5 Must-Follow Safety Tips While Doing Electrical Work

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Did you know that about 97% of all electricians have been either shocked or injured while working? Shocking, isn’t it (no pun intended)! There is always some risk when you are working around electrical products, which is why you must maintain safety and work with extreme caution.

Being careless around electrical equipment can cause serious injuries, some of which may even lead to death. You must maintain strict safety standards in the workplace so that no one is at risk. Here are 5 safety tips that you must follow if you work with electrical equipment.

• Maintain Situational Awareness

You must be absolutely aware of your surroundings. Make a habit of locating overhead power lines and knowing where they are. You must keep a distance of 10 feet between the equipment and overhead lines when you move tall equipment near overhead power cables.

Don’t forget something basic like avoiding contact with live electrical wires or circuits. Keep a track of what’s live and what isn’t. It would be better to treat all electrical circuits as if they were live to be on the safe side. You must be aware of the condensation on a job site. Be aware of the rooms temperature as condensation occurs when the room gets cold. You must avoid using electrical equipment in these rooms whenever possible. If there’s no workaround, mount the equipment vertically.

Lastly, take note of all the safety signs on the job site and follow the instructions without fail.

• Always Wear Appropriate Clothing

If you work around electricity, make sure you wear something that fits you well and isn’t too baggy or loose as ill-fitting clothes put you at a risk of getting entangled by moving parts of the machinery. Moreover, baggy pants may also put you at a risk of tripping over electrical cables, which is dangerous while working around electricity.

Apart from that, it is imperative that you wear clothes that are designed for electrical work such as non-conductive gloves, shoes with insulated soles, etc. Opt for 100% cotton or wool as they are less likely to catch fire and stay away from fabrics like polyester, nylon, etc.

• Take Necessary Precautions when Digging

If you undertake digging, you must first report to the relevant authorities so that you can get the area surveyed and mark the utilities within or near the job site. Once you are on the site, you must maintain minimum 2 feet from the marks that identify the utility. If it is absolutely necessary to dig near the utility line marks, avoid using electrical devices and rather do it by hand.

• Perform Equipment Service Regularly

You must perform regular maintenance on all the electrical equipment to make sure that everything is working properly. Identify if there is any breakdown or wear and tear on the equipment which can put you at risk and fix the issue through inspections and service. If your electrical product is old, get in touch with your nearest electric service provider to change it.

• Avoid Touching Things You Aren’t Familiar With

If you are not familiar with any piece of equipment, do not touch it. Never handle electrical equipment with wet hands or feet or if condensation is formed on it. If you are working in a hot environment, your perspiration may also become a hazard near electricity.

If a co-worker comes in contact with a live conductor, disconnect the power source from the circuit breaker or use a non-conductive material to pull the plug. Do not grab the person getting electrocuted, the electrical conductor or the cord.

You must maintain workplace safety at all times when you use electrical products. Service the electrical wires and electrical conduit fittings regularly to be on the safe side.

Author Bio:

Jeson Pitt works with the marketing department of D&F Liquidators and regularly writes to share his knowledge while enlightening people about electrical products and solving their electrical dilemmas. He’s got the industry insights that you can count on along with years of experience in the field. Jeson lives in Hayward, CA and loves to explore different cuisines that the food trucks in the Bay area has to offer.