Electrical hazards are a significant safety risk to maintenance workers and a significant financial risk to employers. While the threat of shock and electrocution from inadvertent contact with energized parts has long been recognized, the arc flash and arc blast hazards have only fairly recently been incorporated into the electrical safety standards. The recent focus on, and awareness of arc flash hazards will play a critical role in reducing the incidence and severity of electrical accidents over time.

​

Basic steps to reduce the number and severity of electrical accidents on your site:

• Appoint an electrical safety site champion.  We cannot under-state the importance of this single step.  Unsurprisingly, it would be most effective to appoint someone with an electrical background.

• Mandate familiarization with the NFPA-70 Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace (the electrical safety manual for North American industry).

• Mandate familiarization with OSHA-related articles (required by law folks).

• Provide electrical safety training for all workers (electrical and non-electrical).

• Implement an electrical safety program (ESP).  Note that we have an ESP Program template in our store.

• Create and maintain a lockout / tagout program.  Note that we have a LOTO Program template in our store.

• Create and maintain a grounding system program including both GFCI and electrical assured equipment grounding conductor program.  Note that we have a Grounding System Program template in our store.

• Complete an electrical system arc flash risk assessment.

• Create and maintain updated electrical distribution drawings.

• Apply warning labels to equipment where workers can be exposed to live parts starting at the most dangerous upper level of the power system working toward the bottom as funding is available. 

• Plan, schedule, and complete the work in phases.

• Ensure there is adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) on site.

• Ensure the proper tools are on site to perform electrical work safely.

• Ensure there is battery-based emergency lighting in electrical distribution equipment rooms.

• Make efforts, budget the funds, to remediate the arc flash risk for maintenance workers by lowering or eliminating high arc flash energy using engineering controls.

​