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615 Electrical Safety - Hazards and Controls
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1. Recognize Hazards

The first step of the Electrical Safety Model is recognizing the electrical hazards around you.

Worker reporting an electrical hazard to their supervisor
When you see a hazard, report it.

Only then can you avoid or control the hazards. It is best to discuss and plan hazard recognition tasks with your co-workers.

The most frequent causes of electrical injury/death are:

  • contact with power lines
  • lack of ground-fault protection
  • path to ground missing or discontinuous
  • equipment not used in manner prescribed
  • improper use of extension and flexible cords

2. Evaluate Risks

Evaluation is a judgment call, and it's based on the perceived level of risk of injury. Risk is determined by analyzing the probability of an injury occurring and the severity of the injury if it occurs. The greater the probability and higher the severity, the greater the risk.

When evaluating risk, it is best to identify all possible hazards first, then evaluate the risk of injury from each hazard. Do not assume the risk is low until you evaluate the hazard. It is dangerous to overlook hazards.

Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.

1-9. What must you do first before you can avoid or control electrical hazards?