All industries require electricity to operate effectively and efficiently. However, these put workers at risk of electrical hazards — a dangerous situation wherein a person can come into contact with anything energized. When this happens, injuries are bound to occur, but in a worst-case scenario, fatalities may take place.
Ensuring the safety of cable and wire workers is not simply because of legalities, but also because it is the ethical thing to do. As an employer, make sure your employees have an arsenal of tools for electric testing, including the use of an electrical wiring locator.
The real deal behind electrical injuries
Coming into contact with electricity can result in both minor and major injuries like burns and even death. It is important for employers to understand the real deal behind these unnecessary and unfortunate situations.
Wiring and cabling workers can sustain electrical injuries through two ways: electrical shocks and arc flashes.
Electrical shocks
When someone receives an electrical shock, it means that electric current has passed through the body. This can result in involuntary and erratic physical motions. It may also cause the person to have difficulties releasing their grip from the live wire, cable, or conductor. An extreme shock can even throw a person, cause them to lose their balance and fall, sustain severe external and internal burns, or worst of all, death.
Arc flashes
The other way cable and wire installers and repairers can injure themselves while completing jobs is through an arc flash. This refers to a sudden production of energy caused by an electrical arc. It generates not only an explosive expansion of air, but also of metal. This blast can then create life-threatening pressure and sound waves, severe heat, extreme light, and shrapnel. All these can cause various types of injuries, including cuts, lacerations, ruptured eardrums, burns, blindness, and lung injuries. It can also cause fatalities.
Don’t put your workers at risk. Know how to prevent all electrical risks and have a safe workplace.
