THREE LEVELS

OF PROTECTION

There are three basic levels of

protection necessary to work around
electricity safely:

• Engineering danger out of the job

• Safe work practices

• Personal protective equipment (PPE).

 PORTABLE ELECTRIC
EQUIPMENT
Inspect your electrical tools:
• Check insulated grips for cracks, tears
and worn spots.
• Discard or replace homemade
insulation.
• Check power tool double-insulated
casings and third-wire power cord
grounding.
• Be sure safety guards or shields are in
place. Make sure switches have secure
terminals and that cords aren’t frayed
or cut
 PORTABLE
EXTENSION CORDS
Inspect portable extension cords:
• Is the cord rated for the tool
you’re using?

• Does the cord have a working

ground-fault circuit interrupter
(GFCI)?

• Does the cord have loose parts,

deformed and missing pins or damage
to its outer jacket or insulation?

• Are the cord’s plug and receptacle

designed to be used together?
 OVERLOAD

• Beware of overload.

• Safe outlets are always grounded.

• More than two plugs per double outlet

is overloaded.

• Never overload any outlet.

 CARE IN USE OF
FLEXIBLE
ELECTRIC CORDS

• Inspect for damage.

• Switches, components and wiring

won’t stand up to rough handling.

• Raising or lowering equipment by its

flexible cord or stapling a cord
damages insulation.
SYMBOLS, SIGNS AND
BARRIERS
Read and follow safety signs, symbols
and barriers:

• Red indicates stop bars and

emergency cut-off switches.

• Orange sometimes marks dangerous

exposed machine parts or
electrical hazards.

• Yellow calls for caution.

• Green shows where to find

safety items.
FLAMMABLE DUST
AND VAPORS
• Combustible dust, flammable fumes
or excess oxygen can be ignited by
a spark.

• Use ventilation to lower the

concentration of atmospheric hazards
in your work area.
USE PROPER LIGHTING

• Set up approved portable lighting,

where possible.

• If there’s not enough light to help

avoid a shock, you should not enter or
work in an area where there is an
electrical hazard.
 HOUSEKEEPING

• Keep your tools clean and arranged

conveniently.

• Clean up spills immediately.

• Keep a towel or rag handy.

LOCKOUT/TAGOUT
• Follow your facility’s lockout/tagout
procedures to the letter.

• Locks — Place a lock on each

disconnecting means.

• Tags — If tagging alone is permitted,

use an additional safety measure.

• Never remove a lock or tag applied by

someone else.

• If you are unsure, treat conductors and

parts of equipment that have not been
locked out or tagged as if they are
energized.

• Watch out for additional stored energy.

 WET WORKING
CONDITIONS
• Never work with electricity if you or
the work area has been exposed to
wet weather.

• If your work site is at all moist,

locking connectors provide
additional safety.
LOCKOUT/TAGOUT
continued
• Check to see that all power sources
are controlled.

• Discharge stored voltage.

• Verify isolation.

• Verify that the main disconnect or

circuit breaker cannot be moved to
the ON position. Use a voltage meter
to check for voltage.

• Press all START buttons and other

activating controls. Shut off all
machine controls.
 REENERGIZING
ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS
Specific steps you must take before you
reenergize electrical systems:
• Inspect the entire work area.

• Warn co-workers.

• Remove locks and tags.

• Insure equipment is safe to operate.

• Count co-workers.

• Notify everyone affected.

• Remove locks and reenergize.

 THE QUALIFIED
ELECTRICAL WORKER
• A qualified person is specifically trained
in the hazards of working on energized
parts and equipment. Receiving this
training will help you recognize and
avoid unsafe conditions and procedures.

• Being qualified to work on one type

of equipment does not necessarily
mean you are qualified to work on
all equipment.

• Being qualified means you are allowed

to use test equipment.

• You must be trained and qualified before

testing electric circuits or equipment.
 THE QUALIFIED
ELECTRICAL WORKER
continued
• Your training gives you the skills
necessary to know the nominal voltage
of exposed live parts, as well as
clearance distances and corresponding
voltages.

• Being qualified means you’re allowed to

work on energized systems.

• Sometimes turning equipment off

increases hazards such as interrupting
life-support systems and deactivating
emergency alarm systems or ventilators.
Only qualified persons familiar with the
construction and operation of the
equipment are allowed to work on it.
PERSONAL PROTECTIVE
EQUIPMENT

• Select the proper personal protective

equipment (PPE).

• Inspect your PPE before use, and protect

it from damage.

• Wear the appropriate clothing and

remove conductive jewelry.

• Select the right tool for the voltage

involved.
PERSONAL PROTECTIVE
EQUIPMENT
continued

Be careful with your electrician’s

tool belt:

• Metal rivets can conduct electricity.

• Dangling tools can close an

electric circuit.

Use the appropriate PPE for the job:

• Non-conductive head protection

• Eye and face protection.

 SAFETY WITH
OVERHEAD LINES
For safety’s sake, observe the
following rules:
• Make sure that insulating ratings of
objects used equals or exceeds voltages
involved.

• If you are not sure about its insulation

rating, treat as if conductive.

• Observe clearance distances. Use

handheld working devices with approved
insulating handles.

• Make sure any object you use has an

approved insulating handle and be
sure you are insulated from the
 SAFETY WITH
OVERHEAD LINES
continued
Use the proper gloves:
• Use gloves rated for the voltage involved.

• Be sure you are insulated from any

conductive objects and energized parts.
If you are an unqualified person:
• Neither you nor anything you touch can
get within 10 feet (305 cm) of an
overhead line carrying up to 50 kilovolts.

• When voltage to ground is over

50 kilovolts, you must add 10 feet plus
4 inches of clearance for every 10 kV
over 50 kV.
EMERGENCY RESCUE OF
A SHOCK VICTIM
Protect yourself. Find out if the person
you are helping is in contact with an
energized circuit:

• Shut it down — before you approach

the victim.

• If you’re unsure if the victim is in

contact with an energized source,
assume that the person is a threat if
touched.

• To move the victim off a live circuit, use

a non-conductive, dry wooden chair,
board, pole, plastic pipe or rope.
 FIRST AID FOR A
SHOCK VICTIM
• Once you have safely separated a shock
victim from an energized circuit, call or
send for emergency medical help. Then
decide what first aid you should give.

• Always reassure and calm an injured

person. If the victim is standing, have the
person lie down.

• The victim may not be breathing because

the person’s lungs might have been
paralyzed by the shock. If that is the case,
apply CPR until qualified medical
assistance arrives.

• Stop bleeding by using direct pressure on

the wound.
 TREATMENT FOR
TRAUMATIC SHOCK
The victim’s muscles are usually weak,
breathing is slow, heartbeat is slow and
blood pressure is weak:

• Loosen clothing, and if skin is

unnaturally warm, cool it by fanning. If
the person’s skin is cold and clammy,
cover the victim with an item of clothing
or a blanket.
 TREATMENT FOR
TRAUMATIC SHOCK
continued

The victim may have either an unusually

pale face or the person’s face may be
unusually red:
• If the face is pale, it means there is not
enough blood flow to the head. Raise the
victim’s feet higher than the head.

• If the face is unusually red, the victim’s

head is getting too much blood. Make
sure to raise the head higher than
the feet.

• The first aid you provide may save a life.

Review first-aid procedures often.