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Training your workforce on the ins and outs of electrical safety is both necessary and required for nearly any kind of industrial, mechanical, construction, or maintenance job. Unfortunately, as with so many other regulated tasks, some companies do just enough to meet their obligations, cutting corners and short-cutting whenever possible.
The biggest problem with this isn’t just that they don’t afford safety practices the proper respect and attention they deserve; it’s the fact that poor electrical safety training costs numerous workers their lives every year on job sites.
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The human toll of shoddy safety programs and rushed-through safety meetings is unacceptable, especially when just a little bit of simple but factual training could have saved their life. Today, we will take a look at 6 aspects of proper electrical education, or you can visit Benchmark for more information:
1. Identifying Possible Hazards and Evaluating Risks
Before you can get into the details and specifics of any electrical safety practices, you must first identify what kinds of hazards accompany your type of work. This requires a thorough evaluation of the environment of your workspace or job site, the various tasks performed in your field, as well as all equipment and materials used in your projects.
Once this has been completed, the next step is to analyze the dangers and risks associated with your particular work responsibilities and go over the most effective ways to reduce or eliminate them.
2. Elementary Electrical Training Concepts
Before an employee can master the safety techniques of any job hazard, they have to first have a basic understanding of what it is and how it works. For electrical safety training, that comes in the form of covering beginner topics such as:
- Current
- Voltage
- Resistance
- Conductivity
3. Best Safety Practices Training and Implementation
Examples of this aspect of electrical safety training include proper equipment use and maintenance, correct lockout/tag-out protocol, how to use PPE (personal protective equipment), and when to have a lookout or spotter with you.
4. Administering First Aid in Minor and/or Emergency Situations
When working with or around electricity, any incident is serious. However, the immediate danger of each situation is different. Employees need to be educated not only on how to provide simple, short-term medical care but also life-saving techniques, if necessary.
5. Compliant with Regulatory and Legislative Guidelines
As we mentioned before, this doesn’t just mean the letter of these laws but the spirit of them. Doing “just enough” to satisfy the minimal requirement of safety training leads to countless injuries and preventable deaths every year in high-risk jobs.
6. Arc Flash-Specific Training
Arc flashes are unique electrical events that are highly dangerous and can cause serious injury. Any work task associated with an electrical current can present this danger. That’s why it’s essential that your employees are properly trained regarding it.
Getting the Most Out of Your Electrical Safety Training at Work
Once you have incorporated all of these aspects into your safety program, and once all of your employees have completed and passed the training; you should expect to see a noticeable decline in electrical-related incidents. You should also see an increase in the overall awareness of electrical dangers and how to avoid them by your entire crew.