Electrical Hazard and Safety Awareness.
What are the hazard and safety Priorities?
Electrical hazards exist everywhere - in almost every workplace and in the home. Common causes of electrocution are:
Making contact with overhead wires.
Undertaking maintenance on live equipment.
Working with damaged electrical equipment, such as extension leads, plugs, and sockets
using equipment affected by rain or water ingress.
How do you respond to electrical incidents?
If you come across a person receiving an electric shock:
Assess the situation – never put yourself at risk.
Take precautions to protect yourself and anyone else in the vicinity.
If possible, disconnect the electrical supply (switch?).
Assess the injuries and move the casualty to a safe area if required.
Administer first aid if trained (e.g. DRSABCD).
Seek urgent medical attention.
What are the types of injury?
➤ Burn
➤ Shocks
➤ Arc
➤ Fire
➤ Explosion
What are the levels of effect of current?
AC current (mA) Effect on the human body
AC Current (MA) 1 slight tingling sensation (Effect on a human body)
AC Current (MA) 2-9 Small shock
AC Current (MA) 10-24 Muscles contract causing you to freeze
AC Current (MA) 25-74 Respiratory muscles can become paralyzed; pain; exit burns often visible
AC Current (MA) 75-300 Usually fatal; ventricular fibrillation; entry & exit wounds visible
AC Current (MA) 300 Death almost certain; if survive will have badly burnt organs and probably require amputations.
What electricity can do - some headlines
Does your electrical safety management stand up to scrutiny?
"Safety management has to be made accessible to technical and non-technical people so that risks to people and their business are safely reduced.
So says Bill Bates, a former principal Health and Safety Executive inspector with over 20 years of investigating electrical safety breaches.
The statistics speak for themselves: 2015/16 statistics from HSE and CPOFS report 696 cases of safety non-compliance, with 660 convictions - a 95% conviction rate. £ 38.3million of fines were issued, compared with £ 18.1million in 2014/15, and the estimated cost of workplace injuries is running at £ 4.8 billion, including 144 fatalities.
What electricity can do - some headlines
Coroner warning after man electrocuted in bath charging iPhone.
A man died after being electrocuted while charging his phone in the bath, an inquest has heard. The death of Richard Bull, 32, which occurred when the iPhone fell into the water, was accidental, the coroner judged. Dr. Sean Cummings said he would also send a report to the phone's manufacturer, Apple, to warn about the dangers.
These seem like innocuous devices, but they can be as dangerous as a hairdryer in a bathroom. They should attach warnings," he told the inquest. "This was a tragic accident and I have no reason to believe at all that there is anything other than it being completely accidental.
According to Sheila Merrill, the public health adviser to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, this sort of incident is rare. Nevertheless, she said, "people need to be aware of taking an electrical appliance into the bathroom".
She told the BBC: "The advice has always been given about hairdryers and radios - not to use in the bathroom.
What should you do in an electrical emergency?
For low voltage electricity> 50 V AC and 110 V DC.
Remove the source of the electricity supply.
Commence CPR if trained.
Call the emergency services.
For high voltage electricity> 1000 V.
Call the emergency services.
Don't go near the casualty don't touch the casualty or try to free them with anything.
Should you report electrical incidents?
Electricity is invisible – this in itself makes it dangerous.
It has great potential to seriously injure or kill.
Every company has a duty of care to its employees and contractors Everyone is exposed to electrical hazards, not just electricians.
Report all electrical shocks and near misses.
ALL EMPLOYEES CAN BE EXPOSED TO ELECTRICAL HAZARDS. THEY SHOULD RECEIVE ELECTRICAL HAZARD TRAINING AT THE COMMENCEMENT OF THEIR EMPLOYMENT AND REGULAR REFRESHER TRAINING.
UK Electricity Supply System
Electricity supply to factories, offices, and homes at 230 volts.
Large factories at 11000 volts or above.
Supply has alternating current (a.c.).
Alternates at (frequency) of 50 cycles per second (50 Hertz or Hz).
How do we protect ourselves from the supply?
Earthing.Double insulation.
Fuses and circuit breakers.
Residual current device -RCDS.
Low voltage.
Battery power.
How do we protect?
Electric Circuit Earthing
Very important for safety.
Prevents conducting parts of the equipment (ie. Metal frames or lids), which do not normally conduct electricity from becoming life during faults.
Double Insulation
Lots of portable equipment is Double Insulated.
An extra layer of insulating material over live conductors to prevent exposure of conductors.
Can mean that an earth conductor is not required - risk reduced by adding insulation.
How we protect Fusses and RCD's?
Fuses - essential for safety, will cut off supply at a certain current level i.e. 13A, 5A, 3A mains supply fuse - Fuse has a fusible 'wire element which heats up when current flows - Excessive current = excessive heat & wire melts preventing current flow.
RCD's - Residual current device - Compares current in Live & Neutral if different and above a certain value supply switched off.
Remember
Conductors and Insulators.
Conductors conduct electricity.
Insulators don't.
Metals conduct.
Wood, plastic, air, oil, and rigid glass do not conduct electricity (most of the time)
What are other safety measures?
Warning signs.
Use the right equipment.
Study the operation manual.
Take care of extension leads.
Use only approved extension lamps.
Don't pull on leads.
Regular safety inspections are a part of all OUR Jobs
Electrical equipment should be checked each time before use for defects.
If not tagged or the tag is out of date then report it and place it out of service.
Electrical inspections
Fixed wiring
Should be checked every at regular intervals.
Any issues raised must be rectified.
It is a legal requirement (HSAW / EAW).
Portable Appliances
Must be checked at appropriate intervals.
New appliances should be visually inspected before use.
See the HSE website for test frequency.
Must be expected by a competent person.
Should you be aware of powerlines?
Do you know if there are overhead powerlines on your site?
Do you know where they are located?
Do you know what safe work clearance is?
Strict regulations are laid down to cover any work that may have to be performed close to overhead powerlines.
What is a powerline corridor?
HSE GS6 defines a powerline corridor as the area under any overhead powerline that has not been properly isolated, and 10 meters on either side of the powerline.
These areas must be respected. They are there for the safety of everyone.
Do not store equipment, machinery, portable buildings, or structures in powerline corridors.
Do not construct, fabricate or maintain structures, buildings, machinery, or equipment in powerline corridors.
Who can access substations/electrical cabinets?
Only trained and authorized personnel may enter and work inside a substation • Access is restricted for any cabinet with exposed energized parts STOP
ALL ELECTRICAL WORK MUST BE RECORDED AND UNDERTAKEN BY FULLY TRAINED PERSONNEL.
How to uses extension leads and adapters safely
Extension leads and adapters
Check the current rating of the lead before plugging appliances in.
Know its limit and do not exceed - most are 13amp but some only 10amp.
Only use an extension lead per socket.
Avoid the use of block adapters wherever possible.
Always fully unwind electrical cable reels.
If you regularly rely on extension leads or adapters consider installing more sockets.
Extension leads and adapters (Cont'd)
Check extension leads and adapters regularly - looking for the following signs of danger:
A smell of hot plastic or burning near an appliance or socket.
Sparks or smoke coming from a plug or appliance.
Blackness or scorch marks around a socket or plug, or on an appliance.
Damaged or frayed leads.
The colored wire inside leads showing at the plug or anywhere else.
Melted plastic on appliance casings or leads.
Fuses that blow or circuit-breakers that operate for no obvious reason.
Do you have permission to dig?
Be aware of the potential hazard from buried electrical cables for the following activities:
Excavation drilling.
Trenching.
Leveling.
Digging.
Driving of stakes or pegs.
Do not commence excavation work near buried cables unless a permit has been issued by an authorized person.
More information about Electrical power
Electrical power is measured in watts, W, a unit of power.
Electrical current is measured in amps, A, the rate at which it flows.
The fuse in a plug is a safety device designed to protect the lead.
The blown fuse cuts off the electricity to stop overheating and causing a fire.
If you have to replace a fuse it's essential, having checked and corrected the reason for the fuse blowing, to replace it only with another of the same rating.
More information (Cont'd)
As a rule of thumb, fuses are rated according to the power rating of the appliance.
Plugs for appliances rated up to about 700 watts should have a 3 amp fuse (colored red).
Plugs for appliances rated between about 700 watts and 3000 watts (the maximum rating of a wall socket) should be fitted with a 13 amp fuse (colored brown)
Some older appliances are fitted with 5 amp fuses (colored black). These fuses are still available to buy
The key messages are
The risk of electric shock from correctly installed and maintained power sources is negligible, provided that sensible precautions are taken by the operator and correct work procedures are followed.
Ensure that the right person is carrying out electrical work- fully trained versus just competent.
Electricity is essential but, improperly used, it can be DEADLY.
To STAY ALIVE, you have to STAY ALERT
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