Intelligent Power Today Magazine

Avoid hazards with these suggestions

BY ROB PROSSER & DANIELLE GALLO, Brady

With an increase in accidents and injuries occurring in a variety of industries, employers are looking for ways to reduce hazards and improve safety within their facilities. Even with a plethora of information available to supervisors, the inundation of all of these safety recommendations can be overwhelming and can result in even the most basic of mistakes. If you or your employees can relate, it is important to go back to the basics and review the most common issues contributing to electrical risks within facilities.

DE-ENERGIZE ALL EQUIPMENT...

I recently viewed a destroyed 600-volt electrical panel board that had exploded when an operator reset an 800-ampere (A) breaker. His leather-palmed gloves had synthetic backs that ignited and seriously burned the back of his hands. His flame-resistant (FR) shirt was untucked and he was burned on his right side.

It is unfortunate that he was not following Canadian Standards Association’s CSA Z462 standard: “Workplace Electrical Safety” clause 4.3.7.3.10 (d). It is incredibly fortunate that his employer provided arc-rated clothing, as only a few years ago, he would have been wearing cotton coveralls.

Consequently, this incident would have resulted...