Page 52 - OHS, June 2020

TRAINING: ELECTRICAL SAFETY
Why Electrical Safety Should Be a Priority in Post-COVID Planning
It’s more important than ever to not lose sight of fundamental protection programs and protocols. BY RACHEL BUGARIS
48 Occupational Health & Safety | JUNE 2020
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The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way many of us think about safety—in the workplace and our everyday lives. As we look ahead to the best ways to be safe in the post-COVID world, keeping ourselves and teams shielded from the threat of future outbreaks does not mean other safety practices and standards become less important.
With the increased risk of workers falling ill added to the list of everyday concerns, companies need to be more vigilant than ever about bolstering all elements of a safety program and considering the data around electrical safety.
Control of Hazardous Energy—Lockout/Tagout was in the top four most cited OSHA violations in 2019 and up one spot from the previous year—a fact that somehow manages to be alarming yet not at all unfamiliar.
Additional data from a five-year Panduit study re- vealed that 40 percent of companies surveyed report- ed workplace electrical incidents, and OSHA reported roughly 350 electrical-related deaths in the same span.
One of the only positive effects that COVID-19 may have for safety managers is the potential to increase budgets as a result of heightened focus and urgency to overhaul or update safety programs.
Here are some things to consider when planning and finalizing your updated safety plans to ensure that fundamental electrical safety doesn’t get dismissed amidst implementing new measures to keep workers safe from new COVID-19 outbreaks.
Reassess and Overestimate
Basic PPE Needs
Prior to COVID-19, the average person probably didn’t even know what PPE meant. And while re- cent attention has been focused the single element of facemasks, it’s very possibly that other PPE elements will be consumed by the general public due to peo- ple’s increased need to complete tasks on their own that they previously would hire professionals to do. Mass shortages aren’t likely for most PPE, but when considering how essential this equipment is to mini- mize exposure to hazards, it’s best to plan ahead. Ac- quiring a full inventory of the following basic electri- cal safety gear can help to ensure safety regardless of unforeseen spikes in demand:
■ Voltage-rated gloves ■ Safety glasses
■ Face shields
■ Hard hats
Safety shoes
■
■ Hearing protection
■ Flame-resistant clothing
■ Arc-rated clothing such as hats, coveralls, vests and full body suits
Identify Potentially Hazardous Equipment to Be Augmented for Increased Safety
Having an ample supply of PPE is essential but far from an electrical hazard catch-all. A more robust so- lution is to identify potentially hazardous equipment and enclosures that can be replaced or upgraded to remove the threat.
Arc-resistant equipment. Rather than using tra- ditional equipment such as switchgear and motor- control centers (MCCs), arc-resistant versions of this equipment can be specified and installed in place. Arc-resistant material reduces exposure to an arc flash hazard by directing the energy away from a worker
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