I.

TITLE
Application of Six-Sigma for Electrical Safety

II. DETAILS OF AUTHOR

1. Name: Hafsa Gandhi
2. Designation: Senior Project Engineer
3. Education:
BE-Electrical- NED University of Engineering and Technology
ME-Risk Management- University of Sydney

III. ABSTRACT
Electrical safety is a highly neglected area in commercial and residential buildings and presents a
challenge in refurbishment projects particularly where the buildings are old and have undergone
frequent repairs. In such cases, it is hard to determine the safety status of the locality. This
creates numerous grey areas with unidentified risks having fatality potential. The impact is that
even after spending huge amounts of money on refurbishment projects, electrical safety risks are
left unaddressed and safety incidents are repeated. In this paper, it is proposed to use six sigma
methodology to manage the electrical assets with the aim of improving electrical safety. Six
sigma is a relatively new concept in construction industry and is being adopted by project teams
to improve the quality of work. The paper initially presents the description of six sigma, and how
it can be applied to manage electrical assets. A compliance checklist in line with required
standards for facility equipment is prepared for identifying ‘opportunity’ areas. This is followed
by site audit against the prepared checklist to identify ‘defects’. For the audit, the ‘boundary’ or
scope under consideration is defined. The sigma value is then calculated for the facility to
quantify the current status of electrical safety against the total opportunity areas within the scope
of work. Finally DMAIC (define, measure, analyze, improve and control) is implemented to
suggest critical improvements in existing equipment and benchmarking future practices. In the
end the report includes the benefits of using six sigma approach in comparison with traditional
approach. As a case study, the DB refurbishment project of Indus Valley School of Arts and
Architecture has been presented.

IV. RESULTS

Current Sigma level

Number of
Equipment list Number of defects opportunities
DBs 0 96
Cables and wires 1 30
 Cable trays 0 7
Conduits 0 40
Stand-by generators 1 12
CPC conductors 0 9
Earthing system 0 5
UPS 0 8
PFI 0 8
2 215
DPMO 9302.325581

sigma level 2.6

Sigma Level after Corrective measures completed

Number of
Equipment list Number of defects opportunities
DBs 0 96
Cables and wires 1 30
Cable trays 0 7
Conduits 0 40
Stand-by generators 1 12
CPC conductors 0 9
Earthing system 0 5
UPS 0 8
PFI 0 8
2 215
DPMO 9302.325581

sigma level 2.6

To summarize, six sigma has following advantages over traditional approach:

1. A detailed methodological approach helps improved visibility of electrical safety conditions
at site for all stakeholders including client, contractors and project team.
2. Scope and boundaries of issues under discussion are clear.