Electricity safety is fundamental to workplace safety since many employees operate close to or in contact with electrical systems. Lack of proper training on its operation increases the risk of workers being electrocuted, severely burnt or even dying. It is therefore important that thorough electricity safety training is established—to avoid the occurrence of these perils.
An effective program covers all employees and makes them aware of the hazards and how to prevent injury while using electrical equipment. It also assists companies in ensuring compliance to safety standards, to avert risks, accidents and even fines.
As we continue in this guide, we will review various procedures that can constitute a good electrical safety training program.
Identify Electrical Hazards in the Workplace
The first clue to creating an effective electrical safety training program lies in determining what kind of electrical hazards are in your workplace. It is necessary to carry out a risk assessment in the form of the assessment of the type of the equipment, working conditions, and the degree of electrical risk exposure among the workers. Some of the risks that are associated with electricity include arc flashes, electrocution and short circuits. This knowledge empowers managers to develop a program that fits the safety needs of the employees.
Ensure Compliance with Safety Standards
Electrical safety training programs should be in accordance with standard requirements like the National Electrical Codes, NFPA 70E and OSHA. These standards clearly outline measures on how to reduce electrical risks, PPE to be worn, and conduct when working with/around electricity.
Adapt the Program for Individual Employees of Different Positions
Electrical hazard risks differ based on an employee’s position or specific sector of company operations. For instance, maintenance personnel could be often close to electrical equipment and thus have higher rates of exposure than the personnel working in the office. Hence, your electrical safety training program should reflect the different kinds of electrical risks that workers are exposed to. Where there is high risk, employees should be trained extensively on electrical hazards and measures to take in incidents; while where there is low risk, the employees may only need simple directions on safety measures.
Integrate the Use of Innovative and Fun Techniques
Electrical safety is a serious subject and it can involve many potential hazards, but it doesn’t have to be boring. By incorporating fun and experiential elements like demonstrations, videos and games or quizzes, relevant information would be easier to pass on to workers. Another suggestion is to offer recreations of electrical threats that may be present at work, including arc flash events, so that the staff can witness potential risks up close and learn what they should do in such real-life scenarios.
Regularly Update and Reinforce Training
Electrical safety training is not a process that is administered only once, nor is it a static check in a list of safety procedures. Your training program also has to grow in parity with recent technologies and equipment that might be on the market. Conduct refresher training for the employees from time to time. Periodic refresher training keeps the employees abreast in regards to electrical safety, reducing the possibilities of horrific incidents happening in the future.
