Page 26 - Occupational Health & Safety, December 2017

ELECTRICAL SAFETY
Utilizing Proper Technologies Key to Ensuring Electrical Safety
Adequate training, protection from exposure, and disciplined use of ground fault circuit interrupters are integral to keeping workers safe. BY TONY QUEBBEMANN
Thanks to major safety improvements, the number of fatal electrical injuries in the workplace has steadily decreased during the past 20 years, from 334 in 1992 to 139 in 2013. However, the trend with non-fatal electrical in- juries has been less consistent, ranging between 1,700 and 2,950 injuries annually, according to the U.S. Bu- reau of Labor Statistics.1
The leading electrical injury event for non-fatal injuries between 2003 and 2010 was “contact with electric current of machine, tool, appliance, or light fixture,” which accounted for 37 percent of injuries. The second-leading cause was “contact with wiring, transformers, or other electrical components,” with 35
percent of injuries.
Many workers who experience an electrical injury
have insufficient training for working on or around energized electrical equipment. Time pressures and supervisor demands may contribute to workers over- riding rules to complete assigned tasks more quickly. Taking shortcuts can pose potentially lethal risks for those working around industrial power equipment.
The Importance of Proper Training
Training programs that target all workers exposed to electrical safety hazards can help greatly in the recog- nition and avoidance of electrical hazards. These pro- grams always must focus on why it is never acceptable to take shortcuts and “work around” safety codes to complete a job more quickly.
Workers and managers must understand and fol- low electrical safety codes, such as the National Fire Protection Association’s National Electrical Code (NEC). There have been 15 revisions of the NEC since 1975.2 This code specifies the minimum re- quirements for safe electrical installations in a single, standardized source, and revisions are based on an open process that occurs every three years.
While developing new products and improving others to keep up with the new safety rules and regu- lations, trusted suppliers that adhere to industry stan- dards also may offer safety training courses to help distributors and end users understand code changes and how they can affect job site and plant safety.
Making the Disconnection
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires employees who face a risk of electric shock to be trained to recognize and protect them- selves from specific hazards. Of the top 10 most fre- quently cited OSHA standards violated in 2016, three were directly related to electrical safety:
■ Control of hazardous energy (lockout/tagout)
■ Electrical, wiring methods, components and equipment, general industry
■ Electrical systems design, general require- ments, general industry3
Proper lockout/tagout (LOTO) procedures ensure that machines are powered off and can’t be turned on while someone is working on them. OSHA investiga- tions of electrical injury incidents and prior research
22 Occupational Health & Safety | DECEMBER 2017
www.ohsonline.com