For non-Electrical Staff

 Electricity is an integral part of today's

modern world, and sometimes it is easy to
forget just how dangerous it can be. Given
the correct circumstances, it can kill. But it
can also shock you painfully, damage
sensitive equipment, and ignite
combustible materials.
 This training module will cover some basic
safety rules you should follow in regards to
electrical safety.
 This training is basically for those who are
unqualified to be electricians, but whose
work may be performed close to electrical
systems.
 Deaths. Electrocutions rank FOURTH (9%) in
causes of industrial FATALITIES (behind traffic,
violence and construction). The National Safety
council estimates 600 people die every year of
electrical causes. Most of these accidents involve
low voltage (600 volts or less).
 Roughly 3,600 disabling electrical contact injuries
occur every year in the United States, along with
another 4,000 non-disabling injuries.
 A small night-light with a
6-watt bulb draws .05
ampere, and even that
small amount of current
can be fatal. Here are
some effects of current (in
milli amps) passing
through a 150 pound body
(note that perception is
only .5 to 1.5 milli amps):
 Unsafe Acts
 There are 2 reasons for unsafe acts:
 We know better but intentionally do something unsafe.
 We don't know better.
Avoid the following unsafe acts:
 Failure to de-energize, lockout & tagout hazards during maintenance,
repair or inspections.
 Use of defective and unsafe tools.
 Use of tools or equipment too close to energized parts.
 Not draining off stored energy in capacitors.
 Using 3-wire cord with a 2-wire plug.
 Removing the third prong (ground pin) to make a 3-prong plug fit a 2-
prong outlet.
 Overloading outlets with too many appliances.
 Using the attached electrical cord to raise or lower equipment.
 Not verifying power is off when making repair (drilling into a 110 Volt a.c.
line can kill).
 Working in an elevated position near overhead lines.
 Unsafe Equipment Some common causes of
unsafe equipment:
 Loose connections
 Faulty insulation
 Improper grounding (removal of 3rd prong)
 Use of "homemade" extension cords
 Defective parts
 Unguarded live parts--for example:
▪ Bare conductors or exposed terminals
▪ Metal parts of equipment may become energeized when
connected by cord or plug. Capacitance may cause up to 55%
of line voltage to be stored on the casing of metal tools.
 Hazardous Environments
 Use special precautions when working in potentially
hazardous environments and situations. Even an
accidental static discharge can cause a fire or
explosion in areas where the following are present:
▪ Flammable vapors, liquids and gasses
▪ Combustible dusts
▪ Corrosive atmospheres
▪ Explosive environments
▪ Poor housekeeping: blocked electrical boxes, flammable
materials stored in equipment rooms, lack of proper hazard
signs, excess clutter.
Know about electricity and how
it can harm you and your
colleagues.
 Basics of Electricity:
 Electrical current will not flow unless it has a complete path
(circuit) that returns to its source (battery, transformer).
 Current flows through you and other conductors, such as
metals, earth and concrete.
 Current can harm you when it flows through your body
(electric shock).
 Insulators resist the flow of electricity. Insulating materials
are used to coat copper conducting wires and are used to
make electrical work gloves. Insulators help to protect
humans from coming into contact with electricity flowing
through conductors.
 Just as there is pressure in a water pipe, even with no water
flowing, there is voltage at a receptacle, even if current is not
flowing. Another word for voltage is "Potential."
 How Electricity Can Harm You
 Current passing through your body can cause electric shock,
resulting in 3 types of potential injuries:
 Burns (arcs burn with heat & radiation)
 Physical injuries (broken bones, falls, & muscle damage)
 At 10 mA, the muscles clamp on to whatever the person is holding.
 Nervous system effects (stop breathing at 30 to 75 mA alternating
current at 60Hz, fibrillation at 75 to 100 mA at 60Hz)
 Fibrillation = heart is "twitching" and there is no blood flow to the
body.
 The heart can be damaged because it is in the path of the most
common routes electricity will take through the body:
 Hand-to-hand
 Hand-to-foot
 Know about static electricity and how it can do harm.
 Minimize your exposure to static shocks.
 Never clean the glass face of your computer monitor while the
computer is on.
 During normal operation, the glass surface of a monitor's CRT
accumulates an electrostatic charge. When you touch the screen with
a finger, the charge is from the portion of the screen you touched and
it discharges through your finger with a tiny spark. Electric current
does not normally flow through glass, so only the part of the screen
that your finger touches is discharged.
 However, when you clean a monitor the entire glass is wet and the
charge on the entire screen will discharge to your finger or hand,
causing a much more painful shock.
 You can be injured by the reaction to the shock even though such
shocks in themselves are not hazardous.
 Control hazards though safe work practices:
 Plan your work and plan for safety
 Avoid wet working conditions and other dangers
 Use Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters. GFCI's are electrical
devices that are designed to detect ground faults (when current
is "leaking" somewhere outside its intended pathway). If your
body provides the path to ground for the leaking current, you
could receive a shock or be electrocuted. GFCI's should be used
in all wet locations and on outside outlets.
 Avoid overhead power lines: Position yourself so that the
longest conductive object you are using (saws, poles, tools,
brooms, etc.) cannot come closer than at least 10 feet to any
unguarded, energized overhead line.
 Use proper wiring and connectors
 Control hazards though safe work practices:
 Use extension cords properly and temporarily:
▪ Cords must be UL listed and have 3 prongs
▪ Power bars must have a fuse or breaker
▪ Do not use 2-prong, ungrounded cords in a lab
▪ Do not run cords through walls, doors, under rugs, or across aisles
▪ Do not repair cords--buy new ones
▪ Make sure the total number of watts connected to the cord does not exceed the
rating of the cord.
 Use and maintain tools properly
 Avoid wearing items such as jewelry, watch bands, bracelets, rings,
key chains, necklaces, etc. that might come into contact with
exposed, energized parts.
 Wear correct PPE:
▪ Hard hats rated "Class E"
▪ ANSI-approved footwear coded "EH"
 Follow the Administrative Controls
 Safe work procedures
 Lockout and Tagout
 Proscribed work practices
 Signs warning of electrical hazards
 Use safe equipment
 Do not use equipment that has been damaged or improperly
modified.
 Always use equipment according to the manufacturer's
specifications.
 "Live" parts (greater than 50 volts) must be guarded by one or
more of the following:
▪ An enclosure that requires a tool for access.
▪ A locked enclosure.
▪ An interlocked access door.
▪ A substantial insulating guard to prevent contact.
 Check cords--they should:
▪ Be completely free of damage and deterioration.
▪ Should always have an appropriate strain relief device where they enter
the enclosure.
 Electrical Shock
 Protect yourself Don't touch the person. That
person might be energized, so
take time to protect yourself.
 Don't try to use a conductive tool to free the
person.
 Don't touch anyone who has become
grounded.
 Electrical Shock
 Call 998 for help, IF the person: is obviously
injured (loss of consciousness, significant
trauma, etc.)
 has an altered mental status (confusion,
slow/slurred speech,
etc.)
 has other obvious injury (laceration, burn, etc.)
 Electrical Shock
 If You Are Trained:
 Keep others from being harmed
 Shut off the power (fuse or circuit-breaker or pull the plug; this
might be difficult because there might be secondary sources;
 if you are not sure, get help)
 Move the victim to safety only when power is OFF and no neck
or spine injuries are possible
 Give necessary first aid (keep CPR training up-to-date).
 Report accident to supervisor (even minor shocks and close calls
must be reported)
 Secure area Collect data for an investigation and to prevent
reoccurrence.
 What To Do Until Aid Arrives:
 Check for:
▪ Pulse If person's heart has stopped, start CPR, if you are
trained.
▪ Breathing If person isn't breathing, begin mouth-to-
mouth resuscitation, if you are trained.
 Treat for shock Keep person lying down.
▪ If unconscious, put them on their side to let fluids drain.
▪ Don't move the person if neck or spine injuries are
possible.
▪ Cover the person to maintain body heat