De-energize to avoid shock
Electrical workers – are you de-energizing equipment before performing work? If not, you could be putting yourself at risk of shock and arc flash.
There were several instances in 2017 where energized equipment left exposed to contact resulted in injury. Here are two examples we investigated:
- An electrical worker received an electrical shock while working on an energized 600 volt circuit breaker. The worker’s arm made contact between the metal enclosure and the circuit breaker.
- A telecom worker was installing a new aerial fibre optic cable to a residence. While attempting to remove the older communication cable, his bare arm brushed against an exposed power conductor and he received an electrical shock.
A Technical Safety BC information bulletin and directive reiterate a BC Electrical Code requirement for work to be done only in a de-energized state -- unless a complete disconnection is not feasible. This is also addressed by WorkSafeBC's Guidelines Part 19 - Working on low voltage electrical equipment.
Electric shock is one of the safety risks Technical Safety BC has placed a priority on for 2018. Industry representatives were recently engaged to look closely at this safety risk which is now being analyzed using the fault tree methodology. The goal is to better understand what activities lead to certain safety risks and improve efforts to enhance safety.
