Page 22 - Occupational Health & Safety, April 2019

ELECTRICAL SAFETY
accredited certification body that includes rigorous testing of the product and audits of the manufacturer’s processes.
Functional safety is measured by safety integrity levels (SILs). The SIL demonstrates the safety and reliability of the parts of the product that impact the safety functions, particularly regarding hardware and firmware. UL 1436 requires SIL 3 for safety functions of AVTs. SIL 3 means that the average frequency of a dangerous failure of the safety function is ≥ 10-8 to < 10-7 (high demand or continuous mode of operation). This is equivalent to one hazard- ous failure in 10,000,000 hours or 1,000+ years of continual opera- tion. Note that the safety functions in the AVT typically operate only when the absence of voltage test is in progress (for a few sec- onds after the user prompt initiates the test), so this is an extremely high level of reliability.
Finding a Better Way to Protect Your Workforce
Verifying the absence of voltage is a critical step that is part of near- ly every job involving electrical work. While using handheld volt- age-test instruments can be time consuming and expose workers to electrical hazards, AVTs that are listed to UL 1436 can improve worker safety and the efficiency of the voltage-testing process. They have many benefits and are recognized as a method that complies with the voltage verification process described in NFPA 70E.
For plants and factories, safety pays. Electrical injuries can ac- count for one of the highest average workers’ compensation costs, and while estimates vary, sources5 indicate6 the average direct cost
of an electrical injury ranges from $50,000 to $80,000. Not to men- tion, the indirect cost can exceed these numbers by including lost productivity with less experienced workers and low staff morale, as well as property damage and repair.
AVTs help improve safety by design. They help make absence of voltage testing more reliable and less prone to error than the manual process, thus helping to reduce incidents related to voltage testing.
These days, smart businesses prioritize electrical safety, and it’s easy to see why.
Rachel Bugaris is a Business Development Manager at Panduit Corp., where her work focuses on electrical safety solutions for the workplace. For more information, visit www.panduit.com.
REFERENCES
1. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/567795
2. https://www.esfi.org/workplace-injury-and-fatality-statistics
3. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/6165547
4. https://www.cetri.org/articles/Neuropsych_electrical_injury.pdf
5. https://aeasseincludes.assp.org/professionalsafety/pastis- sues/056/01/039_047_F2Manuele_0111Z.pdf
6. https://nyaspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/ pdf/10.1111/j.1749-6632.1994.tb30455.x
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