Electrical Safety Program Development

References you need

NFPA 70E, Electrical Safety Requirements for Employee Workplaces, National Electrical Code (NEC) and OSHA Standards 29 CFR 1910.331 to 1910.339

The complexity of your electrical safety program depends on the work environment and electrical related task you expect your employees to conduct. If none of your employees engage in electrical installation, repairs, troubleshooting or repairs then a simple program will be sufficient.

Purpose of your program

The basic purpose of your electrical safety program should be to prevent accidents, injuries and equipment damage. Electrical accidents are caused by a combination of three possible factors—unsafe equipment and/or installation, workplaces made unsafe by the environment, and unsafe work practices. There are various ways physically protecting people from the hazards caused by electricity. These include: insulation, guarding, grounding, and electrical protective devices. Administrative procedures such as safe work-practices, employee training, routine maintenance, inspections and program audits also provide additional measures for protection.

Program elements

The elements of your electrical safety program should include:
· Purpose and policy
· Responsibilities
· Employee training requirements
· Inspections & Audit standards
· Equipment standards
· Standard operating procedures for electrical work
· Personal protective equipment requirements
· Labels and signs

Employee classification decision

For electrical safety purposes, there are two classes of employees: qualified and unqualified

Qualified Worker: An employee trained and authorized to conduct electrical work.

Unqualified: Employees who have not been trained or authorized by management to conduct electrical work.

If none of your employees are considered "qualified", a simple employee hazard awareness training program is needed along with a statement that the company will contract all electrical work to outside companies. At this level you should still have an inspection program to manage and correct problems.

Physical protection requirements

Insulation - Circuit conductors (the material through which current flows) must be insulated to prevent people from coming into accidental contact with the current. Also, the insulation must be suitable for the voltage and existing conditions, such as temperature, moisture, oil, gasoline, or corrosive fumes. Conductors and cables are marked by the manufacturer to show the maximum voltage and American Wire Gage size, the type letter of the insulation, and the manufacturer’s name or trademark. Insulation is often color-coded. In general, insulated wires used as equipment grounding conductors are either continuous green or green with yellow stripes. The grounded conductors that complete a circuit are generally covered with continuous white or natural gray-colored insulation. The ungrounded conductors, or "hot wires," may be any color other than green, white, or gray. They are often colored black or red. Before employees prepare to work with electric equipment, they should be required to check the insulation before making a connection to a power source to be sure there are no exposed wires. The insulation of flexible cords, such as extension cords, is particularly vulnerable to damage.

Equipment Guarding - Live parts of electric equipment operating at 50 volts or more must be guarded against accidental contact. Guarding of live parts may be accomplished by:
• location in a room, vault, or similar enclosure accessible only to qualified persons;
• use of permanent, substantial partitions or screens to exclude unqualified persons;
• location on a suitable balcony, gallery, or platform elevated and arranged to exclude unqualified persons; or
• elevation of 8 feet (2.44 meters) or more above the floor.

Entrances to rooms and other guarded locations containing exposed live parts must be marked with conspicuous warning signs forbidding unqualified persons to enter.

Indoor electric wiring more than 600 volts and that is open to unqualified persons must be made with metal-enclosed equipment or enclosed in a vault or area controlled by a lock. In addition, equipment must be marked with appropriate caution signs.

Grounding - Grounding is another method of protecting employees from electric shock; however, it is normally a secondary protective measure. The term "ground" refers to a conductive body, usually the earth, and means a conductive connection, whether intentional or accidental, by which an electric circuit or equipment is connected to earth or the ground plane. By "grounding" a tool or electrical system, a low-resistance path to the earth is intentionally created. When properly done, this path offers sufficiently low resistance and has sufficient current carrying capacity to prevent the buildup of voltages that may result in a personnel hazard. This does not guarantee that no one will receive a shock, be injured, or be killed. It will, however, substantially reduce the possibility of such accidents— especially when used in combination with other safety measures.

There are two kinds of electrical grounds. One of these is called the "service or system ground." In this instance, one wire—called "the neutral conductor" or "grounded conductor"— is grounded. In an ordinary low-voltage circuit, the white (or gray) wire is grounded at the generator or transformer and again at the service entrance of the building. This type of ground is primarily designed to protect machines, tools, and insulation against damage.

To offer enhanced protection to the workers themselves, an additional ground, called the "equipment ground," must be furnished by providing another path from the tool or machine through which the current can flow to the ground. This additional ground safeguards the electric equipment operator in the event that a malfunction causes the metal frame of the tool to become accidentally energized. The resulting heavy surge of current will then activate the circuit protection devices and open the circuit.

Circuit Protection Devices

Circuit protection devices are designed to automatically limit or shut off the flow of electricity in the event of a ground-fault, overload, or short circuit in the wiring system. Fuses, circuit breakers, and ground-fault circuit interrupters are three well-known examples of such devices.

Fuses and circuit-breakers are over-current devices that are placed in circuits to monitor the amount of current that the circuit will carry. They automatically open or break the circuit when the amount of current flow becomes excessive and therefore unsafe. Fuses are designed to melt when too much current flows through them. Circuit breakers, on the other hand, are designed to trip open the circuit by electro-mechanical means.

Fuses and circuit breakers are intended primarily for the protection of conductors and equipment. They prevent over-heating of wires and components that might otherwise create hazards for operators. They also open the circuit under certain hazardous ground-fault conditions.

The ground-fault circuit interrupter, or GFCI, is designed to shutoff electric power within as little as 1/40 of a second. It works by comparing the amount of current going to electric equipment against the amount of current returning from the equipment along the circuit conductors. If the current difference exceeds 6 milliamperes, the GFCI interrupts the current quickly enough to prevent electrocution. The GFCI is used in high-risk areas such as wet locations and construction sites.

Safe Work Practices

Employees and others working with electric equipment need to use safe work practices. These include: deenergizing electric equipment before inspecting or making repairs, using electric tools that are in good repair, using good judgment when working near energized lines, and using appropriate protective Equipment.

De-energizing Electrical Equipment - The accidental or unexpected sudden starting of electrical equipment can cause severe injury or death. Before ANY inspections or repairs are made—even on the so-called low-voltage circuits—the current must be turned off at the switch box and the switch padlocked in the OFF position. At the same time, the switch or controls of the machine or other equipment being locked out of service must be securely tagged to show which equipment or circuits are being worked on.

Maintenance employees should be qualified electricians who have been well instructed in lockout procedures. No two locks should be alike; each key should fit only one lock, and only one key should be issued to each maintenance employee. If more than one employee is repairing a piece of equipment, each should lock out the switch with his or her own lock and never permit anyone else to remove it. The maintenance worker should at all times be certain that he or she is not exposing other employees to danger.

Overhead Lines - If work is to be performed near overhead power lines, the lines must be de-energized and grounded by the owner or operator of the lines, or other protective measures must be provided before work is started. Protective measures (such as guarding or insulating the lines) must be designed to prevent employees from contacting the lines. Unqualified employees and mechanical equipment must stay at least 10 feet (3.05 meters) away from overhead power lines. If the voltage is more than 50,000 volts, the clearance must be increased by 4 inches (10 centimeters) for each additional 10,000 volts. When mechanical equipment is being operated near over-head lines, employees standing on the ground may not contact the equipment unless it is located so that the required clearance cannot be violated even at the maximum reach of the equipment.

Protective Equipment

Employees whose occupations require them to work directly with electricity must use the personal protective equipment required for the jobs they perform. This equipment may consist of rubber insulating gloves, hoods, sleeves, matting, blankets, line hose, and industrial protective helmets. Your program must include a pre-use and periodic inspection procedure for all electrical personal protection equipment.

Tools - An employee should use only tools that work properly. Tools must be inspected before use, and those found questionable, removed from service and properly tagged. Tools and other equipment should be regularly maintained. Inadequate maintenance can cause equipment to deteriorate, resulting in an unsafe condition. Tools that are used by employees to handle energized conductors must be designed and constructed to withstand the voltages and stresses to which they are exposed.

Audits and Inspections

Electrical safety program audits are a management tool to ensure all aspects of the program are effective and complete to prevent accidents, injuries and equipment damage. The audit should focus on employee knowledge, management control and means of hazard recognition and correction.

Electrical inspections are physical inspections of facility equipment, electrical controls and distribution equipment. These include:

Daily supervisor checks to ensure that equipment is not overheating, control and disconnect means are not blocked and that equipment and tools are in safe working condition.

Management inspections that involve a thorough wall-to-wall visual check of all systems, equipment and tools. This includes checking signs, labels and all guarding barriers.

Annual thermographic inspections to check for overheated circuits and controls – check with your insurance company – many provide free annual thermographic checks on request

Training

Unqualified employee training should include an understanding of electrical hazards, electrical shock, equipment pre-use checks hazard reporting and a prohibition of working on or repairing electrically powered equipment of tools.

Qualified employee training should include the same training as for unqualified employees with the addition of training on safe work practices such as:
• Lockout-Tagout procedures
• Use, limitations, inspection and care of electrical PPE
• Use of voltage detection devices
• Methods for discharging capacitive circuits
• Use of barriers around work areas
• Working on energized equipment
• Standard operating procedures

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