When it comes to electrical hazards, protection depends on safe equipment, a safe environment, and safe work practices.

A day employee works with or uses electricity directly or indirectly throughout the working day.

Since it has become a familiar part of our daily lives, we tend to stay away from the dangers that electricity poses.

Most electrical accidents are caused by three factors:

• Unsafe equipment or unsafe installation
• Hazardous environment or unsafe work practices
• These accidents can be avoided through the use of safe equipment, guards, grounding, circuit protection devices and safe work practices.

Safety and security equipment

All electrical conductors and equipment in the workplace must be considered “acceptable.” For a device to be considered acceptable, it must be marked as having been tested by a nationally recognized testing laboratory and will look for these markings on the device to consider it safe.

Equipment must be installed and operated within its designated capacity so as not to exceed the equipment limits for example: Wrong switch being put in the ON position for too large a load causing overheating

Matching equipment specifications to installation load expectations will help prevent harmful conditions.

There are many examples of such equipment, including:

• GFCI circuit breakers.
• temporary power devices.
• standard power devices.
• Motor control devices.
• Cable control such as: cable tie, conduit, tube.
• Arc devices.
• Locking devices such as: port locks and switch locks.
• Cable protection systems.

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Guarding involves locating or enclosing electrical equipment to ensure that people do not accidentally come into contact with its live parts.

Effective protection requires that equipment with exposed parts operating at voltages of 50 volts or more be located where only authorized and qualified personnel can access it.

grounding

Grounding intentionally creates a low resistance path that connects to the ground.

This will prevent voltage buildup which could cause an electrical accident that could result from the worker being in the dirt track.

A properly designed grounding system creates a low resistance path away from workers.

When properly designed, grounding greatly reduces the risk of electrical injury if combined with safe work practices.

Grounding is divided into two types:

Service, ground system, or equipment ground.

The service or ground system is mainly designed to protect machinery, tools and insulation from damage.

That neutral or grounded conductor, usually white or gray, that is grounded at the generator or transformer at the service entrance to a building.

Equipment grounding helps protect the operator by providing a second path for current to flow in the event of a fault.

It will react faster to avoid serious shocks and injuries to the operator. This is achieved by using circuit protection devices.

circuit protection devices:

These devices automatically limit or stop the flow of current in the event of an earth fault, overload, or short circuit in the wiring system.

Common examples include fuses, circuit breakers, and GFCIs.

Fuses and circuit breakers automatically open or break a circuit when too much current flows through it, and they melt or trip to open the circuit.

They are slow acting devices that are mainly used to protect conductors and equipment.

They are generally not opened quickly enough to prevent shock or other injury.

They prevent overheating situations that damage conductors or equipment.

GFCIs are commonly used in wet locations, construction sites, plant maintenance, and other high-risk areas to protect the equipment user.

These devices react much faster than fuses and circuit breakers to interrupt the flow of current before shock or injury can occur.

GFCI protection is provided in a variety of devices, including:

• utensils
• detection units
• chords online
• wire exit units
• Safe work applications

Electrical accidents can be largely avoided through safe work practices, such as:

• Disconnect electrical equipment prior to inspection or repair.
• Shutdown/protection procedures to prevent accidental or unexpected operation of electrical equipment,
• Keep power tools properly maintained,
• Be careful when working near live lines
• Use appropriate personal protective equipment.

The lack of lockout/labeling procedures and the use of proper isolation equipment is a major cause of unsafe working practices.

The first step before beginning any inspection, repair, or maintenance of any equipment is to follow a written procedure to isolate all power sources to prevent accidental starting of the equipment.

Only authorized and trained personnel should maintain electrical equipment. An individual locking device must be issued to each authorized employee performing the activity, and no two locking devices must be the same.

Only authorized personnel should apply and remove their devices.

Responsibility for an electrical safety program should not be taken for granted, it should be assigned to the Paris 3 electrician, appropriate electrical work practices and standards to run the program, and it is everyone’s responsibility to follow the program to make it effective.

What are the most common causes of electrical accidents?