Get the Boss on Board

Why Investing in Electrical Safety Is a Smart Move

Electrical safety training is often seen as just an expense, a requirement to be addressed as minimally as possible. This viewpoint does not take the full picture into account.

Investing in Safety Training has Far-Reaching Benefits:

Better production efficiency

Less downtime due to electrical accidents

Higher employee retention

A stable workforce

Obstacles to Training

There Isn’t Time for Training

No one has downtime on the job these days, but this is not a valid excuse to skip training. It is better to do some creative scheduling for training than to have production held up while dealing with the fallout from an incident and the subsequent investigation, repairs, etc.

e-Hazard understands the constraints of time and provides many flexible options to make training fit your needs.

Training Costs Too Much

“Training isn’t in the budget” is a common refrain as companies seek to keep overhead low. Often the bulk of a safety budget is dedicated to required equipment. However, a single incident has consequences that ripple well beyond the safety budget, straight to the bottom line.

Any incident will result in days lost, internal and external (OSHA) investigations, workers’ compensation and medical expenses, potential lawsuits, safety violation fines, physical plant damage–the list goes on. The best way to avoid injuries and fatalities is to make sure employees have a solid understanding of risk and work practices to work safely. Investing in injury prevention not only cuts costs, but it saves lives.

You've Already Had Training

Safety practices have evolved dramatically in the past 20 years. OSHA requires training on hazardous operations, and the NFPA 70E requires follow-up training at a minimum of every 3 years. This law makes it more important than ever to stay up to date on the latest safety standards.

It is important to keep up with the latest information. What may have been standard practice 5 years ago may not meet even minimal requirements today. Accidents can happen to anyone, even the most experienced. Poor practices or shortcuts have a way of becoming a habit when there are no consequences. Electrical accidents are most often of a catastrophic nature and could have been minimized through safer practices. It is always a good idea to revisit best practices regularly through a training session and recognize habits that need to be adjusted.

Obstacles to Services

ESPs are Overwhelming

Understanding that you do need an Electrical Safety Program is the first step in the right direction. Learning the law, the guiding consensus standards, and current industry best practices is the next step. Allowing us to help you break down the daunting task of writing an ESP will save you time and headaches.

An ESP is the foundation of your company’s electrical safety efforts and is required by OSHA 1910 Subpart S, (i.e., 333 (A)(2)). The NFPA 70E® is an important guiding document on which to base your ESP; while it is not law, it is the main document of consensus standards OSHA refers to. Our written ESPs include both the law and consensus standards as well as industry best practices.

Arc Flash Studies Are Too Expensive

The goal of an arc flash study is to ensure your company is in compliance with regulations relating to arc flash hazards. Why is this important? Arc flash hazards can be present at any voltage – not just high voltage – and your workers need to know how to protect themselves. Will an arc flash study be expensive? Yes, it will. But consider some of the benefits of this expense…
  • You will know your hazard level
  • You can prevent wasteful spending on the wrong level PPE
  • You will identify possible deficiencies with your electrical system protection

Why Audit?

What are your workers doing well? What are they NOT doing well? Are your managers implementing training? Are you aware of any general electrical hazards, and do you have mitigating procedures in place for those hazards? Do you have documentation to back up your answers to these questions?

If your answers leave you feeling a little unsure, perhaps it’s time to bite the bullet and perform an audit. Our purpose in auditing is not to criticize a company but to help it on the road to electrical safety excellence. Read these articles to get more acquainted with the safety role of both internal and external audits.

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