Introduction

• An electrical safety program is much like

of a game plan. It is a plan designed so
that neither workplace conditions, nor the
actions of people, expose personnel
unnecessarily to electrical hazards.

• Establishing an electrical safety program,

and making sure that employees follow it,
can mean “winning the game” against
accidental injury or death due to electrical
incidents.
 Purpose
• To make personnel aware that there are rules,
responsibilities, and procedures for working
safely in an electrical environment;

• To demonstrate the employer’s intention to

fully comply with the state / national law;

• To document general requirements and

guidelines for providing workplace facilities
that are free from unauthorized exposure to
electrical hazards;
 Purpose
• To document general requirements and
guidelines that direct the activities of
personnel who could be deliberately, or
accidentally, exposed to electrical hazards;

• To encourage, and make it easier for, each

employee to be responsible for his or her
own electrical safety self-discipline.
 Scope
• The scope of the electrical safety program
should address the needs of:
– all employees,
– contractors and
– visitors, within a company or at a facility.

• Everyone should be aware that the

program exists, and should be very familiar
with the parts that pertain to his or her
own particular job assignments.
 Scope
• The size of the program depends upon:
– the size of the company,
– number and complexity of facilities, and
– the number of personnel involved with
electrical work.
 Scope
• The program should
be kept as simple and
as easy to
understand as
possible.
• At the same time,
however, it should
cover all the needs of
the company.
 Content of program
• A complete electrical safety program
should contain directives on the
following subjects:
 Content of program
1. Management commitment
• strongly supported at the highest
management levels.
• ensure that it is truly being implemented
in the workplace.
• should not just delegate electrical safety
responsibility, but should show genuine
interest at all management levels.
• should believe that there is a real value in
an electrical safety program, both from
humanitarian and financial standpoints.
 Content of program
1. Management commitment
• establish an electrical safety policy and
identify the line organization(s) to
implement that policy.
• direct that the program be audited and
improved periodically.
• demonstrate by its commitment that
safety is truly a top priority in business.
 Content of program
2. Organizational support
• An electrical organization and a safety
organization are usually included in the
business objective.
• These organizations should be
designated to accomplish the electrical
safety objective.
 Content of program
2. Organizational support
• Management • Visitor and
• Design contractor liaison
• Installation • General industrial
• Facility operations safety
• Maintenance • Electrical safety
authority
• Training
• Purchasing
 Content of program
2. Organizational support
• Electrical safety processes are the same
as other safety processes, with only the
energy source being different.
• Company management should
designate some part of the organization
to be the focal point, or the authority,
for electrical safety.
 Content of program
2. Organizational support
• This designee should have the responsibility of knowing
the electrical safety regulations and standards, as well
as taking care of the following functions:
– Taking ownership of the electrical safety program;
– Developing and revising company electrical
standards;
– Providing interpretations of nationally recognized
codes and standards;
– Providing guidance for facility configuration
management;
– Resolving Philippine Electrical Code (PEC) inspection
questions;
 Content of program
2. Organizational support
– Establishing and documenting good safe work
practices;
– Providing technical input for OSHA interpretations;
– Providing guidance for electrical training programs;
– Providing guidance for procedure preparation;
– Providing consultation services to management;
– Reviewing electrical safety incidents and participating
in investigations;
– Issuing summaries and lessons-learned about electrical
safety incidents;
– Evaluating nonlisted electrical equipment or knowing
how to get an evaluation done.
 Content of program
2. Organizational support

Design and installation

concerns

Operational and
maintenance concerns.
 Content of program
3. Electrical safety policy

• Management’s electrical safety policy

may be stated in a policy manual or it
could be stated in the electrical safety
program.
 Content of program
3. Electrical safety policy

• An important basic rule that should be

derived from the policy statement is
that:

“Work on or near any exposed energized

electrical conductors or circuit parts should
be PROHIBITED, except under justified,
controlled, and approved circumstances.”
 Content of program
3. Electrical safety policy
• Exposed energized electrical conductors or
circuit parts to which an employee might
be exposed shall be put into an electrically
safe work condition before an employee
works on or near them, unless the
employer can demonstrate that de-
energizing introduces additional or
increased hazards or is infeasible due to
equipment design or operational
limitations.
 Content of program
4. Training and qualification of all personnel

• The electrical safety program should direct

that all personnel have electrical safety
training appropriate to their assigned jobs.
• It also includes ensuring that any
contractors or visitors who might become
exposed to electrical hazards have been
trained and are qualified in electrical
safety by their own employers.
 The best way to
help people avoid
hurting themselves
is to train them.

Unqualified Qualified
 Content of program
4. Training and qualification of all personnel

• A document should be created as part

of a company’s employee safety manual
that covers the basic electrical safety
awareness that is applicable to all
employees.
 Content of program

Overview of
Guidance to Training
Electrical personal
Definitions of the location Discussion on requirements
safety rules protection
electrical of more the use of to become
that are requirements
safety-related detailed rules electrical more
applicable to near
terms; for electrical equipment; electrically
all personnel; electrical
personnel; qualified.
hazards;
 Content of program
5. Use of protective equipment, tools, and protective
methods

• In addition to a good workplace

environment and safe practice controls,
it is wise to use other protective
measures “just in case.”
 Content of program
5. Use of protective equipment, tools, and protective
methods

• Protective methods are the little extra

safety precautions that can be taken to
reduce personnel exposure to hazards.
 Content of program
6. Use of electrical equipment

• Fixed equipment
 Content of program
6. Use of electrical equipment

• Portable equipment
 Content of program
7. Documentation

• Documents include:
– Work authorization,
– Standards,
– Procedures,
– Guidelines,
– Drawings, and
– Equipment records.
 Content of program
7. Documentation

• Outdated or erroneous documents not

only cause confusion and delays, but
they also can cause electrical-related
safety incidents.
 Content of program
7. Documentation

• Documents should also be located in

the places in which they are needed.
Otherwise, users may bypass them or
delays may be caused while users try to
find them.
 Content of program
8. Oversight and auditing

• The goal is to improve the safety

performance, not to punish employees.
 Content of program
8. Oversight and auditing

• Perform an electrical safety audit.

– Company’s safety organization,
– Outside-contracted safety auditor,
 Content of program
9. Technical Support
• A company should have easy access to a
qualified engineering organization and/or
qualified consultants.
• Companies should encourage, and
strongly support, their in-house engineers
to join nationally recognized professional
organizations related to their fields of
endeavor.
 Content of program
10. Emergency preparedness

• Being able to respond quickly to an

electrical shock or burn injury could be
the difference between the life and
death of the victim.
• All electrical workers should be taught
first aid and cardiopulmonary
resuscitation (CPR).
 Content of program
10. Emergency preparedness
• If it is necessary to work on or near
energized conductors, it is
recommended that an electrical-safety
qualified attendant be present to
provide assistance if needed.
• Rescue equipment should be available
in case a worker gets “hung-up” on an
energized conductor.
 Content of program
10. Emergency preparedness
• The location and phone number(s) of
the nearest qualified medical assistance
should be known.
• A phone or some other communication
method should be available at every job
location that involves work on
energized conductors, or has other
elements of risk.
 Content of program
10. Emergency preparedness

• Emergency responders should be

taught basic electrical safety so that
they don’t get themselves hurt while
trying to help a person who is injured in
an electrical incident.