1. Thinking that it’s “only 120 volts”
“It’s only low voltage.” Okay, I’ll admit that you can have an open casket with a low-voltage hit, but you’ll still be dead. The only difference between low and high voltage is how fast it can kill you. High voltage kills instantly; low voltage may take a little longer.
Dr. A.G. Soto, consulting physician to Ontario Power Generation presented a paper at the 2007 IEEE Electrical Safety Workshop discussing low-voltage shock exposures. In that paper, he stated that a 120-volt shock can kill up to 48 hours later. He also stated that many emergency room physicians are unfamiliar with electric shock and that an EKG may not show a problem. The injury to the heart muscle tends to spread over time and cannot always be identified using EKGs.
2. Working on energized systems or equipment when it can be de-energized.
De-energizing is the only way to eliminate hazards. Arc flash personal protective equipment (PPE) just increases your chances of survival; it doesn’t guarantee it. Just be aware that until equipment and systems are placed in an electrically-safe work condition, proper PPE and procedures must be used to protect the worker. See Article 120 in NFPA 70E 2012.
3. Not wearing any PPE.
This could go into number 2 above, but people really don’t like wearing rubber insulating gloves or arc flash PPE and equipment. It’s hot, uncomfortable, restricts movement, and slows the entire work process down — not only by wearing it, but by selecting the correct PPE and putting it on and taking it off. It will also save your life. One of the most likely times people neglect to wear their PPE is during troubleshooting. The rationale seems to be, “I’m not really working on it; I’m just testing it.” Yet, CDC/NIOSH studies have found that 24% of electrical accidents are caused by troubleshooting, voltage testing and like activities. We have a tendency to ignore hazards associated with tasks we consider “safe”.
4. Not wearing the right PPE.
Some people think that if they wear anything by way of PPE, that should be enough. Do you know how to interpret arc flash labels? What do you do if there’s no arc flash label on electrical power equipment? Do you know how to use the tables in the NFPA 70E? Do you refer to the notes when you use the tables? If you answer “no” to any of these questions, you aren’t choosing the right PPE.
5. Using outdated or defective test equipment to troubleshoot.
When the leads are frayed or your meter is damaged, it’s time to replace it. The NFPA committee was concerned enough to put two different requirements for using only portable electric tools and test equipment that were properly rated.
6. Not using an Energized Electrical Work Permit system.
People tend to hate paperwork. This is one great exception. You should plan each job, have the right tools and equipment to do the job safely and follow your work plan. How do you document the Hazard/Risk Analysis or our PPE Assessment? The Energized Electrical Work Permit provides the means to plan the work, assess the hazard and the risk, choose the proper PPE for the job and document it.
1. Uwe na mtazamo wa kweli "Kama unafikiri kwamba ni ""volts 120 tu"" ni ""voltage ya chini tu"" sawa, nitakubali kwamba unaweza kuwa na sanduku la wazi na hit ya voltage ya chini, lakini bado utakuwa umekufa." Tofauti pekee kati ya voltage ya chini na ya juu ni jinsi ya haraka inaweza kuua wewe. Voltage ya juu huua mara moja; voltage ya chini yaweza kuchukua muda mrefu zaidi. "Mwanamke huyo, ambaye pia ni daktari wa Ontario Power Generation, aliwasilisha makala yake katika mkutano wa IEEE wa 2007 wa usalama wa umeme, akizungumzia ""kufunuliwa kwa mshtuko wa voltaji ya chini.""" Katika utafiti huo, alibainisha kwamba mshtuko wa umeme wa volti 120 unaweza kuua mtu baada ya masaa 48 baada ya mshtuko huo kutokea. "Mwanamke huyo alisema: ""Daktari wengi wa chumba cha dharura hawajui kuhusu umeme na kwamba ECG inaweza isionyeshe tatizo lolote." Uharibifu wa misuli ya moyo huenea kwa muda na hauwezi kutambuliwa kwa kutumia EKG. 2. Uwezekano wa kupata Kufanya kazi kwenye mifumo au vifaa vyenye nishati wakati vinaweza kuondolewa. Kuondoa nishati ndiyo njia pekee ya kuondoa hatari. Vifaa vya kujilinda vya Arc Flash vinaongeza tu nafasi zako za kuishi; haikuhakikishi. Hata hivyo, ni muhimu kutambua kwamba mpaka vifaa na mifumo ni kuwekwa katika hali ya kazi ya umeme salama, PPE sahihi na taratibu lazima kutumika kulinda wafanyakazi. "Kama ilivyoelezwa katika kifungu cha 120 cha NFPA 70E (2012), ""Utekelezaji wa Sheria ya Usalama wa Nchi"" ni muhimu." 3. Uwe na mtazamo wa kweli Havikuvaa vifaa vya kujilinda. Hii inaweza kwenda katika namba 2 hapo juu, lakini watu kweli hawapendi kuvaa kinga za mpira au vifaa vya kuhifadhi na vifaa vya kuhifadhi. Ni moto, uncomfortable, inazuia harakati, na hupunguza mchakato mzima wa kazi chini - si tu kwa kuvaa, lakini kwa kuchagua sahihi PPE na kuweka juu na kuondoa. Pia itaokoa uhai wako. Wakati mwingine, watu wengi hukosa kuvaa PPE wakati wa utatuzi wa shida. "Hata hivyo, utafiti uliofanywa na CDC na NIOSH unaonyesha kwamba asilimia 24 ya ajali za umeme hutokana na ""kuondoa matatizo, kupima voltage na shughuli kama hizo.""" Tuna mwelekeo wa kupuuza hatari zinazohusiana na kazi tunazoziona kuwa "safu". 4. Uwe na uhakika Usiwaze kuvaa PPE sahihi. Watu wengi wanafikiri kwamba kuvaa PPE ni sawa na kuvaa nguo za kibinafsi. Je, unajua jinsi ya kutafsiri lebo za arc flash? Unafanya nini kama hakuna arc flash lebo juu ya vifaa vya umeme nguvu? Je, unajua jinsi ya kutumia NFPA 70? Je, unataja maelezo unapotumia meza? Kama wewe kujibu <unk>no<unk> kwa yoyote ya maswali haya, wewe si kuchagua haki PPE. 5. Uwe na mtazamo mzuri. Kutumia vifaa vya mtihani vya zamani au vyenye kasoro ili kutatua matatizo. Wakati viungo ni frayed au mita yako ni kuharibiwa, ni wakati wa kubadilisha yake. NFPA pia ilitoa amri ya kutotumia vifaa vya umeme vya kubebeka na vifaa vya majaribio. 6. Uwe na uhakika Si kutumia mfumo wa Energized Electrical Work Kibali. Watu huchukia kazi ya karatasi. Hii ni moja ya ubaguzi mkubwa. Unapaswa kupanga kila kazi, kuwa na vifaa sahihi na vifaa vya kufanya kazi kwa usalama na kufuata mpango wako wa kazi. Jinsi ya kuandaa na kuandaa Haze na Risk Analysis (HARR) kwa ajili ya vipimo vya PPE Kibali cha kazi ya umeme cha umeme hutoa njia ya kupanga kazi, kutathmini hatari na hatari, kuchagua PPE sahihi kwa kazi na kuifunga.