ELECTRICAL SAFETY - IS YOUR BRAIN ENGAGED?

Copyright Material IEEE

Paper No. ESW2011-08

Leon P. Greenwood
Member, IEEE
PPL Generation, LLC
Susquehanna SES
769 Salem Boulevard
Berwick, PA 18603 USA
Ipgreenwood@pplweb.com

Abstract -The mind and skill sets of electrical workers is a
major contributing factor in how work is performed. Safety
knowledge and behaviors, along with safe work habits and
equipment knowledge also contribute to the way the brain
processes information that will eventually govem physical
performance of a given task. Adequate knowledge of
construction dealing with specific electrical equipment and being
focused on electrical hazards are key components to ensure a
safe incident free work environment. This case history will
describe an arc-flash event which could have been prevented
had a better knowledge of the equipment construction been
available to the work force.
Index Terms - case history, hidden hazard, arc-flash.
I. INTRODUCTION
Electrical safety is one of the most important safety aspects in
the workplace. The potential consequences are well known if
there is a lapse in mental defenses when working with
equipment which may be energized. Ensuring that electricians
are familiar with the physical construction of the equipment they
work with is one of the keys for "engaging the brain" in its ability
to formulate a plan for the task. Familiarization with equipment
by work groups who typically do not have electrical backgrounds
can lead to questioning attitudes that can also help prevent
incidents. Electrical safety should be a question in everyone's
mind to ensure that all reasonable efforts are taken to ensure no
exposure to energized equipment is encountered.
II. HIDDEN HAZARDS
A. Knowledge
It is the station's common practice to use the experienced
workers to perform the job planning task. They typically have
been at the plant the longest and have the most experience with
the work. Their knowledge plays a vital role in writing
instructions and determining appropriate energy isolation.
There are, however, occasions when a worker (even the
experienced ones) plans a job and their mental model is not
complete. They may know the equipment but do not know
some of the "hidden" aspects of the equipment. In this case the
hidden aspect was the wiring that could not be seen that was
routed behind the motor control center cubicle. The planner in
this case had several years work and planning experience.
B. Work Practices
Training and work practices form the basis for a person's
attitude and behaviors when performing a specific task. In our
industry work practice conSistency is given a high level of
scrutiny to promote safe work environments. Information
shared between work groups and other plants and utilities help
to uncover the obvious and not so obvious hidden aspects of
particular tasks. At the time this job was planned our station
used two different groups of workers to perform planning
activities. One group planned and performed maintenance
activities while the other group planned and performed
modification activities. There were differences in work practices
that existed in the cultures of the two groups. Some of the
differences are based on training and the nature of the work
performed by each group. In this case these differences
represented another hidden hazard.
III. THE TASK AT HAND
A. History
This particular task was a minor modification, originally
scheduled to work in 2006, which involved the installation of a
new relay and new wiring in a motor control center cubicle. The
job was planned, energy isolation for the wiring was identified,
and the up front reviews were completed. The job was not
performed when originally scheduled and was placed on the
shelf for about three years. In that time the person who planned
the job was reassigned back to the working crews.
B. Awareness
The worker assigned to perform this task knew that the relay
would be installed inside the cubicle and that he would be
drilling the mounting holes in the cubicle. He knew there were
energized bus bars in the motor control center directly behind
the cubicle and that he only had an inch or so clearance before
drilling into them. He was aware of this hidden hazard and was
taking steps to address it.
He was not aware of some other hazards which were not
physically observable or were not part of his training. The other
hazards were the wiring which supplied power to the breaker in
the cubicle and the work practice of removing the cubicle from
the motor control center in order to mount the relay. Removing

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the breaker cubicle is a standard practice for the maintenance
shop but is not a familiar task for the modification shop.
Removing the cubicle is also used as an energy isolation point
by the maintenance shop dependent on the work to be
performed. Removal of the cubicle was not given any thought
by the planner or the workers.
The hidden wiring was routed from the plug-on stabs on the
rear of the cubicle to the line side of the breaker. He was aware
that there were wires routed to the line side of the breaker. He
was not aware that they ran diagonally across the back plate of
the cubicle. His thoughts were that the wires ran from the stabs
up the side of the back plate.
This job was very familiar to him. He was the planner three
years priOr.
C. Work Release
The job was released to work in July of 2009. The worker
(the same individual who planned the job originally) performed a
job walkdown the day before the job was to be released. He
reviewed the work instructions, the energy isolation clearance,
and thought about the safety equipment needed for the job.
The day the work was released he checked the clearance,
performed the appropriate work briefings, and performed the
appropriate checks to ensure the equipment was de-energized.
He was confident that all the hazards were eliminated or steps
were being taken to mitigate the hazards.
Being aware of the bus bars and the potential for contact he
wore all the proper PPE and instructed his helper to stay back
away from the cubicle just in case something unforeseen
occurred. He laid out the relay mounting hole pattern and
started to drill the first mounting hole. He encountered no
problems. He proceeded to drill the second hole and had just
punched through the back plate when he saw a flash come out
of the drill. He had contacted one phase of the wires which
were supplying the line side of the breaker. The resulting
ground path tripped the feeder breaker de-energizing the motor
control center and sending alarms to the control room.
IV. THE INVESTIGATION
The investigation into the event brought to light the fact that
the same person who planned the task also eventually
performed the task. Not that this is an unacceptable practice, it
does not allow for independent review of the work package and
does not promote a questioning attitude about specific task or
safety concerns. A step has been added to the pre-job briefing
to ensure additional reviews are performed if the planner is also
the individual performing the task. The work groups are now
more aligned in work practices where it applies to work in motor
control centers.
V. CONCLUSIONS
Electrical safety, as with any other safety component, requires
focus and diligence in identifying hazards. Your brain must
always be engaged when it comes to your behaviors and
attitudes. Train on the equipment and ask questions of those
who are more familiar with the task than you are. Additionally,
independent reviews of work instructions and energy isolation
clearances are methods to get different view points and different
brains engaged in the task.
This event opened our collective eyes and engaged our
individual brains as to how we perform work at the station. Is
your brain engaged?
VI. REFERENCES
[ 1] NFPA 70E, 2009 Edition, Standard for Electrical Safety in
the Workplace
VII. VITA
The author is a Maintenance Production Foreman working for
PPL Generation LLC, currently assigned to the Susquehanna
Steam Electric Station located in Berwick, PA. Presently he is
the Supervisor for the Maintenance Procedure Group. He is a
graduate of the Electrical Construction program at the former
Williamsport Area Community College, Williamsport, PA. He is
a member of the National Fire Protection Association and a
member of IEEE.