The Electrical Safety Guide
The Electrical Safety Guide
Traveling through the maze of information on electrical safety can be difficult. Some companies make the mistake of attempting to satisfy Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requirements rather than establishing a policy that protects its employees. Simply avoiding the wrath of OSHA does not provide a safe workplace. If a company establishes a comprehensive policy that is supported by upper-level management, then requirements of OSHA can be satisfied easily. Workers will know that their employers have the workers' best interests in mind, and a safe workplace will result, with knowledgeable workers. The policy must be the basis for an Electrical Safety Program that adopts procedures and work practices tailored to the company's needs, a program that trains its workers, and then maintains the safety program. This Electrical Safety Guide can help to guide a company through the ins and outs of regulations and standards and help choose the equipment, procedures, and work practices to implement an Electrical Safety Program.
4
AN INTRODUCTION TO ELECTRICAL SAFETY
In the period from 2010 to 2017, there have been approximately 1,100 deaths in the US from accidental contact with electricity AND there have been over 14,000 non-fatal electrical injuries resulting in time away from work. That's nearly 3 deaths and 40 non-fatal injuries per week, every week during this period! This is a serious, widespread occupational hazard that affects workers in many industries, across a wide range of job titles and job functions. While these statistics might seem shocking, the fact is that workplace safety regulations have had a significant impact in reducing the number of electrical injuries and fatalities in the workplace. These statistics alone should encourage companies to ensure that none of their employees will be included in these reports. The best way to begin protecting employees from electrical trauma is to put in place an Electrical Safety Program. A vast array of information is available, and various rules, regulations, and standards can help. Among them are the following: NFPA 70E , Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace OSHA 29 CFR 1910 (general industry) OSHA 29 CFR 1926 (construction) IEEE 3000 Standards Collection (formerly The Color Books)
leviton.com/workplacesafety
The Electrical Safety Program Deciding to develop an Electrical Safety Program is an important decision for any company. Maintaining an existing program is equally important. Employees involved with the "hands-on" work should lead the effort, but support by upper-level management is critical to the program's success. OSHA's General Duty Clause requires that employers provide a safe environment, free from recognized hazards, for their employees. Managers are accountable for their employees' personal safety, and they must take that accountability seriously. Supervisors, in turn, assign the implementation for personal safety to each member of the organization.
Previous Page