Page 30 - OHS, September 2021

PPE: ELECTRICAL SAFETY
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Safety is a choice that is made every day by each person; it is imperative that each of us on the job makes the right choice.
BY DEAN AUSTIN
When does safety on a construction site or in a facility start? For electrical and other construction workers and employees, the answer is quite simple: The minute you walk into the facility or on to the construction site.
During renovations of facilities, and on most construction sites, there are locations that are damp, dirty and muddy. They are filled with many hazards, seen and unseen, including uneven or soft ground, ladders, scaffolding and all types of equipment. As such, many facility and construction site safety managers or project managers require all individuals to don high visibility safety clothing or vests, hard hats, safety shoes and safety glasses just to enter the site or facility.
Most, if not all, construction sites and facilities require workers to have daily or weekly meetings to discuss job site safety and the procedures put in place to protect them from onsite hazards. When there is a potential for exposure to any hazard, a good tool to use is the “Hierarchy of Risk Control Method” which, when used properly, can help reduce or eliminate risk to employees. The Hierarchy of Risk Control Method is:
■ Elimination. Physically remove the hazard
■ Substitution. Replace the hazard
■ Engineering Controls. Isolate people from the hazard
■ Awareness. Signs alerting of potential presence of hazards
■ Administrative Controls. Change the way people work by
having procedures and job planning tools
■ PPE. Protect the worker with the correct gear
According to Electrical Safety Foundation International
(ESFi),1 the Bureau of Labor Statistics recorded 1,900 nonfatal electrical injuries in 2019 involving days away from work. Of the 1,900 injuries, 27 percent involved construction site incidents.
With the Hierarchy of Risk Control Method, PPE is the last line of protection from any hazard. Electricians installing temporary and permanent electrical systems may face hazards other than electrical when working with or from ladders, lifts and scaffolding. Because not every hazard can be eliminated, a reduction in the risk to the hazard is the best solution. When a worker is operating a lift or scaffolding, or near any area that may subject them to a fall of six feet or more, that person must be using proper risk reduction methods such as fall protection. OSHA standards 19262 and 19103 address this topic. Other hazards electricians may encounter on a construction site include:
■ Installation of raceways in trenches, which would require the worker to take proper precautions to protect against a collapse of the trench.
■ Cracked and frayed extension cords, broken plug ends and missing ground prongs.
Not following safety procedures can have dire consequences for the individual, his/her family, employer and colleagues.
■ Extension cords used as ropes for raising and lowering tools.
■ Extension cords being used without the required ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) protection, inside or outdoors.
■ Damaged temporary wiring or a lack of a connection of temporary wiring to a GFCI receptacle or device.
■ Ladders versus a lift or taller scaffolding to reach high areas
■ A lack of fall protection when operating a “bucket” truck or “boom” lift, for example, to set parking lot poles.
All construction sites and facilities come with hazards, including electrical, that require precautions to be taken to help
26 Occupational Health & Safety | SEPTEMBER 2021
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