Electrical Hazards
Safe Work Practices
Employers should evaluate safeguards and other safe work practices to help eliminate electrical hazards. Here are a few ideas:
- Use ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs) receptacles for your protection. Encourage employers to install these lifesaving and inexpensive devices.
- Educate yourself about electrical hazards. Understand how potential electrical accidents may occur and how to help avoid them. For example:
- Do not put your fingers or other materials on the prongs of a plug while you are inserting it into an outlet.
- Remove plugs from receptacles by pulling the plug, not the cord. Pulling on the cord could damage the cord and increase the shock risk.
- Do not use damaged cords or receptacles. This may also promote shocks.
- Understand touching the outside of a metal outlet box with one hand while plugging in an appliance with the other hand may complete the electrical "circuit." This forces the current through you and exposes you to possible shock or electrocution.
- Do not plug in electrical equipment with wet hands or while touching a wet or damp surface.
- Use proper plugs and receptacles to prevent energization until the insertion is complete.
Workers should also know the emergency procedures and the policies for electrical emergencies, including:
- Learn how to shut off the current in case of an emergency.
- Properly label electrical control panels.
- Turn the power off before touching an electrocution victim.
- Never use faulty equipment or damaged receptacles and/or connectors.
- Never plug in electrical equipment with wet hands or while touching a wet or damp surface.
- Learn how to perform CPR.
- Properly ground all electrical service near sources of water. [1910.304(g)(6)(vi)(C)(5)]
- Electrical equipment shall be free from recognized hazards. [1910.303(b)(1)]
- Tag out and remove from service all damaged receptacles and portable electrical equipment. [1910.334(a)(2)(ii)]
- Repair all damaged receptacles and portable electrical equipment before placing them back into service. [1910.334(a)(2)(ii)]
- Train employees to not plug or unplug energized equipment when their hands are wet. [1910.334(a)(5)(i)]
- Keep aisles and passageways clear. Provide floor plugs or ceiling plugs for equipment so power cords do not need to run across pathways. [1910.22(b)(1)].
Real-Life Accident
A 25-year-old manager of a North Carolina restaurant was cleaning the floor of the kitchen when an accident occurred. The restaurant was closed, and the restaurant manager's wife and two year-old daughter were waiting in the dining area for him to finish.
The victim, who was wearing tennis shoes, had put soap and water on the floor and was walking towards the dining area when he slipped and fell. As he fell, he tried to catch himself and he grabbed the handle of a commercial refrigerator nearby. The refrigerator had a ground fault and was not grounded (the cord did not have a ground prong). The ground fault apparently was the result of excessive wear on the insulation of the conductors that supplied electricity to the compressor unit. These conductors were exposed at a cutout hole in the case of the refrigerator, were not protected from abrasion, and were not protected by a strain relief.
The victim's wife responded to the noise in the kitchen and tried to separate the victim from the refrigerator. She was shocked but was able to separate the victim from the refrigerator and drag him into the dining area. She started CPR and contacted the father of the victim (the owner of the restaurant), who called the emergency medical service (EMS). The EMS responded approximately ten minutes after being contacted; however, the time interval between the accident and notification of the EMS could not be determined. The victim died from undetermined causes.
Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.
2-2. When you touch the outside of a metal outlet box while plugging in an appliance, what could happen to you?
You forgot to answer the question!