Enhancing Electrical Safety in the Workplace

Dec. 9, 2010 - PRLog -- It all begins with job planning even though there are regulations, standards and codes in place, we electrical workers still have a lot of work to do to realize the many dangers that exist in the workplace. Whether we choose to accept the risk involved or not! Electrical hazards (http://www.arc-flash-training.com/courses.html) do exist! Most employers provide us the necessary training, personal protective equipment and safety procedures to follow, but often complacency sets in. I know this, I’ve been in the electrical field for more than 30 years and this is something everyone needs to improve upon and it all begins with job planning.  What is a plan? An effective electrical safety plan is somewhat like a procedure and must be accomplished systematically for a work task to be complete. We must indicate step-by-step instructions within the plan about how to perform the job task safely. Often procedures begin their life as a plan after the review and revision cycle occurs. At times, a plan takes on the characteristics of a procedure. Tasks that seem “routine” are not routine when they are preformed in a manner or method that are outside of our normal process controls (i.e. company policies or procedures) and thus placing ourselves and others at risk of electrocution or serious burn injury, as a result of an arc flash explosion. Even the most routine task can cause problems if we are not engaged when we perform it. Although it is not necessary for a work plan to be in writing, an effective electrical safety program can be mentally generated and verbally shared with other workers. If a plan can be shared and remembered by all personnel in the vicinity of the work task, then a verbally shared plan can be effective. In most cases, a written plan on paper is better. The purpose of an effective electrical safety program is to ensure that all workers associated with a job task have the same understanding of how the work will proceed from its initial phase to its completion.

Our expert consultants can train you and your employees in everything from OSHA Electrical Safety mandates to NEC 2011 Update Training to NFPA 70E (http://www.nfpa.org) to Electrical Troubleshooting Training to NFPA 70B Electrical Safety in the workplace consensus standards. Our classes meet and exceed the training requirements as defined in the NFPA and OSHA. We can customize any of our courses to meet to meet your company or industry's specific needs.

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We are a safety company that specializes in arc flash training. We have developed a turnkey solution for implementing OSHA and NFPA 70E Arc Flash requirements for your plant or building.