Electrical Safety

The majority of us use electricity every day on the job and this familiarity can create a false sense of security. Let us bear in mind that electricity is always a potential source of danger and it claims lives whenever we are ignorant.

The thumb rule is; consider all electrical wires and equipment to be hot/ live until they are tested and proven otherwise. Science has evolved and today we know enough about electricity and its effects on human body.

Yet getting injured at work or losing lives due to electricity in today’s industrial world does not speak high about an organization’s attitude towards safety. Electricity is a good servant and a bad master; also well known for its destructive properties like arc, fire and explosion leading to colossal damage.

NIST provides training on electrical safety in terms of:

• Hazards of working on electrical installations.
• Methods of de-energizing
• Hazards and controls
• Use of insulated tools
• Protection of area and personnel
• Safe work practices.
• Approaching the incident
• Examining the scene
• First aid requirements

Learning Outcomes of Electrical Safety Training:

• Understand electricity in the workplace.
• Understand the associated hazards and risks.
• Standards and regulations.
• Qualified and unqualified worker.
• Effects of electricity on human body.
• Appreciate the need to isolate equipment and the techniques of safe isolation.
• Understand about the need of safe systems of work, and
• Documentation required ensuring that any risk to personnel is minimized.