Electric Shock and Burn— The Case of the Open Electrical Control Panel ©2003 P O W E R P O I N T ® T R A I N I N G

©2003 Business & Legal Reports, Inc. Let’s Look at the Hazards Electrical shock can cause:  Pain  Loss of muscle control/coordination  Internal bleeding  Nerve, muscle, tissue damage  Cardiac arrest  Death As little as 50 milliamperes (one-third the electricity needed to power a radio) can cause death!

©2003 Business & Legal Reports, Inc. Take a Look at the Facts  Employee is operating a tilt-pot, iron-melting furnace  Furnace controls mounted on enclosed pedestal  Tilt-pot lever will not engage—broken cotter pin

Take a Look at the Facts (cont.)  Employee opens console to replace cotter pin  Employee has performed this procedure many times  Console can be de-energized separately from the furnace

Take a Look at the Facts (cont.)  He reaches into console to replace pin  Employee slips, falls against 120-volt terminal  Employee gets electric shock & burns to shoulder

©2003 Business & Legal Reports, Inc. What Do You Think Went Wrong?  Could the employee easily access the inside of the console?  Did complacency have anything to do with the incident?  Why was the employee not aware that the console could be de-energized separately?  Were safety procedures ignored or overlooked?  Is it ever okay to reach into an electrical panel?

©2003 Business & Legal Reports, Inc. Let’s Review the Causes  Broken cotter pin  Over-confident employee  Console easy to open  Lockout procedures not in place or employee not trained  Employee reached into “live” electrical panel  Slippery floor

©2003 Business & Legal Reports, Inc. The Hazards of Electricity  1 mA: Felt by the body  2-10 mA: Minor shock, may cause a fall  mA: Lose muscle control, may not be able to let go of the current  mA: Painful, leads to collapse or death  mA: Almost always immediately fatal

©2003 Business & Legal Reports, Inc. Qualified Electrical Workers  Qualified electrical workers – Are permitted to work on exposed energized equipment – Know how to identify exposed energized parts – Know how to troubleshoot energized parts  Unqualified workers should know – How electricity works – Risks of working with energized equipment – Tasks to be performed only by qualified workers

©2003 Business & Legal Reports, Inc. Don’t Let it Happen to You  Report machine malfunctions  Never open a “live” electrical panel  Never reach into an electrical panel  If trained, use lockout to de-energize the equipment  Re-evaluate your job practices

©2003 Business & Legal Reports, Inc. Quiz 1.The dangerous part of electricity is the voltage. True or False 2.Only _______ workers are allowed to work on or near exposed electrical components. 3.Electrical shock from a 120-volt circuit will expose the average person to how many mA? 4.Electrical panels should be easy to open and very accessible. True or False

Quiz (cont.) 5.When is it OK for a machine operator to reach into a “live” electrical panel? 6.What should a qualified worker do to make it safe to reach into an electrical panel? 7.How can a qualified electrical worker increase his or her resistance to electricity? 8.Unqualified workers must be trained to identify electrical hazards. True or False

©2003 Business & Legal Reports, Inc. Quiz Answers 1.Q.The dangerous part of electricity is the voltage. True or False A.False, the amperage is the dangerous part of electricity. 2.Q.Only _______workers are allowed to work on or near exposed electrical components. A.Qualified.

Quiz Answers (cont.) 3.Q.Electrical shock from a 120-volt circuit will expose the average person to how many mA? A.60 mA. 4.Q.Electrical panels should be easy to open and very accessible. True or False A.False, panels should be difficult to open. 5. Q.When is it OK for a machine operator to reach into a “live” electrical panel? A.Never.

Quiz Answers (cont.) 6.Q.What should a qualified worker do to make it safe to reach into an electrical panel? A.Lock out the electricity from the panel. 7.Q.How can a qualified electrical worker increase his or her resistance to electricity? A.Wear insulated gloves and boots, use insulated tools, and stand on an insulated mat.

Quiz Answers (cont.) 8.Q.Unqualified workers must be trained to identify electrical hazards. True or False A.True, it is important for all workers to be able to identify electrical hazards.