General Safety Rules When Using Electrical Equipment
Working with electricity and electrical equipment can be a serious workplace safety hazard. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has developed industry standards for employees in the engineering and electrician fields, but many people, including office workers, sales people and even stay-at-home moms, can become exposed to the hazards posed by working with electricity and electrical equipment. Learning some general safety rules for working with electricity and electrical equipment can help you avoid injury and even death.
Industry Standard
A section of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act) requires employers to provide for their employees a place of employment "free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm" to employees. General OHSA requirements for working with electricity and electrical equipment include providing protective equipment in hazardous environments, including clothing, equipment for an employee's eyes, face and head; respiratory devices and protective barriers.
Identification
A student manual by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) outlines how those working with electricity and electrical equipment can recognize safety hazards, which is the first step toward protecting yourself. A general list of electrical equipment hazards, according to the manual, includes: inadequate wiring; exposed electrical parts; overhead power lines; badly insulated wires; ungrounded electrical systems and tools; overloaded circuits; and damaged power tools and other electrical equipment.
Types
Working with electricity and electrical equipment can cause serious injury and even death. Four main types of injuries from working with electricity and electrical equipment are electrocution, electrical shock, burns and falls. Electrocution and electric shock remain the most serious risk of working with electrical equipment. You can be electrocuted or receive an electric shock by touching a live wire and an electrical ground or by touching a live wire and another wire at a different voltage. According to the NIOSH manual, the danger from injuries inflicted by working with electricity and electrical equipment depends on the amount of the electrical current, the duration of the shocking current and the path of the current through the body.
Work Hazard Prevention
While the risk for injury and death through working with electricity and electrical equipment is real, industry employees can control safety hazards through careful work practices. A simple checklist from the NIOSH manual for avoiding injury includes planning your work safely, avoiding wet working conditions and overhead power lines, and using proper wiring, connectors and tools.
Home Prevention
While industry workers are at the most risk for injury when working with electrical equipment, a danger also exists in private homes, especially with children. The Electrical Safety Foundation International recommends using a checklist to protect your home from the danger associated with electrical equipment: make sure light bulb wattages are not too high, which could cause overheating and fire; check the condition and location of lamp cords and extension cords to make sure they are not damaged and are out of walking areas; check all wall outlets and switches to make sure they are working properly; and keeping plugged-in electrical equipment, even when not in use, away from where it could fall into water.
Significance
According to Dr. Brian Daley with the University of Tennessee School of Medicine, around 1,000 deaths per year are caused by working with electricity and electrical equipment. Up to 40 percent of all injuries from electrical equipment are fatal. Around 20 percent of all electrical-related injuries occur in children at home and are commonly caused by extension cords and wall outlets. For adults, most injuries take place while working, and working with electricity and electrical equipment is the fourth-leading cause of work-related deaths.
Industry Standard
A section of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act) requires employers to provide for their employees a place of employment "free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm" to employees. General OHSA requirements for working with electricity and electrical equipment include providing protective equipment in hazardous environments, including clothing, equipment for an employee's eyes, face and head; respiratory devices and protective barriers.
Identification
A student manual by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) outlines how those working with electricity and electrical equipment can recognize safety hazards, which is the first step toward protecting yourself. A general list of electrical equipment hazards, according to the manual, includes: inadequate wiring; exposed electrical parts; overhead power lines; badly insulated wires; ungrounded electrical systems and tools; overloaded circuits; and damaged power tools and other electrical equipment.
Types
Working with electricity and electrical equipment can cause serious injury and even death. Four main types of injuries from working with electricity and electrical equipment are electrocution, electrical shock, burns and falls. Electrocution and electric shock remain the most serious risk of working with electrical equipment. You can be electrocuted or receive an electric shock by touching a live wire and an electrical ground or by touching a live wire and another wire at a different voltage. According to the NIOSH manual, the danger from injuries inflicted by working with electricity and electrical equipment depends on the amount of the electrical current, the duration of the shocking current and the path of the current through the body.
Work Hazard Prevention
While the risk for injury and death through working with electricity and electrical equipment is real, industry employees can control safety hazards through careful work practices. A simple checklist from the NIOSH manual for avoiding injury includes planning your work safely, avoiding wet working conditions and overhead power lines, and using proper wiring, connectors and tools.
Home Prevention
While industry workers are at the most risk for injury when working with electrical equipment, a danger also exists in private homes, especially with children. The Electrical Safety Foundation International recommends using a checklist to protect your home from the danger associated with electrical equipment: make sure light bulb wattages are not too high, which could cause overheating and fire; check the condition and location of lamp cords and extension cords to make sure they are not damaged and are out of walking areas; check all wall outlets and switches to make sure they are working properly; and keeping plugged-in electrical equipment, even when not in use, away from where it could fall into water.
Significance
According to Dr. Brian Daley with the University of Tennessee School of Medicine, around 1,000 deaths per year are caused by working with electricity and electrical equipment. Up to 40 percent of all injuries from electrical equipment are fatal. Around 20 percent of all electrical-related injuries occur in children at home and are commonly caused by extension cords and wall outlets. For adults, most injuries take place while working, and working with electricity and electrical equipment is the fourth-leading cause of work-related deaths.
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