Electrical Safety for the Workplace
11/2/2005
 by Lissa Rullman (email)
Safety Management Group
In the last month's article entitled Budgeting for Safety, the top 10 most cited Occupation Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards for the healthcare industry were listed. In order by frequency of violation, the information contained in the table includes the referenced General Industry standard number, standard topic, and total dollar amount of the fines imposed by OSHA for the stated period.
Three of the top 10 are related to electrical safety, and as you can see, electrical safety plays an important role in workplace safety. Many workers are injured or die every year due to electrical incidents that occur on the job. Something that will help you address these safety concerns and keep your staff safe is the NFPA 70E, Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace (2004 Edition).
The NFPA 70E is a consensus standard that focuses on the safety of workers exposed to electrical hazards. Electrical hazards include electric shock, arc flash, and arc blast. There is a bit of confusion with this standard and how it is citable. OSHA has a general duty clause that states, 'Each employer shall furnish to each of his employees employment and a place of employment which are free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to his employees.' This clause actually captures consensus standards like this one, and pushes the affected work force to follow its requirements. If an OSHA inspector visits your jobsite, under the General Duty Clause, you could be cited for not following this standard, so it is very important that you learn more about it.
The NFPA 70E standard is divided into four chapters. The first chapter, which I will discuss in more detail, discusses safety related work practices. It starts with definitions, and then gets into training requirements, elements of a safety program, lockout/tagout procedures, energized work permit procedures, personal protective equipment (PPE) requirements, and wraps up with other safety precautions. The second chapter covers safety-related maintenance requirements, and should be used in conjunction with NFPA 70B, Recommended Practice for Electrical Equipment Maintenance. Chapter three covers safety installation and safety-related work practices and procedures for special equipment (i.e. electrolytic cells, batteries and battery rooms, lasers, etc.). And, finally the last chapter gives a brief highlight of the NFPA 70, National Electrical Code. In general, the NFPA 70E provides the most detail regarding safety-related work practices and procedures. The best practice is to use this in conjunction with OSHA, NEC, and other applicable standards.
Creating an Electrical Safety Program for this Standard
It is important to have an electrical safety program as a part of your overall company safety program so that the policies and procedures for this NFPA 70E standard are written and available for use. Your employees are an important part of your company, and this safety program should act as a guideline for how to work safely around electrical parts and equipment. Some things to include in your safety program:
1. Awareness and Self-Discipline - The electrical safety program shall provide awareness of potential electrical hazards for employees who may be exposed to electrical parts or equipment. Also included should be the required self-discipline so that an employee can review the program and know what is required of them before they proceed with their work. This creates a level of accountability for your staff.
2. Program Principles - Every program is based on certain principles, and these need to be identified within the program.
3. Program Procedures - This program should identify safe work procedures for working on or near live parts where an electrical hazard exists.
4. Hazard/Risk Evaluation Procedure - This is an evaluation process that can be used prior to starting work on or near live parts.
5. Job Briefing - A job briefing shall be held with the employee performing the work and the employee in charge prior to starting work. Some items to include are work procedures, hazards associated, any special precautions, and personal protective equipment required.
Process of Establishing an Electrically Safe Work Condition
The goal behind the NFPA 70E is to perform work on electrical parts/equipment that are in an electrically safe work condition. De-energizing equipment puts it in a safe working condition, and the best practice for this is to follow proper lockout/tagout procedures. In order to complete lockout/tagout successfully the first steps are preparation and notification. You need to ensure what is being affected by this shutdown and notify any personnel who may be affected by this as well. The next step is to actually shutdown the energized parts/equipment. This may be done by a switch, disconnect, breaker, etc., but this must be done completely. If you are shutting down only a part of a system, if the other areas are not de-energized a problem could result. It is important to isolate the part completely so that a re-energization is not possible. The authorized person performing this work should apply both a lock and a tag. This is done to keep the piece of equipment under one person's control, so nothing is inadvertently re-energized. The next step is to ensure that stored or residual energy is controlled or dissipated. This energy could be stored in springs, elevated machine members, capacitors, or other objects. Once this is controlled, verify that the system is shutdown through the use of a voltage detector and proceed with your work safely.
Unable to Place in an Electrically Safe Work Condition
In the case of healthcare, sometimes it is difficult to de-energize certain systems. Life support equipment, ventilation equipment that controls a hazardous location, and emergency alarm systems are examples of when a shutdown could create an additional or increased hazard. In this case, the NFPA 70E requires an energized work permit be completed. The purpose of this permit is to provide a means to document the description and location of work and justification of why the work is to be performed energized. It also is a place to perform a shock and flash hazard analysis. This permit is required to be signed by authorized personnel who agree that the system, in fact, cannot be de-energized. Documentation creates an opportunity to look at the work to be performed, discuss it with affected personnel, determine the necessary PPE to be worn, and then proceed with the job/task. Of course, the most important thing to do is shutdown any equipment that you can, but if you cannot, the permit should be used.
Personal Protective Equipment and other Safety Precautions
Before a system is shutdown, whether you are testing or performing work, PPE is a must. In this standard there is a table that addresses the PPE requirements depending on the task being performed and the voltage of the equipment/system. When purchasing PPE it is important to consider the movement and visibility restraints that some PPE may create. The PPE must always be in good condition, and this should be verified prior to performing work. It is also very important that no conductive articles are being worn, that you are alert, and the work area is clear. This is just a short list of things to consider prior to working on or near energized parts. Prior to providing PPE to your employees training is required.
Training Employees
Training is always important for workers exposed to a hazard. Workers need to understand the requirements of the electrical safety program. They must be able to recognize the hazards of electricity, know the safety-related work practices and procedures for protection against electrical hazards, and be able to recognize potential hazards and injuries. They must also be trained on the care, use, inspection, and testing of PPE. The required training content will depend on the type of work that a person performs and the level of responsibility that person has on a project or task.
Rollout of Program
Once you have worked through the items above, the rollout should go smoother. Your employees are trained and ready to work on their project/tasks safely. The hardest part of a new policy is getting buy-in from all involved parties. Keep talking with them, informing and educating them on the process. It may be necessary to tweak your program to better fit the needs for your facility, but be patient, in time, the process will be like second nature for everyone.
This article was reprinted from the Q4 issue of ISHE Issues, the publication of the Indiana Society for Healthcare Engineering.
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