It is a requirement of all electrical workers to adhere to safety practices in line with the requirements of government bodies such as WorkSafe, State based electrical safety authorities, and the guidelines of their respective employers. The basic requirements of safe electrical work come from the internationally recognised Five Electrical Safety Rules.
The basic criteria of the five safety rules are:
- Disconnect completely
- Secure against reconnection
- Verify that the installation is dead
- Carry out earthing and short-circuiting
- Provide protection against live parts
The rules are designed to mitigate the risks posed by accidental contact with live parts, electrocution, exposure to arc faults, and consequential equipment damage, and are often enhanced by site specific requirements. The basic five step rule will provide a foundation for general electrical safety practices and arc flash safety for personnel.
The task of all workers, especially electrical workers, is to maintain a practice of safety being first and foremost in all activities. The danger can come from workers falling into ‘auto-pilot’ mode, where regular maintenance activities are so familiar, fundamental safety steps can be subconsciously overlooked.
Normalisation of deviance is a concept, particularly relevant in high-risk industries, where unacceptable practices can become accepted as normal. The phrase was coined by an American sociologist, Professor Diane Vaughan in a research study of the Challenger and Columbia Space Shuttle disasters. In an electrical safety concept, if a safety step is overlooked or bypassed and there is no consequence, the bypass can become a new ‘normal’ part of the procedure.
A simple lapse of concentration could lead a worker to incorrectly open an energised cabinet adjacent to an isolated, locked out, de-energised cabinet. The consequences can be fatal.
To enhance the five safety rules when working on high voltage systems, DEHN has introduced an Electric Field Detector (EFD) to provide a warning that a worker has entered a danger zone.
With an operational range from 6 kV to 420 kV, the EFD is light and compact, and able to be worn on a wrist or hard hat. The EFD warns of potentially dangerous voltages through a triple alarm system, visual, audible and vibration. The EFD has a single button operating concept enabling optimum use, even when wearing gloves. The EFD is not
designed to replace any existing electrical safety procedures but provide a final check of being in the vicinity of lethal voltages.
IPD provides the range of Dehn safety products and surge protection devices exclusively in Australia. Contact IPD for further information.
