Line-construction contractors can do their best to train the management, offer safety training and equipment and trust the foremen who are appointed to a job, but it is an inherently dangerous business.
Earlier this year, routine activities came to an abrupt halt at San Bernardino Valley (Calif.) College when a construction crew excavating with a backhoe struck a power cable, causing a small explosion that knocked out a campus transformer.
Fire extinguishers are effective and simple Within 30 seconds a small flame can get totally out of control, causing a major fire. Dangerously high levels of black smoke usually fill a structure in minutes. In many cases, the fire will result in injury or death.
Slips, trips and stumbles can lead to serious injury Falls may not sound like a serious topic, but they cost billions each year. They account for 15 percent of workplace injuries and one-third of construction fatalities.
PQ safety is often overlooked, despite the danger Part of any power quality seminar material should cover the aspects of safety, especially for anyone who must connect/disconnect the voltage and current probes for power quality monitors.
Safety should be the best motivator It’s hard to resist telling morbid stories of occupational accidents to motivate individuals to take safety precautions. However, the ease with which foreign objects can enter the eyes should speak for itself.
If you’re reading this, chances are you have enjoyed the sense of accomplishment that comes from driving an 8-foot long, mostly steel rod into the earth and connecting a ground wire to it. It’s tough work.
When a Compliance Safety and Health Officer (CSHO) from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) visits an unprepared job site, the reactions can be amusing. Usually, the word travels throughout the site and employees scramble.
Avoid the hazards of chemicals whenever possible Electrical contractors can find themselves in a variety of environments. But whether you are rewiring a chemical industrial plant or simply working on a residential site using a lubricant to help pull wire, you can be exposed to hazardous chemicals.
As much as 8.5 million miles of abandoned cable will, sooner or later, be removed. Who pays? How will it be done? What will go up in its place? Such questions emanate from new requirements in the 2002 National Electrical Code. Answers will come in time.
You have been hearing it for years—invest in safety and the money will come. There is a direct positive correlation. If you purposely risk the safety of employees to save a couple of bucks, you will probably lose much more in the long run. Why risk it?
A lost requirement of OSHA’s Hazard Communication Standard When the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued the Hazard Communication Standard, our industry was overwhelmed. Mountains of paper were assembled to comply. Dangerous physical hazards seemed to take a back seat.