Safe work practices prevent injuries.

For accidents to occur, hazardous conditions and unsafe behaviors must somehow interact. A safe work environment is not enough to control all electrical hazards. You must also work safely. Safe work practices help you control your risk of injury or death from workplace hazards. If you are working on electrical circuits or with electrical tools and equipment, you need to use safe work practices.

Before you begin a task, ask yourself:

All workers should be very familiar with the safety procedures for their jobs. You must know how to use specific controls that help keep you safe. You must also use common sense good sense.

Note: So, why did we strike through "common sense" above? That's because there's no such thing as common sense! We harp on this all the time. You've got to use good sense, and in order to do that, you need to be educated, trained, and experience. There is no way to get around it. Do not assume anyone has common sense: That will get you in trouble and possibly hurt.

Control electrical hazards through safe work practices.

The ground-fault circuit interrupter, or GFCI, is designed to shut-off electric power if a ground fault is detected, protecting the user from a potential electrical shock. The GFCI is particularly useful near sinks and wet locations. Since GFCIs can cause equipment to shut down unexpectedly, they may not be appropriate for certain apparatus. Portable GFCI adapters (available in most safety supply catalogs) may be used with a non-GFCI outlet.

All tools, equipment, and vehicles must be properly maintained so that workers are not endangered. Construction regulations require inspections of vehicles, tools, machines, and equipment before use.

Preventive maintenance is the systematic care and protection of tools, equipment, machines, and vehicles in order to keep them in a safe, usable condition, that limits downtime and extends productivity. We must always be aware that maintenance tasks themselves are potentially hazardous and can result in injury.

Types of health hazards associated with hazardous materials: 
1. Acute/chronic toxicity 
2. Skin corrosion or irritation 
3.  Aspiration hazard 
4.  Serious eye damage or eye irritation 
5. Respiratory or skin sensitization 
6.  Germ cell mutagenicity 
7.  Carcinogenicity 
8.  Reproductive toxicity 
9.  Specific target organ toxicity 

What is the maintenance of tools?

Preventive maintenance is the systematic care and protection of tools, equipment, machines, and vehicles in order to keep them in a safe, usable condition, that limits downtime and extends productivity

What are the electrical safety precautions?

3. If you are working on any receptacle at your home then always turn off the mains. It is also a good idea to put up a sign on the service panel so that nobody turns the main switch ON by accident.

4. Always use insulated tools while working.

5. Electrical hazards include exposed energized parts and unguarded electrical equipment which may become energized unexpectedly. Such equipment always carries warning signs like “Shock Risk”. Always be observant of such signs and follow the safety rules established by the electrical code followed by the country you’re in.

6. Always use appropriate insulated rubber gloves and goggles while working on any branch circuit or any other electrical circuit.

7. Never try repairing energized equipment. Always check that it is de-energized first by using a tester. When an electric tester touches a live or hot wire, the bulb inside the tester lights up showing that an electrical current is flowing through the respective wire. Check all the wires, the outer metallic covering of the service panel and any other hanging wires with an electrical tester before proceeding with your work.

8. Never use an aluminum or steel ladder if you are working on any receptacle at height in your home. An electrical surge will ground you and the whole electric current will pass through your body. Use a bamboo, wooden or a fiberglass ladder instead.

9. Know the wire code of your country.

10. Always check all your GFCI’s once a month. A GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter) is a RCD (Residual Current Device). They have become very common in modern homes, especially damp areas like the bathroom and kitchen, as they help avoid electrical shock hazards. It is designed to disconnect quickly enough to avoid any injury caused by over current or short circuit faults.

Today, any office or workplace setting operates on electricity. Electrical equipment, from computers to machinery can all be potentially hazardous and can cause shock and burn injuries if improperly used or maintained. Though most general personnel don’t need specialized electrical safety training, if you work around electricity, but are not qualified to directly handle electrical components, it’s important to follow electrical safety-related work practices to keep yourself and others safe. Here are 10 electrical safety tips for the workplace to help you avoid electrical hazards:

The best way to stay safe is to stay away from electrical hazards. Unqualified personnel should not interact or come close to electrical currents greater than 50V. If you must work in the same area or room as an electrical hazard or equipment operating on more than 50V, maintain a safe distance. All panel doors should be shut, and there should be no exposed wires around your work area before you begin your operations. 

Exposed, live electrical parts must be de-energized before work on or near them is permitted. Prevent accidents and isolate electrical energy by locking and tagging out the electrical system or parts of the system according to your company’s Lockout/Tagout policy. 

Lockout/Tagout exists to protect employees from electrical hazards while performing servicing and maintenance activities. Learn more in our article: What is Lockout/Tagout?

For more in-depth information about implementing proper Lockout/Tagout procedures in your facility, you may be interested in eSafety’s Lockout/Tagout course. 

Properly using all electrical equipment can go a long way to ensure everyone’s safety in the workplace. 

Employees should take care to handle electrical cords properly: 

Additionally, all cords and plugs in the workplace should be visually inspected for external defects prior to use. If you encounter a cord or plug with damage, do not use that equipment. 

Physical barriers should always be used to protect employees from any electrical hazards. Cabinet doors on electrical panels should always be closed, and panels should not have holes where an employee could come into contact with exposed wires. 

If cabinets cannot be closed, or if an electrical hazard cannot be fully closed in, shields, barriers, or insulating materials should be used. 

For example, if a qualified electrician is performing maintenance on an electrical panel and must keep the panel open, physical barriers should be put in place to prevent others from entering the area. Signs should be placed to warn employees of the hazard, and the area in front of the electrical panel should be kept free of any obstructions. 

If you are working in an area where an electrical hazard is present, always assume that electrical parts are live, and act accordingly. Do not use conductive tools in the area. 

If you are cleaning the area, note that some cleaning materials are conductive as well and require additional caution. Solvent and water-based cleaning materials are electrically conductive, as are steel wool and metalized cloth. Keep these cleaning products, as well as any conductive tools, away from live electrical parts and equipment. 

When performing any work or maintenance overhead, beware of electrical lines. In most workplaces, there is the potential for live electrical equipment and parts above the floor level, which are only accessible with ladders or elevated platforms. Be sure to use a portable ladder with non-conductive side rails, and stay at least 10 feet away from any exposed electrical lines while you are performing overhead work.  

Electrical equipment that can cause ignition must not be used where flammable vapors, gases, or dust are present. The only exception to this rule is when qualified personnel take measures to lockout and isolate electrical energy sources before these potentially flammable materials may be used or the electrical equipment is designed for use under these types of conditions.

If you encounter a live electrical wire, stay away. Only qualified personnel with the proper training should work on live electrical wires. The same electrical safety precaution applies to hazardous electrical equipment. Any live electrical hazard should only be approached and managed by qualified personnel. If you see a live electrical wire that is not attended, you should notify the appropriate electrical safety personnel, who should immediately place physical safety barriers. 

Every company has unique electrical safety work practices depending on the electrical equipment and hazards present in your industry and workplace. It is important to always follow your company’s specific electrical safety work practices to keep yourself, and other employees safe. 

In every situation, treat an electrical part as if it is live. Electrically live parts do not look different from de-energized parts. To ensure safety, it’s best to assume that any electrical part is live. Take precautions to keep power on its path, and protect yourself. You can’t be too careful when it comes to electricity. 

Electricity is a common, but dangerous, workplace hazard. Only those who are qualified to work with electrical components should do so. Otherwise, it is always in your best interest to keep away from live electrical currents. If your team is looking for electrical safety training for the workplace, the eSafety Electrical Safety course offers a great overview of basic electrical safety for individuals with limited electrical training.

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. 

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.

 

When servicing and maintenance tasks involve electricity and electrical equipment, you must prevent the unexpected startup of equipment. 

 Electrical Safety Rules

-  can cause muscle spasms

-  can cause cardiac arrest

- can cause burns to tissues and organs

- can affect the nervous system

- can have other unexpected consequences

Lockout–tagout is used across industries as a safe method of working on hazardous equipment and is mandated by law in some countries.

Disconnecting or making safe the equipment involves the removal of all energy sources and is known as isolation. The steps necessary to isolate equipment are often documented in an isolation procedure or a lockout tagout procedure. The isolation procedure generally includes the following tasks:

The locking and tagging of the isolation point lets others know not to de-isolate the device. To emphasize the last step above in addition to the others, the entire process can be referred to as lock, tag, and try (that is, trying to turn on the isolated equipment to confirm it has been de-energized and cannot operate).

The National Electric Code states that a safety/service disconnect must be installed within sight of serviceable equipment. The safety disconnect ensures the equipment can be isolated and there is less chance of someone turning the power back on if they can see the work going on. These safety disconnects usually have multiple places for locks so more than one person can work on equipment safely.

In industrial processes it can be difficult to establish where the appropriate danger sources might be. For example, a food processing plant may have input and output tanks and high-temperature cleaning systems connected, but not in the same room or area of the factory. It would not be unusual to have to visit several areas of the factory in order to effectively isolate a device for service (the device itself for power, upstream material feeders, downstream feeders and control room).

Safety equipment manufacturers provide a range of isolation devices specifically designed to fit various switches, valves and effectors. For example, most circuit breakers have a provision to have a small padlock attached to prevent their activation. For other devices such as ball or gate valves, plastic pieces which either fit against the pipe and prevent movement, or clamshell-style objects which completely surround the valve and prevent its manipulation are used.

A common feature of these devices is their bright color, usually red, to increase visibility and allow workers to readily see if a device is isolated. Also, the devices are usually of such a design and construction to prevent it being removed with any moderate force – for example, an isolation device does not have to resist a chainsaw, but if an operator forcibly removes it, it will be immediately visible that it has been tampered with.

To protect one or more circuit breakers in an electrical panel, a lockout–tagout device called the Panel Lockout can be used. It keeps the panel door locked and prevents the panel cover from being removed. The circuit breakers remain in the off position while electrical work is done.

A hazard assessment not only tells you what PPE is required for the jobsite, but it is also the first step toward developing a safety program. It should serve as your foundation for creating a safe work environment. You need to identify the potential hazards in the workplace, both physical and health related.

Potential health hazards are things like exposure to harmful dust, chemicals or radiation. Physical hazards can include a broad variety of workplace areas including, but not limited to:

As you conduct a walkthrough of the jobsite, you’ll want to document every possible hazard. The information can be organized later, and the proper PPE determined to protect employees from each hazard. The jobsite should also be periodically reassessed to ensure any changes are considered, and the PPE levels set are enough.

Electrical (PPE). This electrical personal protective equipment procedure provides guidelines for determining when electrical PPE is required and how to select, use and maintain electrical PPE. This procedure describes electrical hazards, including electrical shock and burns, arc flash burns, arc-blast impacts, and other potential electrical safety hazards. PPE refers to items typically worn by a worker to provide protection from recognized hazards. Depending on the job task to be performed, PPE for the electric power industry generally includes

Insulating Protective Equipment (IPE). Rubber and hardcover insulating protective equipment (IPE) is used to provide workers protection Workman in aerial bucket using IPE from contacting energized conductors, but unlike PPE it is not worn on the body. Insulating Protective Equipment (IPE) includes items such as: