Safety Tips While Handling Electrical Appliances sent by Penny Cooper. ‘Penny is an expert associated with Pass Ltd., providers of PAT training and PASS training & development courses in and around England. Click here for more information.’
Taking precautionary measures when you handle electrical equipment is highly imperative. If you aren’t careful and don’t follow best practices, there is a high risk of injury resulting from electrical shock to you and those around you. Whether it’s your home or your workplace, accidents can happen at any time if you do not follow the safety rules properly. Safety and health training teaches people how electrical equipments and sources can be dealt with in a responsible and safe manner. It is important to follow these rules to keep electrical dangers at bay. Following is some crucial information in safety and health training.
There should be no moisture around electrical equipment or cords. You should not use damp hands to handle electrical equipment. Doing so can cause an electric shock or fatal injuries. Torn or broken cords must be replaced immediately. Workers must familiarise themselves with the exact location of circuit breakers and fuses in a building. This could be very important in times of crisis or an emergency situation. Safety posters with procedures for electrical safety must be put up in rooms that are prone to electrical hazards.
The importance of testing and maintaining electrical equipment
Make sure that you get conductors and circuits tested before a worker can handle them. You should also put tag-out and lockout procedure into place when you handle electrical equipment. These methods play a major role in ensuring your safety and keeping you away from injuries. You must test and maintain electrical equipment on a daily basis so as to ensure safety. When electrical sockets are not being used, it is important to cover them with safety covers. This reduces the risk of getting an electrical shock.
Check for signs and eliminate hazards
If you want to ensure that your home or workplace is free from electrical dangers, you must look into a few things. Check for signs of overheating or burning when you are using any electrical equipment or cords. See if you get small jolts of shock when you use a certain electrical appliance. Make sure that all of your electrical equipment is working fine, and if not, ensure that only certified electricians are carrying out the task of repairing them. Make sure that all extension cords and wires are arranged properly so as to ensure that no one trips and falls. Also make sure that all appliances that are being used are properly grounded.
Training courses for health and safety will encourage you to pay attention to the electrical outlets and ensure that not too many plugged items are overloading them. These courses will also teach you how an electrical burn injury must be dressed. If someone is stuck to an electrical current, the training teaches you to find the source of power and then shut the electrical current as soon as possible in such situations. If you’re afraid of shutting off the current directly, you may use anything that is made from wood to move the person away from the current.