The proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE) is a critical component of any electrical safety program, and yet proper PPE use often is overlooked, diminished, or simply disregarded by electrical workers in manufacturing. Plant Engineering will present a Webcast on December 5th at 1 p.m. CT that will discuss the importance of PPE to mitigate arc flash dangers and other electrical safety issues.
6. Electrical
Workplace SafetyHow Bad is Bad?
Electrical Hazards – Arc Flash
Watch the disconnect door.
How much
protection
would work in
this arc?
Is over
protection a
good idea?
What works
best
here, PPE or
work
practices or a
10. Electrical
Workplace Safety“Tracking” Arc
Electrical Hazards – Arc Flash
“Tracking” arcs are
“arcs” which conduct
through skin and
“pop out” between
skin and clothing.
• Can cause
ignition of
clothing in an
electrical contact
• Usually occurs at
higher voltages
10
11. Electrical
Workplace Safety“Tracking” Arc
Electrical Hazards – Arc Flash
“Tracking” arcs are
“arcs” which conduct
through skin and
“pop out” between
skin and clothing.
• Can cause
ignition of
clothing in an
electrical contact
• Usually occurs at
higher voltages
11
12. Electrical
Workplace Safety“Tracking” Arc
Electrical Hazards – Arc Flash
“Tracking” arcs are
“arcs” which conduct
through skin and
“pop out” between
skin and clothing.
• Can cause
ignition of
clothing in an
electrical contact
• Usually occurs at
higher voltages
12
13. Electrical
Workplace Safety
Avoiding Mistakes
• Overkill on PPE
“sounds” smart but it has
two negatives
– Sends the wrong
message
– If the workers don’t
believe you they may cut
corners when no one is
watching.
– Watch out for salesmen’s
little lies…
– Better safe than sorry??
– Better safe and right
Match PPE to the hazard
15. Electrical
Workplace Safety
Avoiding Mistakes
• Making the program cheaper or easier
for management or the safety
department or for enforcement may
not be the most cost effective or the
best program.
• A natural program that becomes a
worker’s habit is the most reliable.
• Tends to over protect or not protect at
all.
• Match the kit to the level
– Don’t buy 100 cal kits for everyone.
• Arc rated daily wear is better than a
“coverall program.”
– Darlene’s story
Make the program easy for the worker
Level 2 Kit
20. Electrical
Workplace Safety
Arc-Rated PPE – Clothing
Beware of:
• “FR until washed
or dry cleaned”
• Melting “FR”
• “FR-treated”
acrylics, polyester,
nylon
Got Arc-Rating?
Because of the misuse of the term FR,
NFPA 70E removed the term favoring arc-rated.
24. Electrical
Workplace Safety
• Generic training doesn’t always get to the finer
points.
• Site specific written programs are critical
• Unique hazards must be considered
– FR cotton and 20% body burns from sodium
hypochlorite.
– Aramids and welding spatter.
– Melting polyester in cleanrooms.
• Train + Audit + Knowledgeable Management
= A Great Program
26. Electrical
Workplace Safety
• Assessment will not change the level of
protection but it will change how often you
need to wear it.
• Don’t put off PPE purchases waiting on
assessment
• Daily wear for all electrical workers
• Suits for high level exposures
• Operators work in natural fiber or are rated
gear depending on level of exposure.
Don’t put off PPE purchase but
28. Electrical
Workplace Safety
• Shock is the number one killer of the
electrical hazards.
• More bang for the buck with right PPE than
engineering. Most important engineering is
done by proper installations, maintenance
then equipment upgrades. Engineering out
the arc flash hazard is not always an option.
30. Electrical
Workplace Safety
Avoiding Mistakes
• ASTM F1506
– Hairnets/beardnets
– Cleanroom gear
– Gloves (Proposed separate Standard)
– Disposable FR Wear
• ASTM F1891
– Rainwear
– Chemical gear + Chemical Standard
• ASTM D2413 + D1116
– Shoes (EH or DI or leather, etc.)
• Other Specialty PPE must be evaluated by
the AHJ
Don’t forget specialty gear
32. Electrical
Workplace Safety
Avoiding Mistakes
• The five people you need to do proper hazard
assessment for electrical
– Trouble making electrician
– Nicest electrician
– Smartest electrician
– Electrical Engineer
– Safety Person
The Electrical Safety Team
34. Electrical
Workplace Safety
Three Types of Audits Required
Observations required to
do the following:
• Identifies:
• Demonstrate task
proficiency
• Retraining needs
• Supervisory level
• Part of evaluating Qualified
Persons
Supervisory
Safe Work Practice Inspection
NFPA 70E 110.2(D)(1)(f)
Minimum annual supervisory work practice inspection to
monitor safe work practices
35. Electrical
Workplace Safety
Three Types of Audits Required
Better practice: Separate
from Supervisory Audit.
Observations required to
do the following:
• Prove procedures work
• Identify:
• Procedures that don’t work
• Changes that should be
made
• Retraining needs
Annual Field Work Audit
Site audit looks at the site’s practices and could include
NEC auditing and NFPA/OSHA auditing 110.4 (H)(2)
Best practice: Separate
from Supervisory Audit.
• Year One: Internal by
local safety/electrical
dept.
• Year Two: Cross-
pollinate using another
professional from
another plant or industry
• Year Three: Outside
Audit by competent
auditor
36. Electrical
Workplace SafetyTraining, Auditing, & Reporting Effects
Safety-Related Work Practices
50
60
70
80
90
100
Baseline Training Auditing Reporting
The Effects of Training, Goal Setting, and Knowledge of Results on Safe Behavior: A Component Analysis, Robert A.
Reber and Jerry A. Wallin, The Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 27, No. 3 (Sep., 1984), pp. 544-560
%ofCompliance
36
37. Electrical
Workplace Safety
Avoiding Mistakes
• Documented electrical safety
program audit
(not more than every 3 yrs.)
NFPA 70 E 110.3 (H)(1)
• Must reviewed Arc Hazard
Assessment
minimum of every five years.
– Updates required if major
modifications or renovations.
– Required for calculations or if
Tables used.
– Should include audit of labeling.
Electrical Safety Program Audit &
Hazard Assessment Audit
38. Electrical
Workplace Safety
Safety-Related Work Practices
Habit 1 Always verify absence of voltage & use VR gloves &
tools.
Habit 2 Establish worker safety boundaries from shock & arc
flash.
Habit 3 Always wear arc-rated daily wear and a face shield.
Habit 4 Always use GFCI with cord connected tools & extension
cords.
Habit 5 When feasible create an electrically safe work condition.
Habit 6 Plan your jobs, use standards to identify greater
hazards, & adopt controls & PPE to mitigate hazards.
Habit 7 Measure, audit & continuously improve electrical safety
processes.
7 Electrical Safety Habits™
40. Electrical
Workplace Safety
Electrical
Workplace Safety
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Phone: (502) 716-7073
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Questions?
Want More Information?
41. Electrical
Workplace Safety
For more information on electrical arc
PPE, for help on selecting the proper arc
PPE or for a custom quote,
Contact your local
Magid Glove & Safety Sales
Representative
1-800-444-8030
42. • Hugh Hoagland
Technical Consultant,
ArcWear.com and e-Hazard.com
• Bob Vavra
Content Manager and Moderator,
Plant Engineering
Speakers
Normally flammable liquids and gases should not be used around electrical equipment.
[Read slide.]You may be involved in conducting audits at your location. Audits help verify what procedures work and where more training is needed. It is also a good idea to get someone outside of your department or even from outside of your location or company to participate in an audit. An outside perspective is a good way to catch holes or weakness in safety practices. EXPERT: Best practice companies follow this routine - Electrical audit one year by in-house person from your plant; next year audit by having another plant person audit your plant and you audit theirs. This cross-pollinates within the company and raises everyone’s skills. Third year, hire an outside auditor. Some companies give a little more time to correct things from an outside auditor or require the plant to justify in writing to the corporate auditor why they disagree with or cannot do what the external auditor suggested. This type of audit program can change a company throughout all its plants in many positive ways.Annual auditing of the qualified workers individually, the written ESP every three years and an annual general audit of safe practices has really been the intention of the committee for quite some time.
[Read slide.]You may be involved in conducting audits at your location. Audits help verify what procedures work and where more training is needed. It is also a good idea to get someone outside of your department or even from outside of your location or company to participate in an audit. An outside perspective is a good way to catch holes or weakness in safety practices. EXPERT: Best practice companies follow this routine - Electrical audit one year by in-house person from your plant; next year audit by having another plant person audit your plant and you audit theirs. This cross-pollinates within the company and raises everyone’s skills. Third year, hire an outside auditor. Some companies give a little more time to correct things from an outside auditor or require the plant to justify in writing to the corporate auditor why they disagree with or cannot do what the external auditor suggested. This type of audit program can change a company throughout all its plants in many positive ways.Annual auditing of the qualified workers individually, the written ESP every three years and an annual general audit of safe practices has really been the intention of the committee for quite some time.
Continuously monitoring your programs is essential to their successes. Research proves that both training and auditing improves safety; and, they go hand-in-hand. Audits are critical to verifying not only that new training skills are put to use, but that they are working for your facility. Audits also let your facility identify weakness and get an action plan in place before an injury occurs.EXPERT: The study cited showed in general safety (hard hat and safety glasses) that compliance to rules was about 65% before any training. Training increased the compliance to about 70%. Auditing increased the results to about 78% BUT re-communication of the audit results made compliance soar to about 95%. Management commitment AND measurement increases compliance much more than just training alone.