resizedimage90100-lead-terry-becker
resizedimage90100-lead-terry-becker
resizedimage90100-lead-terry-becker
resizedimage90100-lead-terry-becker
resizedimage90100-lead-terry-becker

How the electrical safety trifecta can reduce risk and increase reliability

March 29, 2014
Safe installations, safe work practices, and adequate electrical equipment maintenance come together.

Workplace electrical safety has evolved in the United States and Canada with the application of NFPA 70E, the U.S. standard for electrical safety in the workplace, and CSA Z462, Canada’s workplace electrical safety standard published on Dec. 28, 2008. With CSA Z462 now in its published second edition and the third edition in the works, energized electrical work in Canada will never be the same. But is this enough? Have we missed a key variable in electrical safety? What about electrical equipment maintenance?

There are really three key elements to electrical safety and ensuring that risk related to energized electrical power systems is reduced to as low as reasonably practicable (ALARP): safe installations, safe work practices, and adequate electrical equipment maintenance. This trifecta of electrical safety will result in achieving the lowest risk to workers and highest reliability for electrical power systems.

Safe industrial installations have focused on only legal requirements. In the past, Canadian federal, provincial, and territorial regulations had no specific focus on shock and arc flash. Neither did OSHA regulations in the United States. That has changed.

History, culture, behaviors

When we consider the history of energized electrical work, it’s hard to believe we’ve neglected the electrical hazards of shock and arc flash. Specifically we’ve allowed electricians to use their bodies as voltage detectors. Hard to believe, but from 1942 until 1960 the American Electricians’ Handbook taught electricians to use pain as a means of detecting that voltage was present in electrical conductors and circuit parts.

Workers accepted this and accepted completing repair and alteration of energized electrical equipment as “part of the job of an electrician.” Today this of course would not be acceptable. In the past we focused on safe electrical installations; this is how we controlled exposure of all workers to shock and controlled electrical faults with overcurrent protection. But what about arcing faults and arc flash? They had not been identified in the past. How can we eliminate them from occurring or control the probability?

Worker behaviors have also been a problem, and they still are. Change is required, but it’s a challenge to make the change and ensure it will be sustained. How can we put into place controls that will have a positive impact on worker behaviors?

Why do we need electrical safety?

History, statistics, and the results of electrical safety audits tell us that employers and employees have a long way to go to achieve sustainable electrical safety and to eliminate or reduce the risk of exposure to shock and arc flash. Electrical installations are not constructed or maintained to the CEC or the NEC. Incidents occur in which equipment and workers make contact with overhead power lines. Electricians continue to be shocked and accept it; they do not wear rubber insulating gloves with leather protectors. Electrical safety audits identify that workers are not “electrical safety competent.” LOTO processes and procedures are not in place or practiced correctly, Engineering “safety by design” is not practiced, or there may be errors in incident energy analysis studies. Electrical hazards are not identified, and adequate controls aren’t put into place. No electrical safe work procedures are written and used. There’s no electrical-specific PPE, tools, and equipment, or, if they have been procured, they haven’t been managed effectively.

We’ve accepted the condition of energized electrical power distribution equipment. We may not have implemented any electrical equipment maintenance practices or the electrical equipment maintenance that has been performed hasn’t been appropriate or completed at acceptable frequencies. Without electrical equipment maintenance the probability of abnormal conditions occurring on energized electrical equipment increases, and thus the risk increases.

Evolution and change

How can we effect change? How can we ensure the change is sustainable? We need to use management systems and apply the tools in standards/guidelines within the management systems. We need to deploy the management systems, get them to work for the benefit intended, audit their performance, implement corrective actions, and implement a continuous improvement philosophy.

We need to overcome the challenges that make change difficult:

  • Change is fear.
  • Change is overwhelming.
  • Change is hard.
  • Change is necessary.

Change is good. Change is inevitable. We must commit to change. Without change, we cannot improve.

The Canadian Electrical Code, Part 1, C22.1, and the National Electrical Code, NFPA 70, were developed to effect change in safe installations. The NFPA 70E standard and the CSA Z462 standard were developed to effect change in electrical safe work practices.

NFPA 70B and the NETA MTS standards were developed and have evolved to effect change in electrical equipment maintenance. In Canada, the CSA Z463 guideline on maintenance of electrical systems published in January 2014 will effect change in Canada with respect to improvements in electrical equipment maintenance.

A trifecta for electrical safety is achievable. What do I mean by this statement? I’m not a gambler, and this is not a horse race, but I know that, when it comes to electrical safety, it is within our power to achieve this level of success. This is the result of managing electrical safety to the highest levels — doing everything possible to reduce the risk of exposure to workers to the electrical hazards of arc flash and shock.

This result can be achieved and the risk can be reduced to as low as reasonably practicable by using the electrical safety trifecta: using approved equipment, installed to CEC, Part 1, or NEC; establishing electrical safe work practices, such as test-before-touch on de-energized equipment; and implementing effective electrical equipment maintenance. All three of these elements should be implemented and maintained using appropriate management systems.

Approved equipment installed to CEC, Part 1, or NEC

Terry Becker, P.Eng, is an NFPA-certified electrical safety compliance professional (CESCP) and owner of ESPS Electrical Safety Program Solutions, an engineering-based electrical safety consultancy in Calgary, Alberta. Becker has more than 22 years of experience as an electrical engineer working both in engineering consulting and for industrial oil and gas corporations. He also is the first past vice chair of the CSA Z462 Workplace Electrical Safety Standard Technical Committee and a voting member and leader of Working Group 8, Annexes. Becker also is a voting member of the IEEE 1584 Technical Committee, associate member of the CSA Z463 Guideline for Maintenance of Electrical Systems Technical Committee, and a member of the NFPA 70E Technical Committee Annexes Working Group. He’s also a professional engineer in the provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and Ontario. Becker has presented at Canadian Standards Association (CSA), IEEE, and industry conferences or workshops on electrical safety in Canada, the United States, and Australia. Contact him at [email protected].

This is a legal requirement and an expectation with respect to energized electrical equipment. The equipment is designed to perform as intended and installed so that it operates with inherent safety under normal operating conditions. Electrical quality management programs can be developed and implemented to ensure we procure approved equipment and that it’s installed to CEC, Part 1, or NEC and that jurisdictional requirements for permitting and inspections occur.

Establishing electrical safe work practices

With the addition of the CSA Z462 workplace electrical safety standard to the tools we have available in Canada, we can use it to implement electrical safe work practices. Applying CSA Z462 or NFPA 70E within an occupational-health-and-safety-management-system approach, by developing and implementing an electrical safety program, will guarantee measurable and sustainable electrical safety performance.

Effective electrical equipment maintenance

Traditionally electrical power distribution equipment has been maintained to guarantee some level of reliability and to protect electrical equipment from damage by ensuring electrical protective devices operate as intended. A refocusing of electrical equipment maintenance prioritization will focus on ensuring arcing faults do not occur, or limiting incident energy if an arcing fault and arc flash occur, and ensuring that the workers performing energized electrical equipment maintenance are protected. In Canada, the new CSA Z463 Guideline for Maintenance of Electrical Systems released in January 2014 will be Canada’s electrical equipment maintenance guideline; it will realign electrical equipment maintenance priorities to worker safety, reliability, and limiting damage to electrical equipment. By using CSA Z463 in Canada and NFPA 70B and NETA MTS standards throughout North America for developing electrical equipment maintenance programs, we can ensure that energized electrical equipment is maintained to a normal operating condition and achieve an electrical safety trifecta.

Sponsored Recommendations

Limitations of MERV Ratings for Dust Collector Filters

Feb. 23, 2024
It can be complicated and confusing to select the safest and most efficient dust collector filters for your facility. For the HVAC industry, MERV ratings are king. But MERV ratings...

The Importance of Air-To-Cloth Ratio when Selecting Dust Collector Filters

Feb. 23, 2024
Selecting the right filter cartridges for your application can be complicated. There are a lot of things to evaluate and consider...like air-to-cloth ratio. When your filters ...

ASHRAE Standard 199 for Evaluating Dust Collection Systems

Feb. 23, 2024
This standard ensures dust collection systems are tested under real-world conditions, measuring a dust collector's emissions, pressure drop, and compressed air usage. Learn why...

Dust Collector Explosion Protection

Feb. 23, 2024
Combustible dust explosions are a serious risk, and an unprotected dust collection system can be a main cause. Learn what NFPA-compliant explosion protection you need to keep ...