.
Electrical safety training required under the OSHA standard CFR 1910.333.
Discussion: The laboratory’s electrical safety interlock system consisted household extension
cords stretched across the doorways. These procedures should be
in writing and made part the employee’s training program. This type system may permit the installation emergency power shut down
buttons connected into the interlocks. locking
system that prevents the doors from being opened until the power disconnected also
recommended. Employees should receive basic electrical safety training, including how recognize
energized circuits and the proper method deenergize the circuit (see recommendation #2). The FACE program recommends that
the employer immediately implement effective electrical lock out, tag-out program that
includes deenergizing and locking out all circuits the breaker box.332.
Recommendation #3: The laboratory should consider redesigning the electrical safety
interlock system. FACE recommends that the employer install a
hardwired interlock system activated switch installed directly the doors. Their practice was shut down the power activating the safety interlocks,
leaving potential hazard the interlock malfunctioned another worker inadvertently
reconnected it.4
RECOMMENDATIONS AND DISCUSSIONS
Recommendation #1: Employees must throughly trained the safe handling electrical
circuits. The system could also easily bypassed using another extension cord to
bridge the gap after the door opened.
Discussion: this situation, the victim’s failure deenergize the power suggests lack of
understanding the dangers live electrical circuits. FACE recommends that all employees
should throughly trained electrical safety before being permitted work the testing
areas. should noted that the locking
out and tagging electrical circuits required under the OSHA standard CFR 1910. Although effective, this system may fail the light gauge
cords are damaged. this situation, the employee was able reach the cables without entering the
fenced area, essentially bypassing the interlock system.
Recommendation #2: Employers should develop, implement, and enforce electrical lock-
out/ tag-out program.
Employees authorized work live electrical circuits should receive additional training.
Discussion: The laboratory did not have lock-out/tag-out program for safely deenergizing the
experiments
