Construction Equipment Rental Tip: ELECTRICAL SAFETY PROCEDURES

by Julie Rubio

Electricity provides us with lights and power, both on the job and at home. It's such a normal part of our lives that we often forget that all that power can be dangerous, too. We've all experienced minor electric shocks, but shocks can be severe enough to kill. Careless use of electricity causes 10 percent of job-related deaths, as well as many serious injuries.

A QUICK REVIEW: How Electricity Works
When you turn on a switch, electric power moves from a generating station through wires to the light or tool you just turned on.

Wires are made of metals or other materials that conduct electricity, so they're called conductors; the wires are enclosed in materials like rubber or plastic called insulators because they resist the electricity and keep the current on its path.

Electrical equipment and wires must be grounded—that is connected to the ground through a conductor like a metal circuit box or three-pronged plug. Grounding keeps the wire from touching you and making you a conductor that electricity will go through.

OSHA has some very detailed regulations designed to keep electricity from becoming a dangerous hazard. Control panels or switch boxes that could produce sparks have to be enclosed. You have to keep electrical equipment of 50 volts or more either in separate rooms or enclosures, behind partitions, or at least eight feet above the ground. Electrical equipment over 600 volts has to be locked or guarded within an 8-foot-high fence or similar enclosure. Nothing but electrical equipment can be kept in these areas so that contact with anything flammable is prevented.

The built-in protections in electrical systems include fuses or circuit breakers that shut off power when they get more of a load than they can handle. Ground-fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs), provide added protection outdoors, or in wet areas like bathrooms, by cutting off power if there's any electrical leakage that could cause shocks.

GENERAL HAZARDS
A key reason for all these protections is to prevent a major electrical hazard: shock. That's what happens when electric current goes through you because a wire isn't properly enclosed, or has defective insulation, or because you make direct contact with "live" electricity like a power line. The risk grows with length of contact with electric current, especially if the current enters your body near your heart. The ultimate electric shock is electrocution, and it doesn't take much electrical power to kill you.

Instant death is not electrical shock's only hazard. It can cause pain, loss of muscle control and coordination, internal bleeding, damage to nerves, muscles, or tissues, and cardiac arrest. It could also cause you to fall and be injured.

There's an even greater risk of shock if you mix electricity with water. You've all read warnings about being careful with hair dryers and other appliances in the bathroom. The reason is that water, especially when it creates moisture in the air or on the skin, can change what's normally resistant to electricity—like your body—into something that conducts electricity. So if you plug in something electric with wet or sweaty hands, you will get a shock.

Another hazard is electric burn. If you touch overheated equipment, or if current flows through your body, you can end up with serious burns of skin and/or internal tissues.

If you overload circuits or equipment, you could encounter still another electrical hazard: overheating that causes a fire or explosion. This is especially dangerous in areas that contain flammable or explosive substances.

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