permit?
• Do I need authorization?
• Are there any special procedures?

Job briefing

The next thing that’s required is prior to starting the work the worker in charge (which could anyone really, you, me, a supervisor... just whoever is taking charge of the particular job) needs to have a discussion with all those involved in the job.

Something you might call a pre-job arc flash & shock risk assessment discussion... or a PJAFASRAD for short… I’m just kidding, that would be ridiculous.

Let’s just call it a job briefing.

The purpose is to get the juices flowing in your brain before you decide to work on a piece of equipment.

Step 2: Make hazard identification easy for workers

Complete an arc flash study

One of the best things about arc flash and electric shock hazards is that there is a very simple way to identify the hazards.

By performing an incident energy & shock hazard analysis... or more popularly named an arc flash study.

Now don't confuse this with a hazard assessment you would do just as you were walking onto the floor or into a work zone. This is an engineering exercise that is done upfront and will calculate hazard levels for all of your arc flash and shock hazards present.

A lot of people skip this step or don't see the value in spending money on engineering... but after doing this for so long now, I'm convinced there is no easier way to simplify your electrical safety program than by calculating all the hazards.

Once you have the study done all your equipment will be labelled... the electrician simply reads the info off the label and step 2 is complete.

Have the analysis completed and thank me later.

Quick Lesson: How to read the AF labels

Just in case you’re curious about how to read the labels I’ve included a link to this article which describes the process in detail.

Step 3: Train your workers to understand the risks

Training sessions are required to increase the knowledge level of the workforce. 

They need to learn about the hazards, mitigation techniques, PPE, tools, and equipment as well as the relevant procedures and policies that impact their jobs.

Most importantly they need to learn how to estimate the likelihood of an arc flash or shock hazard happening.

In my opinion, this is the biggest confusion in the entire industry and if your workers can figure this out it is going to save you a lot of headache.

Types of training needed

Typically, a company will have a need for two types of training . 

One that is specifically designed for electricians, electrical engineers, and electrical technologists and another for operators, mechanics and other trades who are sometimes exposed to electrical hazards in the workplace .

The training can either be a live training session with an instructor, on-the-job training with a qualified worker or lead hand, or online. 

All types of training are valuable, and, in my opinion, you should use a blend of the three.

Start with an in-class instructor lead session to roll out the program and introduce the topics, follow up with on-the-job training to ensure that the practical side of the training is completed, then use online training to get a refresher of the information and verify competency.

QEW Training

The first one is what I would refer to as Qualified Electrical Worker (QEW) Training. The most important factor in this training is that is focused on both the technical aspects of electrical safety as well as the practical and hands-on aspects.

Electrical hazard awareness training

The second type is more of a hazard awareness course. 

Basically, this is an arc flash, this is a shock hazard, these are the jobs you might be doing that could expose you... so don’t touch.

Electrical Contractor Training

As part of your written electrical safety program , you also want to make sure that the electrical contractors at your site are properly trained and briefed on what the hazards are.

When selecting an electrical contractor, request a list of their training qualifications and completion dates, then reference that with your own internal training systems to ensure it meets your electrical safety program standards.

Once selected explain that once they get to site they will go through a safety briefing where your site representative will ensure that you provide a proper overview of your electrical safety program and procedures.

Step 4: Implement proper mitigation techniques

Go shopping and get equipped and then use the gear that you buy!

I'm sure you've heard that PPE is the last line of defence before but until we eliminate electricity altogether, we are going to have to wear the PPE.

It's important that you find the PPE, tools, and equipment that is properly specified for the job but it's almost equally important that you understand how to use it properly, how to check for defects, and when it is safe not to use it (this last one is important because some of the PPE is very uncomfortable and may cause other issues when worn).

Most facilities that operate at 480 or 600 volts are going to require a very basic set of PPE. Here is what I recommend every qualified electrical worker has:

• Rubber insulated gloves with leather protectors (1000 volt)
• Arc rated face shield with a balaclava (12 cal/cm2)
• Arc rated coveralls (12 cal/cm2)
• Leather boots
• Safety glasses

I also recommend having at least one 40+cal/cm2 (depending on your arc flash analysis ) arc flash suit & hood to be used when the incident energy is above 12 cal/cm2.

For tools, there is nothing that beats a CATIV-600V CATIII-1000V digital multimeter from a trusted brand... not one you picked up at the local hardware store for $25.

Again, every place is different, so take the time to figure out the right mix for your needs. 

Invest in quality and make sure that there is a healthy appreciation for using the PPE, tools and equipment.

Setting up the safe work zone

Another mitigation technique that is very valuable with arc flash and shock hazards is distance.

Yup... plain old distance. Keep people back and away.

Every time an electrical worker is performing a task when electrical circuits have been exposed, they need to be setting up a safe work zone.

You can do this any way you choose.

Barricades, yellow tape, red tape, standby attendants, you name it... just make sure that you’re accounting for it in your program.

In order to set the zone up in the right place, you’ll need two numbers (and guess where they come from... your arc flash study).

• Arc flash boundary
• Limited approach boundary

The arc flash boundary is the distance you can stand from an arc flash, with no PPE and still survive... notice I said to survive and not get burned... even at the boundary arc flashes are so dangerous you could still get injured.

The limited approach boundary is the safe distance that an unqualified worker can stand without the risk of getting a shock.

All you need to do is figure out which number is greater and set up your work zone at this distance (or a bit further for good measure).

Step 5: Develop safe work practices

The written program document should consist of policies, procedures and safe work practices that will decrease the likelihood of getting a shock or creating an arc flash.

There are a few "key procedures" when it comes to electrical safety, such as establishing an electrically safe work condition, pre-job shock & arc flash risk assessment , and the use of energized work permits, that you should have built into your program.

Establishing an electrically safe work condition

This is a really fancy way of saying “electrical lockout”.

I think that the writers of the standards didn’t want to confuse the issue, so they came up with this very long name for the procedure... 

The nice things are you don’t need to reinvent the wheel here. This procedure is exactly the same in CSAZ462 and NFPA70E and in my opinion, is the most important procedure your workers need to follow.

It’s the only way to prove zero energy for electrical systems.

Here are the general steps (you can get more specific if you’d like):

• Determine all possible sources of electrical supply to the electrical equipment
• Open the disconnecting device
• Visually verify device has opened (if possible)
• Release or block stored energy
• Testing for absence of voltage (most important!!!)
• Apply temporary protective grounds (for high voltage)

If the electrical workers on your site are successfully completing these steps every time your incident rate is going to go way down.

Energized work permit

Energized work is by far the most hazardous work an electrician can do, and in most cases, it doesn't need to happen.

A lot of work that electricians have traditionally done energized is no longer acceptable.

There are a few things like testing and troubleshooting that you can't do any other way but for everything else, before you work on it energized, you'd better have a really good reason why.

That reason or "justification" needs to go down on an energized work permit and someone with authority should be signing off on the work.

Follow this link for more information on energized work permits and a template you can use.

Other electrical safe work procedures

Depending on the type of business you are in, whether or not you contract some or all of the electrical work out and what level of sophistication you are aiming for, there are a number of other safe work practices you will want to consider:

• How to read arc flash labels
• Testing for absence of voltage
• Working near overhead power lines & buried power lines
• How to properly use a ground fault circuit interrupter
• How to ensure the system is properly grounded
• Complex switching sequences

Step 6: Continually check the process

Key procedure audits.

When trying to implement a change the most important aspect to focus on is the people. Everything else we’ve talked about up to this point is really just the framework for creating, implementing and managing an electrical safety program .

The real magic is with your people.

So, what I recommend is implementing what I call a key procedure audit (KPA) process.

I’m going to assume you have an organizational structure made up of at least a manager or owner, department lead or supervisor and skilled tradespeople.

There are two crucial interfaces when it comes to communication. 

• Manager to supervisor; and 
• Supervisor to an electrician.

How should a KPA work?

Earlier, we talked about the concept of using key procedures to drive home a concept or bring more light to a certain focus area. What I like to see in an organization is that supervisors are held responsible for the success of implementing those key procedures.

There are two things we want to measure quality and interaction… 

Ask yourself how well are the pre-job assessments being completed?

Are they effective in determining the risks involved? 

Are they simply a “ticking the box” exercise? 

How many times in a day, week or month is the supervisor interacting with the skilled trades-person in a meaningful way with regards to the key procedure chosen?

Here is an example

Let’s imagine I’m an electrical general foreman at a mine site in Northern Canada. I have two supervisors who each have 15 electricians reporting to them.

The site manager chose to establish an electrically safe work condition (EESWC) as the key procedure she is most concerned with right now in implementing.

Every Friday I’ve laid out the expectation that each of my supervisors has taken the time to stop, review and discuss the procedures that their electricians have been completing making sure to focus on EESWC.

The supervisor should also be checking to make sure the electrical workers show an acceptable level of understanding in the work but also in the key procedure audit process.

So the electrician reports to the supervisor, the supervisor to me, and then I report to the manager.  Necessary tweaks are made in the process or protocols and everyone adjusts appropriately.

CHAPTER #4: CONCLUSION

So, what are we going to do now? 

Glad you asked.

Now that you have a written document which outlines the plan, processes and procedures you are going to use to protect the workers from electrical hazards you need to start doing them.

Seems simple enough but it's amazing how many companies and organizations do not even get to this phase in effectively rolling out the program.

It's like they have analysis paralysis, or they are just constantly planning and calculating but never take that first step to initiate anything.

It’s all about keeping people safe, so people need to do something in order to make it happen.

What I recommend is going back to the top of the chapter on Practical Applications and start working your way down. While you’re doing this be constantly updating your ESP document with whatever you decide from the practical side of things.

By the time you’ve worker your way through each step you will be in fantastic shape (electrically speaking... not like our friend Bob from earlier).

That’s all folks!

Well, I say that lightly because, in reality, it’s just the beginning. But if you have read this entire post you should at least have a good idea of the things you need to consider. 

Do you know anyone else that would benefit from this blog? Use the share buttons below to share the content. 

If you have any questions, you can always reach out to me at [email protected] . 

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Electrical Safety: Safety & Health for Electrical Trades (Student Manual)

Summary statement.

Student manual on electrical safety with information on recognizing, evaluating and avoiding hazards related to electricity. January 2002

Safety Model Stage 3—Controlling Hazards: Safe Work Practices

• What could go wrong?
• Do I have the knowledge, tools, and experience to do this work safely?
• Plan your work and plan for safety.
• Avoid wet working conditions and other dangers.
• Avoid overhead powerlines.
• Use proper wiring and connectors.
• Use and maintain tools properly.
• Wear correct PPE.
• Work with a “buddy” —Do not work alone. Both of you should be trained in CPR. Both of you must know what to do in an emergency.
• Plan to lock out and tag out circuits and equipment— Make certain all energy sources are locked out and tagged out before performing any work on an electrical circuit or electrical device. Working on energized (“hot”) circuits is one of the most dangerous things any worker could do. If someone turns on a circuit without warning, you can be shocked, burned, or electrocuted. The unexpected starting of electrical equipment can cause severe injury or death. Before ANY work is done on a circuit, shut off the circuit, lock out and tag out the circuit at the distribution panel, then test the circuit to make sure it is de-energized. Before ANY equipment inspections or repairs—even on so-called low-voltage circuits—the current must be turned off at the switch box, and the switch must be padlocked in the OFF position. At the same time, the equipment must be securely tagged to warn everyone that work is being performed. Again, test circuits and equipment to ensure they are de-energized. No two locks should be alike. Each key should fit only one lock, and only one key should be issued to each worker. If more than one worker is working on a circuit or repairing a piece of equipment, each worker should lock out the switch with his or her own lock and never permit anyone else to remove it. At all times, you must be certain that you are not exposing other workers to danger. Workers who perform lock-out/tag-out must be trained and authorized to repair and maintain electrical equipment. A locked-out switch or feeder panel prevents others from turning on a circuit. The tag informs other workers of your action.
• Remove jewelry and metal objects— Remove jewelry and other metal objects or apparel from your body before beginning work. These things can cause burns if worn near high currents and can get caught as you work.
• Plan to avoid falls— Injuries can result from falling off scaffolding or ladders. Other workers may also be injured from equipment and debris falling from scaffolding and ladders.

• Put your feet at the base of the ladder and extend your arms straight out.
• If you can touch the closest part of the ladder without bending your arms, the ladder is probably at the correct angle.
• If you have to bend your arms to touch the closest part of the ladder or if you can’t reach the ladder at all, the ladder is not positioned at a safe angle.

• Use a GFCI— Always use a GFCI when using portable tools and extension cords.
• Avoid overloads— Do not overload circuits.
• Test GFCI’s— Test GFCI’s monthly using the “test” button.
• Use three-prong plugs— Never use a three-prong grounding plug with the third prong broken-off. When using tools that require a third-wire ground, use only three-wire extension cords with three-prong grounding plugs and three-hole electrical outlets. Never remove the grounding prong from a plug! You could be shocked or expose someone else to a hazard. If you see a cord without a grounding prong in the plug, remove the cord from service immediately.
• Use extension cords properly— If an extension cord must be used, choose one with sufficient ampacity for the tool being used. An undersized cord can overheat and cause a drop in voltage and tool power. Check the tool manufacturer’s recommendations for the required wire gauge and cord length. Make sure the insulation is intact. To reduce the risk of damage to a cord’s insulation, use cords with insulation marked “S” (hard service) rather than cords marked “SJ” (junior hard service). Make sure the grounding prong is intact. In damp locations, make sure wires and connectors are waterproof and approved for such locations. Do not create a tripping hazard.
• Check power cords and extensions— Electrical cords should be inspected regularly using the following procedure: 1. Remove the cord from the electrical power source before inspecting. 2. Make sure the grounding prong is present in the plug. 3. Make sure the plug and receptacle are not damaged. 4. Wipe the cord clean with a diluted detergent and examine for cuts, breaks, abrasions, and defects in the insulation. 5. Coil or hang the cord for storage. Do not use any other methods. Coiling or hanging is the best way to avoid tight kinks, cuts, and scrapes that can damage insulation or conductors. You should also test electrical cords regularly for ground continuity using a continuity tester as follows: 1. Connect one lead of the tester to the ground prong at one end of the cord. 2. Connect the second lead to the ground wire hole at the other end of the cord. 3. If the tester lights up or beeps (depending on design), the cord’s ground wire is okay. If not, the cord is damaged and should not be used.
• Do not pull on cords— Always disconnect a cord by the plug.
• Use locking connectors— Use locking-type attachment plugs, receptacles, and other connectors to prevent them from becoming unplugged.
• Inspect tools before using them— Check for cracked casings, dents, missing or broken parts, and contamination (oil, moisture, dirt, corrosion). Damaged tools must be removed from service and properly tagged. These tools should not be used until they are repaired and tested.
• Use the right tool correctly— Use tools correctly and for their intended purposes. Follow the safety instructions and operating procedures recommended by the manufacturer. When working on a circuit, use approved tools with insulated handles. However, DO NOT USE THESE TOOLS TO WORK ON ENERGIZED CIRCUITS. ALWAYS SHUT OFF AND DE-ENERGIZE CIRCUITS BEFORE BEGINNING WORK ON THEM.
• Protect your tools— Keep tools and cords away from heat, oil, and sharp objects. These hazards can damage insulation. If a tool or cord heats up, stop using it! Report the condition to a supervisor or instructor immediately. If equipment has been repaired, make sure that it has been tested and certified as safe before using it. Never carry a tool by the cord. Disconnect cords by pulling the plug—not the cord!
• Use double-insulated tools— Portable electrical tools are classified by the number of insulation barriers between the electricalconductors in the tool and the worker. The NEC permits the use of portable tools only if they have been approved by Underwriter’s Laboratories (UL Listed). Equipment that has two insulation barriers and no exposed metal parts is called double-insulated. When used properly, double-insulated tools provide reliable shock protection without the need for a third ground wire. Power tools with metal housings or only one layer of effective insulation must have a third ground wire and three-prong plug.
• Use multiple safe practices— Remember: A circuit may not be wired correctly. Wires may contact other “hot” circuits. Someone else may do something to place you in danger. Take all possible precautions.
• Contain and secure loose hair— Wear your hair in such a way that it does not interfere with your work or safety.
• Wear proper foot protection— Wear shoes or boots that have been approved for electrical work. (Tennis shoes will not protect you from electrical hazards.) If there are non-electrical hazards present (nails on the floor, heavy objects, etc.), use footwear that is approved to protect against these hazards as well.
• Wear a hard hat— Wear a hard hat to protect your head from bumps and falling objects. Hard hats must be worn with the bill forward to protect you properly.
• Wear hearing protectors— Wear hearing protectors in noisy areas to prevent hearing loss.
• Follow directions— Follow the manufacturer’s directions for cleaning and maintaining PPE.
• Make an effort— Search out and use any and all equipment that will protect you from shocks and other injuries.

Electrical Safety and Hazards of Electricity Essay

Introduction.

Bibliography

Electrical Safety is a part of industrial safety programs aimed to protect workers and outside environment from threats and risks. The electrical safety regulation involves congressional legislation stating the need to protect health, safety, and the environment; setting goals for improvements in the present condition; and establishing the commissions to deal with the day-to-day problems of actually achieving the goals. Once established, the new agencies attempt to settle quickly into full-blown and efficient administrative processes. While the legislation provided guidelines as to why the agency should proceed, it usually does specify the method or process of regulation.

Electricity is dangerous for a human causing death and health hazards. If a current runs through a human body it burns the flesh and causes the shock. In its turn, shock leads to heart attack and heart failure. One-tenth of an ampere may prove death if it passes through the main part of the body. “Of all the skin layers, keratin exhibits the highest resistance to the passage of electricity” (Cadick et al 2005, p. 1.20).

For instance, the 110 volts is enough to be fatal. in industrial setting, electricity is dangerous because it causes rapid heating and expansion of sap vapors in case of fire. In current, “electrons move because they push on each other to spread apart. When more electrons are in one place than another, those in the crowded area push harder than those in the emptier area, so electrons move from the former to the latter. Resistance is modeled as a blocking process in which “imperfections” in the material act as obstacles in the electrons’ paths” (McCutchen 1999, p. 259).

In industrial settings, electricity is dangerous because of high voltage and metal constructions used in many plants and factories. “Employees who work around electricity don’t survive on luck. Worse is the fact that having a near death accident doesn’t “feel” lucky to most” (Cadick et al 2005, p. 8.14). The regulation of worker safety goes toward specifying equipment. The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 is enacted to reverse the rising trend of worker accidents during the 1960s. When the act became law, the secretary of labor set the first safety standards based on equipment specifications arrive at over the previous two decades by industry health associations and nonprofit safety organizations (Viscusi 2000).

Today, electrical safety issues contain extremely detailed specifications of the physical conditions of production, ranging from the cleanliness of the working area to the position and size of mesh screens over moving machinery. The goals are to set in terms of improving health and safety across the country, EPA, NHTSA, and OSHA regulations evolved away from performance to setting out and partially enforcing detailed equipment specifications (Viscusi 2000).

Because standard setting has been litigious and prolonged, the existing set of rules has not been complete. But these regulations when available and applied to the individual plant have proven to be extremely detailed and inflexible. When they have not fit, the only way to resolve an all-or-nothing confrontation has been to postpone application. in utility and industrial settings, ”electricity is conducted along copper wires in power generation, transmission, and distribution” (Cadick et al 2005, p. 11.8).

By controlling equipment and production processes, the agencies regulating electrical safety have had some impact on industry costs and prices. Electrical safety concerns logically fall into four basic categories: product design standards, installation standards, safety-related maintenance information and usage instructions “(Cadick et al 2005, p. 6.16). The impact is realized by the companies in higher equipment costs and reduced equipment options. This, in turn, increases the long-run, and increases the short-run, costs of production. Behavior modification approaches to workplace safety invoke a domino model, such that reinforcement strategies affect safe behavior, which in turn affects accident rates.

Following Patterson (1999), the simplest form of event sequence model accords less attention to causes and more attention to the outcomes leading up to an accident. The nuance here is that an accident is a process, rather than a single discrete event. Patterson (1999) conceptualizes the accident process as a hazard buildup cycle. At first, the workplace is safe with no uncontrolled hazards. As people start to work, however, tools are left out in work spaces, and different people enter the work space to do different things with different tools and equipment. People and objects move around and make opportunities to bump into each other.

Eventually hazards accumulate to a critical level when an accident occurs. Notice that there is a entropy concept implicit in the hazard buildup view of an accident process. For instance, in industrial settings: “whenever possible, safety grounds are applied to create a zone of equal potential around the employee. This means that the voltage is equal on all components within reach of the employee” (Cadick et al 2005, p. 2.84).

An intervention based on the hazard buildup cycle would emphasize training for good factory housekeeping. Other possible forms of training would center on the best use of tools, and procedures that would minimize the acceleration of the hazard buildup. Workers should learn to recognize the buildup cycle, and to spontaneously intervene by reorganizing their work spaces for a safer outcome (Viscusi 2000). The intervention essentially kick-starts a self-organization process for all workers. Entropy, having increased unto chaos, now causes the system to self-organize into a state where there is less internal entropy, and a more controlled transferral of energy into the work environment.

The concept of electrical safety climate was first expressed by Zohar (1980 cited Patterson 1999), who was investigating the safety practices, and workers’ views of those safety practices, that distinguished factories with good safety performance from those with poor performance. Attitudes toward the organization’s safety program and its effectiveness, worker training, availability of needed tools and personal protection equipment, and the foreman’s attentiveness to rule violations, all served to distinguish high and low performing groups (Viscusi 2000). The set of survey questions, taken together denoted a climate for safety.

The concept of climate was similar in principle to the organizational climate concepts, except that climate was viewed with respect to a more limited set of objectives or issues. The introduction of an organizational construct was justified because the measurements distinguished organizations rather than individuals (Patterson 1999).

Electrical workers and inspectors operate with a variety of notions of compliance. Full compliance is a standard set of conditions which they are aiming towards: this will usually be at least the legal or administrative definition of compliance, and it may represent a standard above the legal minimum. Inspectors may also operate with temporary definitions of compliance, that is a state of affairs which is less than full compliance but which is tolerated for a fixed period, until such time as they consider it reasonable for a state of full compliance to have been achieved (Cadick et al 2005).

Both of these are positive definitions, to the extent that they emphasize the degree to which something measures up to the required standard. When inspectors are wanting to emphasize the negative aspects of a situation they talked in terms of non-compliance. The definition, achievement, and maintenance of compliance is a process which continues for as long as a business is in operation and known about by the regulatory authorities. But while the activities regulated by inspectors are continuous, inspectors’ visits to these sites are ‘momentary’ and sometimes infrequent (Patterson 1999).

They therefore make decisions from ‘snapshots’ of activity, and with the benefit of varying levels of training, guidance, and experience. Issues of compliance therefore emerge in different contexts and settings and the meanings they take on are molded accordingly. It may take inspectors a long time to become familiar with some very large and complex organizations, a task which may be made more difficult by reorganizations.

For instance, British Railways is perhaps a good example, since its national organization was differentiated both on a regional basis and according to specialisms such as civil engineering, mechanical and electrical engineering, signals and telecommunications, and operations (Patterson 1999). Not only was this a complicated organization in itself but it was not a static organization. Each of the parts might be reorganized, leaving members of the RI with the problem of not knowing whom to contact, especially if jobs were awkwardly defined. However, some inspectors felt that reorganizations could help them if individual managers became responsible for larger areas, as inspectors would then need to contact fewer managers to effect improvements across a greater area.

In industrial settings, the environmental hazard parameters can be thought of as background and trigger variables, respectively. The relationship between hazards and accidents is thought to be linear in the sense of the Patterson (1999) hazard buildup process. Other evidence suggests that the electrical safety is actually a log-linear relationship, such that hazards are more closely related to the log of accidents rates, rather than to accident rates directly (Parkhurst and Niebur 2002).

Variables that represent sources of stress, which in turn affect performance, are thought to cause a sharp inflection of risk over a short amount of time when the background hazard level is sufficiently strong. Risk inflection, which is greatest when anxiety and stress are high, safety management is poor, and group size is small. Good safety management is thought to produce only a relatively low. Safety management is a control mechanism both in real circumstances and as a bifurcating effect in the model. Tests of the cusp model in two situations showed that the model provides a good description of the accident process and affords a variety of qualitative recommendations that an organization can use to enhance its safety performance (McCutchen 1999).

In sum, electricity is dangerous because it causes deaths and injuries if the workers are not protected and safety measures are not kept. Behavior modification programs, which selectively reward desired safety responses and censure undesirable behaviors, rank among the most effective means of controlling accidents, as long as the contingencies of reinforcement center on rewarding the desired behavior to a greater extent than on punishing undesirable behavior. Their chief limitations are, however, that they require constant monitoring by the agencies delivering the rewards, and only a narrow set of behaviors can be targeted effectively within a specific program. Also, they tend to view targeted behaviors in isolation, rather than as results of a complex system process. Sometimes those limitations are not problems, of course, but sometimes they are.

• Cadick, J., Capelli_M., Neitzel, D. K. Electrical Safety Handbook . McGraw-Hill Professional; 3 edition, 2005.
• McCutchen, D. Making Their Own Connections: Students’ Understanding of Multiple Models in Basic Electricity. Cognition and Instruction , 17, 1999. 249-259.
• Patterson, W. Transforming Electricity: The Coming Generation of Change . Earthscan Ltd, 1999.
• Parkhurst, D. J., Niebur, E., Variable-Resolution Displays: A Theoretical, Practical, and Behavioral Evaluation. Human Factors , 44, 2002, p. 611.
• Viscusi, K. Corporate Risk Analysis: A Reckless Act? Stanford Law Review , 52, 2000, pp. 547-597.
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

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30 Electrical Safety Quiz Questions and Answers

Electrical safety is of paramount importance in both residential and industrial settings due to the potential hazards associated with electricity. It involves the implementation of practices, guidelines, and precautions to minimize the risk of electrical accidents, injuries, fires, and even fatalities.

Electricity can be dangerous if not handled properly. Electrical accidents can lead to electric shocks, burns, and even death. Implementing electrical safety measures helps prevent accidents and ensures the well-being of individuals working with or around electrical systems.

Electrical malfunctions or faults are a significant cause of fires. Overloaded circuits, faulty wiring, and electrical equipment can generate heat, sparks, or electrical arcs, which can ignite flammable materials and start fires. Adhering to electrical safety practices significantly reduces the risk of electrical fires, protecting lives and property.

Electrical safety measures ensure the proper functioning and longevity of electrical equipment. By following guidelines such as regular inspections, maintenance, and proper usage, the risk of equipment damage or failure can be minimized. This leads to increased productivity, reduced downtime, and cost savings.

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Table of contents

Part 1: 30 electrical safety quiz questions & answers.

1. What is the purpose of grounding electrical systems? a) To provide a path for current to flow b) To protect against electric shocks c) To reduce electrical resistance d) To increase energy efficiency Answer: b) To protect against electric shocks

2. Which of the following is a common cause of electrical fires? a) Overloading circuits b) Proper grounding c) Regular maintenance d) Low voltage Answer: a) Overloading circuits

3. What is the recommended type of electrical outlets for wet areas, such as bathrooms? a) Ungrounded outlets b) GFCI outlets c) Surge protected outlets d) Three-pronged outlets Answer: b) GFCI outlets

4. What should you do if you experience an electrical shock? a) Pour water over the affected area b) Apply a burn ointment immediately c) Remove the person from the electrical source d) Do nothing; it will subside on its own Answer: c) Remove the person from the electrical source

5. What does the term “overloading” mean in electrical safety? a) Using too many electrical devices simultaneously b) Using energy-efficient appliances c) Overcharging a battery d) Insulating electrical wires Answer: a) Using too many electrical devices simultaneously

6. Which of the following is NOT a recommended practice for preventing electrical accidents? a) Avoiding the use of extension cords b) Regularly inspecting electrical equipment c) Using damaged electrical cords d) Keeping electrical devices away from water sources Answer: c) Using damaged electrical cords

7. What does the abbreviation “PPE” stand for in electrical safety? a) Personal Protective Equipment b) Proper Power Efficiency c) Protective Power Equipment d) Professional Protection Evaluation Answer: a) Personal Protective Equipment

8. Which of the following should NOT be used near electrical equipment? a) Water b) Fire extinguisher c) Metal tools d) Insulated gloves Answer: a) Water

9. What is the purpose of a circuit breaker in an electrical system? a) To regulate the flow of electricity b) To prevent overloading and short circuits c) To increase energy efficiency d) To generate electricity Answer: b) To prevent overloading and short circuits

10. What is the color coding for the ground wire in electrical systems? a) Red b) Black c) Green d) Yellow Answer: c) Green

11. What does the term “arc flash” refer to in electrical safety? a) A type of electrical insulation b) A sudden burst of light and heat during an electrical fault c) A safety switch used in high-voltage systems d) The process of grounding electrical systems Answer: b) A sudden burst of light and heat during an electrical fault

12. Which of the following should be done before working on electrical equipment? a) Wear insulated gloves b) Use a metal ladder c) Keep the equipment plugged in d) Stand on a wet surface Answer: a) Wear insulated gloves

13. What is the purpose of a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI)? a) To protect against electrical shocks b) To regulate voltage levels c) To increase energy efficiency d) To prevent electrical fires Answer: a) To protect against electrical shocks

14. Which type of fire extinguisher is suitable for electrical fires? a) Water-based extinguisher b) Foam-based extinguisher c) CO2 extinguisher d) Powder extinguisher Answer: c) CO2 extinguisher

15. What should you do if you notice frayed or damaged electrical cords? a) Continue using them until they completely fail b) Repair them with tape or insulation c) Replace them with new cords d) Ignore the damage as long as they still work Answer: c) Replace them with new cords

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16. What is the purpose of an electrical lockout/tagout procedure? a) To secure electrical equipment during maintenance or repair b) To prevent unauthorized access to electrical systems c) To increase energy efficiency d) To regulate the flow of electricity Answer: a) To secure electrical equipment during maintenance or repair

17. Which of the following is NOT an example of electrical safety equipment? a) Voltage tester b) Insulated gloves c) Wire cutter d) Safety goggles Answer: c) Wire cutter

18. What does the term “short circuit” mean in electrical systems? a) A circuit with no electricity flowing through it b) A circuit with too much resistance c) A connection between two points of different voltages d) A low-voltage circuit Answer: c) A connection between two points of different voltages

19. What is the purpose of an electrical safety audit? a) To identify potential hazards and ensure compliance with safety regulations b) To reduce electricity consumption c) To test the efficiency of electrical equipment d) To generate electricity from renewable sources Answer: a) To identify potential hazards and ensure compliance with safety regulations

20. What is the recommended distance to maintain between electrical equipment and water sources? a) 1 foot b) 3 feet c) 6 feet d) 10 feet Answer: b) 3 feet

21. Which of the following is NOT a safe practice for using extension cords? a) Overloading the extension cord with multiple devices b) Using extension cords temporarily, not as a permanent solution c) Keeping extension cords away from high-traffic areas d) Ensuring the extension cord is rated for the intended use Answer: a) Overloading the extension cord with multiple devices

22. What does the term “electrical insulation” mean? a) The process of reducing energy consumption b) The use of protective materials to prevent electrical shocks c) The regulation of voltage levels in electrical systems d) The grounding of electrical equipment Answer: b) The use of protective materials to prevent electrical shocks

23. Which of the following should be used to disconnect power to electrical equipment before servicing? a) Screwdriver b) Pliers c) Circuit breaker d) Hammer Answer: c) Circuit breaker

24. What is the purpose of a surge protector in electrical systems? a) To regulate the flow of electricity b) To protect against voltage spikes and surges c) To increase energy efficiency d) To generate electricity Answer: b) To protect against voltage spikes and surges

25. What is the purpose of an electrical safety sign or label? a) To indicate the voltage level of an electrical system b) To provide instructions for using electrical equipment c) To warn of potential electrical hazards d) To indicate the energy efficiency of electrical devices Answer: c) To warn of potential electrical hazards

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26. Which of the following is NOT a safe practice when working on electrical systems? a) Working alone without supervision b) Using insulated tools c) Turning off power before starting work d) Using proper personal protective equipment (PPE) Answer: a) Working alone without supervision

27. What does the term “ground fault” refer to in electrical systems? a) A connection between a live wire and the ground b) A circuit with no electricity flowing through it c) A damaged electrical cord d) A short circuit Answer: a) A connection between a live wire and the ground

28. Which of the following is a safe practice for storing flammable materials near electrical equipment? a) Keeping them in close proximity for easy access b) Storing them in a separate, designated area c) Ensuring they are properly labeled d) Using metal containers for storage Answer: b) Storing them in a separate, designated area

29. What is the purpose of regular electrical equipment inspections? a) To increase energy efficiency b) To ensure compliance with safety regulations c) To generate electricity d) To reduce the risk of electrical fires Answer: b) To ensure compliance with safety regulations

30. Which of the following is NOT a recommended practice for electrical safety? a) Keeping electrical devices away from water sources b) Reporting any electrical hazards or malfunctions immediately c) Using damaged electrical equipment d) Following manufacturer’s instructions for electrical devices Answer: c) Using damaged electrical equipment

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Posted by Jason Mazzola

8 Steps to Create an Electrical Safety Program Part 1

My Name is Jason Mazzola. I am an Electrical Engineer and prior to coming to Hallam-ICS I spent 10 years in the Utility industry in various leadership roles. Mostly I was in charge of Engineering and Operation and Maintenance groups. During my time in the Utility industry I built strong technical and safety minded foundations and witnessed firsthand the importance of putting safety above all else. I was also involved in many incident investigations and bring with me the knowledge of those events when analyzing safe electrical work practices.

I’m a Qualified Electrical Safety Trainer and my team and I have completed over 2500 arc flash assessments. Over the course of my career I have seen improvements in the understanding of electrical safety in all areas; PPE, training, work practices and system improvements. Helping organizations understand and adhere to the regulations set forth by OSHA is our team’s top priority. This is the first of a five-part blog series and by the end of this series, I hope you will have learned the key components for creating a low voltage Electrical Safety Program based around NFPA 70E. Your safety program is the backbone of a safe work environment and is a vitally important document for those who work with electricity to follow.

Part 1: Purpose, Scope and Responsibilities

Part 2: Requirements and Protective Measures

Part 3: Required Safe Work Practices

Part 4: Required Safe Work Practices Continued

Part 5: Training and Audits

As a refresher for those of you who are familiar or provide a quick overview for those who are new to Electrical Safety Programs, having an Electrical Safety Program is necessary to be in compliance with regulatory agencies. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is an entity that is enforceable as law. OSHA 1910.333, .335 mandates that all employers, regardless of industry, provide electrical safety in the workplace for all employees and contractors.  Whereas OSHA states the law, the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) guideline NFPA 70E demonstrates how an electrically safe working environment is implemented.

Most facilities have maintenance staff or on-site electricians who, at times, may need to perform work on live electrical equipment. The result is that your qualified staff needs to perform live electrical work. If they are not properly trained on the hazards of construction and operation of the equipment, these people could experience a shock or arc flash. The electrical safety plan is your first line of defense against these types of incidents and addresses how to evaluate the risks and the lays out the safe work practices your staff should be adhering to. Failure to establish these parameters may result in an incident occurring. The repercussions can be quite substantial including costs associated with medical bills, damaged equipment, lost production, fines, insurance claims, lawsuits and the most important, the possible death of one of your employees.

The first component to include in your safety document is the purpose of the Electrical Safety Program; it is to provide basic safety requirements for your staff who work on or near electrical apparatus. It is important to remember that this document is the minimum requirement for your staff. Those folks who are working with or around electrical systems should understand and follow the requirements outlined in your written Electrical Safety Program. It is important when creating the purpose to clearly define who the intended audience is. This section basically serves as an introduction and overview for the document.

It is important to define that this document is intended to be followed when working on low voltage only, low voltage is anything below 600V. This document is not intended to be a guideline for voltages over 600v; this would require a separate document that addresses the specific requirements for working with the higher voltages. My recommendation is that best practice is to establish that NO energized electrical work will be performed. This will greatly decrease the chances of having an electrical incident and keep your staff as safe as possible.

There are a few exemptions to this rule as laid out by NFPA 70E and those should be considered. The first is if an Energized Electrical work permit is used. The permit would have to be authorized and signed by local management. There are also some tasks that are exempt and not considered live work including testing, troubleshooting, voltage measuring, thermography, visual inspection, and written site-specific work practices that have been reviewed and approved by management. These exemptions should be included in your safety plan and clearly laid out.

Responsibilities

Management’s responsibilities should include but are not limited to, the dissemination of the program, they should also review the program every three years and add or remove content as needed. Supervisors are responsible for the safety of all persons under their direction and must also follow and enforce local safety plans. Supervisors generally are the closest management employee to the work being done so they need to remain vigilant in their enforcement efforts.  

Qualified Persons are the folks that you deem have the knowledge and experience to do the work electrical work at your site. This needs to be demonstrated to you and only you can deem them qualified. With being considered qualified there are certain responsibilities they have and they should be outlined in the plan. For example, they are responsible for keeping unqualified persons out of the limited, restricted, and arc flash boundaries. They are responsible for following proper work procedures and proper use of tools and they should remain up to date on the rules and specifications of their job.

Escorts need to be qualified and are responsible for the safety and compliance of the folks in their care.

Unqualified Persons need to be aware of electrical hazards even if their work doesn’t involve direct interaction with electrical equipment. They are also not permitted to be inside the limited or arc flash boundaries as outlined in NFPA 70E. A basic electrical hazard awareness training would be suited nicely for these folks. It would make them aware of the hazards but doesn’t need to be as detailed as your qualified persons training.

Finally, Contractors are responsible for following their own up to date safety plan and if they do not have one, they should be adopting yours for the duration of their work. On a side note when you bring contactors in, you should be asking if they have a plan in place and I would obtain a copy to have on record.

This has been Part 1 of my 5-part series that I have put together to help give your ESP shape. If you have any questions please forward them to me at [email protected] . Myself or someone on my team will be happy to help.

  About the author

Jason Mazzola is the Director of Electrical Safety Services for Southern New England out of our Mansfield, MA office. He joined Hallam-ICS  in 2019 and prior to that spent 10 years in utility industry in various engineering and leadership roles.

About Hallam-ICS

Hallam-ICS is an engineering and automation company that designs MEP systems for facilities and plants, engineers control and automation solutions, and ensures safety and regulatory compliance through arc flash studies, commissioning, and validation. Our offices are located in Massachusetts , Connecticut , New York , Vermont and North Carolina  and our projects take us world-wide. 

Topics: Arc Flash and Electrical Safety

By Jason Mazzola

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Electrical Safety

The major aim of this article is to know about electrical safety. Electrical safety is an incredibly significant in the work surroundings. Employees of offices, industrial plants, and construction zones all face electrical dangers all day on the job. Electricity is particularly hazardous due to its unexpected nature. Unlike fires, electricity will come out in a spark, shock, or arc and at a tremendously rapid rate.

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