Page 10 - Occupational Health & Safety - eDITION, August 2017

ELECTRICAL SAFETY PROGRAM
DITION
Many incidents have been related to middle-level management overriding safety rules due to lack of a written program for employees to point to or a lack of awareness of the new program.
proving your ESP by adding and revising parts with best practices. Execute: Roll out the ESP.
1. Engage the workforce in training and awareness and launch
the ESP. Consider involving both management and the labor work- force. Many incidents have been related to middle-level manage- ment overriding safety rules due to lack of a written program for employees to point to or a lack of awareness of the new program.
2. Be open to changing elements that receive pushback. How- ever, stay firm on critical elements; you may need to consider edu- cating everyone on “why we are doing this.”
Evaluate: Perform a review of the ESP.
1. NFPA 70E® requires an audit review of your electrical safety policies at a minimum of every three years. This helps ensure your ESP meets the current version of that document and the OSHA standards. Review is an important part of the e-Hazard Safety Cy- cleTM because it can quickly identify problem areas before you are out of compliance.
Evolve: Update the ESP.
1. When there is a failure in the system presented in the form of a near miss incident, accident, internal or external audit, or change in a reference standard, this is an opportunity to REVISE.
2. Sometimes challenges in the written electrical safety program may be resolved internally. In other cases, OEMs and SMEs may be brought back into the program to resolve difficult issues.
Hugh Hoagland, senior managing partner of e-Hazard, is one of the most active trainers and researchers in electric arc protection. He has performed and developed testing for the electric arc since 1994 and has performed more than 50,000 electric arc tests.
REFERENCES
1. https://www.e-hazard.com/arc-flash-training/electrical-safety-program- compliance-strategies.php
10 Occupational Health & Safety | AUGUST 2017 | www.ohsonline.com
NECA’S 2017 CONFERENCE HEADED TO SEATTLE
One of the leading events for U.S. electrical professionals, the 62nd Annual National Electrical Contractors Association Con- vention and Trade Show (www. necaconvention.org) will take place Oct. 7-10, 2017, inside the Washington State Conven- tion Center in downtown Seattle. The four-day event’s Pre-
mier Partners include Schnei- der Electric, 3M, Southwire, Graybar Electric Company, Thomas & Betts, and Philips.
The event includes a new
program, the NECA Project Excellence Awards, which recognize companies “for their outstanding commitment, profes- sionalism and ingenuity in delivering an electrical project across 12 different market sectors,” the conference program promises. Other highlights will include the eighth annual Oct. 7 Green Energy Challenge, which showcases NECA student chapters—this year, the competing teams were asked to design an energy upgrade for a facility in their community that provides community service; the Oct. 7 NECA business development seminar—the program says it will include topics such as distributed generation, smart cities, and the Internet of Things; and the Oct. 9 Women in NECA roundtable.
The educational program includes is broken up into six tracks, including Business Management; Project Management; Standards and Safety; the Technology, Process and Innovation tracks. The safety content will include the ninth annual NECA Safety Roundtable on Oct. 8, focused on revisions to be include in the NFPA 70E-2018 standard. Other safety- themed sessions will address significant changes in the 2017 National Electrical Code, human performance tools related to safety, a session on OSHA’s updated walking-working surfaces standard and applying fall protection concepts to general industry, and one session about protecting workers and businesses from common safety issues.
The NECA Showstopper Showcase and Awards, a recognition program for manufacturers in the electrical construction industry, will open one hour before the NECA Show on Oct. 8-10.
More than 230 exhibitors are expected to participate in the trade show. Expo hours for it are:
■ Sunday, Oct. 8—11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
■ Monday, Oct. 9—11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
■ Tuesday, Oct. 10—9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Future locations and dates for the NECA annual convention are:
■ 2018: Philadelphia Sept. 29-Oct. 2
■ 2019: Las Vegas Sept. 14-17
■ 2020: Chicago Oct. 3-6