Greetings! 
We take great pride in providing the training and tools to help you and your employees create a safer work place.  Safety has become our passion, and we are please to present our latest issue of the Easy Safety School Newsletter. 

We understand the difficult times many of our readers are enduring.  Please take a moment to learn about our safety topic of the month.  Only through learning can we make today's work place safer than yesterdays. 
 
Sincerely,
 
Christina Marshman
Easy Safety School

OSHA Requirements for Electrical Protection

OSHA reports that approximately 350 electrical-related fatalities occur each year. While this number pales in comparison to fatalities related to falls, it still warrants our focus for this entire news letter. Electricity has become the unseen work horse within our society. Its activity goes so unnoticed that we often forget the consequences of its misuse. This issue of the Easy Safety School newsletter will equip you with a rudimentary knowledge of the precautions OSHA has prescribed for your employee's safety.

You can download a free copy of the OSHA or Cal/OSHA pocket guide at our website. These pocket guides contain several quick references to electrical safety related regulations.  Easy Safety School

Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCI) Save Lives

OSHA requires all tools to be either double insulated or grounded in accordance with subpart K of the 29CFR1926.  Tools from recognized, national manufactures are usually double-insulated.  The international symbol for a double-insulated tool is a square inside a square.  
 
While both CAL/OSHA and OSHA don't require ground fault circuit interrupters with these tools, the old adage is, "one is none and two is one." It is still wise to use a GFCI to prevent electrical shock. Because normal use of electrical tools causes wear and tear, double insulated tool can still injure your employees if used in moist environments. We cannot stress the importance of using a GFCI in conjunction with a double insulated tool in an effort to protect your employees. 
A GFCI works much like a circuit breaker in your house. A GFCI monitors the amount of current flowing from hot to neutral.  If there is any imbalance, it trips the circuit.  It is able to sense a mismatch as small as 4 or 5 milliamps, and it can react as quickly as one-thirtieth of a second. The speed at which the circuit is interrupted is what saves an employee's life.

Working Near Power Lines

Power lines can present a serious danger to employees. Because they seldom see them and think of them as a threat to us, they fade into their surroundings. As a safety professional or a superintendent on a project, identifying power lines should be part of your standard operating procedures. Communication is a key component of jobsite safety. Post signs that warn employees of potential danger due to overhead power lines.   If power lines pose a threat, make it a point to get an overhead electrical hazard tailgate meeting in at the start of the project.

Understand what jobsite operations are at high risk. Some of these operations include using aluminum ladders, concrete pumpers, cranes, scaffolds and dump trucks. Do not come within ten feet of any overhead power lines. 
OSHA standards 1926.416(a) states that no employer shall permit an employee to work in such proximity to any part of an electric power circuit that the employee could contact the electric power circuit in the course of work, unless the employee is protected against electric shock by deenergizing the circuit and grounding it or by guarding it effectively by insulation or other means.

Lockout/Tagout
 
Lockout/tagout means that any energy source, be it electrical source that may cause unexpected movement, must be disengaged, and electrical sources must be deenergized and locked in the off position.  There is a difference between turning off a machine and actually disengaging a piece of equipment. When turning off a control switch, you are opening a circuit; however, there is still electrical energy at the switch and a short in the switch or someone turning on the machine may start it running again.
Failure to lock out electrical sources before working on it is a major cause of injury and death in United States. Workers can be electrocuted or severely burned when an electrical source is inadvertently turned on while being serviced or maintained. These injuries can be prevented by establishing an effective lockout program. An effective lockout/tagout program should include the following:
Training supervisors and employees in procedures
Identification and labeling of lockout devices
Purchase of locks, tags, and blocks
A standard written operating procedure that is followed by all employees

CEU Units
 
Easy Safety School is proud to inform you that we are an authorized IACET (Continuing Education and Training) provider. This means you can get your CEU's by taking our OSHA accepted safety courses online.
One Continuing Education Unit (CEU) is defined as ten contact hours of participation in an organized continuing education experience under responsible sponsorship, capable direction, and qualified instruction.

Visit our site today for online OSHA Training Courses, Access to on-site OSHA Trainers, and FREE Safety Resources. We also offer group discounts and corporate billing accounts for your convenience.

Easy Safety School

www.easysafetyschool.com