Electrical Safety
Three-fourths of all electrical accidents, including 100 deaths annually, are caused by unsafe work practices. Electricity, like our decision-making process, has the power to create or destroy. Unlike our ability to think, electricity knows only to find the shortest path to ground and complete the circuit.
Read this scenario...
Jarvis Bunt decided to repair an extension cord with a crushed plug. Jarvis found a new end piece and put it on the cord. He mistakenly connected the hot wire to the ground terminal. When his co-worker Alvin Potter used the cord to power a circular saw, he was electrocuted and the saw blade buried in his leg.
Lesson: You must be qualified to do any electrical job. Jarvis was unauthorized to repair the cord. He did not understand why each of the three wires must be connected to a specific terminal. Electrical Safety can mean life or death on the job!
Basic Electrical Safety Tips...
- You should know and understand the hazards of your job at all times.
- You must understand how equipment and circuits function as well as the operation of this equipment in its environment.
- You must have the necessary training, skills and techniques to perform electrical operations.
- It’s our own commitment to personal safety that follows the path to least resistance.