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In response to recent electrical work accidents at Berkeley Lab, a lot of energy has gone into developing a new Electrical Safety Program that affects primarily the work performed by trained qualified electrical workers. But what about the rest of us who do not work closely with specialized electrical equipment - what can we do to keep electrical accidents and fires resulting from ordinary but faulty electrical equipment from happening?One thing everyone can do is immediately report anything that looks like an electrical accident waiting to happen to the Division Safety Coordinator or [email protected].Anything that uses electricity – such as the appliances in the workplace kitchen, the portable heater in your office, or any equipment with exposed wiring could show reportable trouble along these lines Examples of signs of trouble that have been reported in the recent past include:
- Frayed insulation anywhere on a power cord, which often occurs at the ends where the cord attaches to the plug or the appliance.
- Melted electrical equipment housing, including plugs and receptacles
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- Exposed metal parts that may conduct electrical energy. For instance, a computer missing its cover or knockout for access could result in electrical shock to another worker
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In addition to reporting sure signs of trouble, you can improve electrical safety by:
- Sending old outdated equipment to salvage.
- Unpluging “daisy chained” extension cords; never use more than one extension cord, and make sure it is rated for the intended use.
- Removing any personal electrical equipment from the workplace that is not approved by a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) such as Underwriters Laboratory (UL).
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- Finding out more about electrical safety by reviewing Environment, Health, and Safety Training Course 260 and becoming familiar with other resources such as Portable Heater Safety and Electrical Safety General Field Guides (Field Guide 20 is on Electrical Extension Cords).
And finally, one thing you can do any time is recognize a co-worker who is taking steps to improve safety - give them a Hero Card (for a supply of Hero Cards contact [email protected]) or nominate them for a Safety Spot Award.
Over the past few years a number of safety minded coworkers have received Hero Cards, Safety Spot Awards, and even cash awards for substantial safety improvements. It is of great value to the Berkeley Lab community when you report the risks you observe.
Resources that help in knowing what to look for:
Electrical Safety General Field Guides: http://electricalsafety.lbl.gov/resources/field-program-guides/
Portable heater safely: http://electricalsafety.lbl.gov/?s=heater
Getting “grounded” on the topic of electrical safety: review online EHS Training course 260: http://training.lbl.gov/bltCourses.html
