Electrical Safety Refresher Training

and its Importance

Presenter:
Tom Norwood
Manager of Instructors at AVO
 Moderator

Jamie Smith
AVO Marketing Manager
Jamie.Smith@avotraining.com

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 Q&A
n  There will be a 30 min live
Q&A session after the
presentation

n  Please questions as the

presentation is in progress
or directly after

n  Everyone will receive a

copy of the presentation &
a link to the video recording

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Introduction
▶  Electricity that is misused or abused can cause fatalities
▶  6,000 fatal electrical injuries between 1992-2012
•  334 fatalities in 1992
•  136 fatalities in 2017
▶  24,100 non-fatal injuries from 2003-2012
▶  2,210 non-fatal injuries in 2017
Electrical Fatalities

▶ 98% of fatal electrical injuries are from shock

▶ 40% are from 250 volts or less
▶ Approximately 1/2 are non-electrical workers
▶ Over 40% of electrical fatalities are from
contact with overhead power lines
Electrical Fatalities
▶  Younger workers are more likely to experience electrical injuries:
Workers 16 to 17 years of age experienced electrical fatalities at
5.4 times the average for all age groups;
▶  18 to 19 age group – 2.4 times;
▶  20 – 24 age group – 1.8 times;
▶  25 – 34 age group – 1.5 times;
▶  35 – 44 age group – 1.1 times;
▶  Those 45 years and up are at or below the average
Hazard Assessment

▶  OSHA 1910.132 (d) mandates that:

•  Hazard Assessment be conducted:
•  Before the safety program is developed
•  Before Work practices and procedures are developed
•  Before PPE is determined
•  Before any training requirements are identified
Hazard Assessment
For the electrical environment, it includes:
▶  Shock risk assessment
▶  Arc-Flash risk assessment
Then:
▶  A program is developed
▶  PPE is defined
▶  Training requirements are developed
▶  Employees are trained
Hazard Assessment
Shock risk assessment involves a knowledge of the voltage levels
the employee could be exposed to while performing a task
We have Tables S-5 & R-6 from OSHA and 130.4(D)(a) & (b) from
the NFPA 70E
Approach Distances For Qualified
Employees
Table S-5
Approach Distances For Qualified Employees - Alternating Current
Voltage range (phase-to-phase) Minimum approach distance
300V and less Avoid Contact
Over 300V, not over 750V 1 ft. 0 in. (30.5 cm).
Over 750V, not over 2kV 1 ft. 6 in. (46 cm).
Over 2kV, not over 15kV 2 ft. 0 in. (61 cm).
Over 15kV, not over 37kV 3 ft. 0 in. (91 cm).
Over 37kV, not over 87.5kV 3 ft. 6 in. (107 cm).
Over 87.5kV, not over 121kV 4 ft. 0 in. (122 cm).
Over 121kV, not over 140kV 4 ft. 6 in. (137 cm).
AC Shock Protection Boundaries

---
Hazard Assessment
Arc-Flash risk assessment is more involved and require engineering
studies
PPE
▶  OSHA 1910.132 (f) mandates that:
•  PPE be selected and provided by the employer once the hazard
assessments have been completed
 OSHA 1910.332 Training Requirements

(b)(1)
Practices addressed in this standard. Employees shall be trained in and
familiar with the safety-related work practices required by 1910.331
through 1910.335 that pertain to their respective job assignments.

(b)(2)
Additional requirements for unqualified persons. Employees who are
covered by paragraph (a) of this section but who are not qualified
persons shall also be trained in and familiar with any electrically related
safety practices not specifically addressed by 1910.331 through
1910.335 but which are necessary for their safety.
 OSHA 1910.269 (a) (2) Training.

(iv) The employer shall determine, through regular

supervision and through inspections conducted on at least
an annual basis, that each employee is complying with the
safety-related work practices required by this section.
 OSHA 1910.269 (a) (2) Training.

(v) An employee shall receive additional training (or

retraining) under any of the following conditions:
(A) If the supervision or annual inspections required by
paragraph (a)(2)(iv) of this section indicate that the
employee is not complying with the safety-related work
practices required by this section, or
 OSHA 1910.269 (a) (2) Training.

(v) An employee shall receive additional training (or

retraining) under any of the following conditions:
(B) If new technology, new types of equipment, or changes
in procedures
necessitate the use of safety-related work practices that are
different from
those which the employee would normally use, or
 OSHA 1910.269 (a) (2) Training.

(v) An employee shall receive additional training (or

retraining) under any of the following conditions:
(C) If he or she must employ safety related work practices
that are not normally used during his or her regular job
duties.
Note to paragraph (a)(2)(v)(C): The Occupational Safety
and Health Administration considers tasks that are
performed less often than once per year to necessitate
retraining before the performance of the work practices
involved.
 NFPA 70E 2018

▶ (3) Retraining. An employee shall receive

additional training (or retraining) under any of
the following conditions:

(a) If the supervision or annual inspections

indicate that the employee is not complying with
the safety-related work practices
 NFPA 70E 2018

▶  (3) Retraining. An employee shall receive additional training (or

retraining) under any of the following conditions:

(b) If new technology, new types of equipment, or

changes in procedures necessitate the use of safety-related work
practices that are different from those that the employee would
normally use
 NFPA 70E 2018

▶ (3) Retraining. An employee shall receive

additional training (or retraining) under any of
the following conditions:

(c) If he or she must employ safety-related work

practices that are not normally used during his or
her regular job duties
Safety Signs and Tags

HAZARDOUS VOLTAGE
UNQUALIFIED PERSONNEL
KEEP OUT 97-0054
Current Path Through the Body
Electrical Arc Flash
▶  Extremely high temperatures
▶  Equal to 4 times the surface of the sun (approximately 36,000°F)
▶  Vaporizes metals
▶  Ignites clothing
▶  Causes external burning of the skin
FIGURE 12
Switchgear Room
Post Arc Flash and Fire

07-0007
 Case History

Ø  A company was experiencing an increase in the

rate of electrical accidents. The accidents were
also becoming more severe.
Ø  A decision was made to address the issue with
training.
Ø  Their approach was for all employees at their
site to go through Electrical Safety Training
 Case History

Ø  This was accomplished over a 1 year period at

multiple locations.
Ø  The results were immediate and extremely
effective.
Ø  After a substantial investment in both time and
money, the accident rate plummeted as did the
severity of the accidents.
 Case History

Ø  The second year after the wholesale training

was completed, there were only two reportable
electrical accidents.

SUCCESS!
 Case History

Ø  The recommendation to provide refresher

training fell on delft ears.
Ø  Five years after the original training was
completed, the electrical accident rate and
severity had returned to a critical level.
 Conclusion

Ø  Electrical safety training for the workers must be

ongoing due to multiple factors:

Ø  Change in employees
Ø  Change in responsibilities
Ø  Change in equipment
Ø  Change in procedures
Ø  Change in regulations & standards
Ø  Change in hazards
Ø  Change in required PPE
 Conclusion

Ø  Electrical safety training for the workers must be

ongoing due to multiple factors!
Change in employees
Change in responsibilities
Change in equipment
Change in procedures
 OSHA

Change in regulations & standards

NFPA 70E
Change in hazards
Change in PPE
 What’s NEW with AVO

n  AVO is now IACET Accredited

n  2 NEW Courses for 2019

•  Microprocessor-Based Relay Testing, Feeder Protection
•  Microprocessor-Based Relay Testing, Transformer Protection

n  NEW Training Location in Houston, TX

n  Moving to a new Dallas facility in August – Twice the size

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 Questions?
AVO TRAINING INSTITUTE

•  Over 55 years of hands-on electrical safety & electrical

maintenance training
•  IACET Accredited Training Facility
•  57 training courses/12 certification programs
•  On-site training anywhere in the world
•  Custom course design to fit your companies needs
•  Most of our courses are NETA certified
•  Top notch instructors averaging over 30 years of experience
•  A registered engineering division providing arc flash safety
and engineering/consulting services

For more information, visit us at www.avotraining.com

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