The Human Performance and Workplace Electrical Safety Annex is found in both the NFPA 70E and CSA Z462.
In 70E, it is Annex Q. In CSA Z462, it is Annex U.
Studies done by high-risk industries point out that errors in human performance often cause incidents at the workplace. The inclusion of the Human Performance annexes in electrical safety standards surmises the same for the electrical industry. Because the inclusion of this topic in the standards is relatively new, discussions are warranted.
Mike Doherty, an e-Hazard electrical safety trainer in Canada, and Behzad Esmaeili, PhD, an assistant professor from the Volgenau School of Engineering at George Mason University, will give a presentation on human-performance best practices to mitigate hazards. This presentation will take place at the 2019 Electrical Safety Workshop (ESW).
Here is part of their abstract as approved for the conference:
The construction industry is one of the most hazardous industries worldwide and contact with electric energy is a major cause of injury and death among construction workers. Therefore, finding innovative ways to identify, assess and mitigate electrical hazards in the early stages of a project would save lives and prevent injury.
It is well-known that unsafe acts caused by human error are the main reasons for up to 80 per cent of accidents across various industries. Therefore, this paper aims to provide empirical evidence regarding the effectiveness of human-factor best practices in curbing the frequency, probability and severity of accidents.
An online questionnaire has been developed and distributed among various electrical sectors to determine the effectiveness of each practice in reducing the frequency, probability and severity of these incidents.
The results will be summarized and guidelines provided to help the electrical sector implement human-performance best practices more effectively. It is expected that the results of this study and paper will accelerate and transform current injury prevention practices, as well as overcome some of the barriers in the electrical workplace.
The presenters would like our readers to please consider participating in this anonymous and strictly confidential online survey at tinyurl.com/yavrftap.
Mike’s article in Electrical Business Magazine gives more background on the upcoming presentation. This article, The Impact of Human Performance in the Electrical Construction Sector, originally appeared in the September 2018 issue of Electrical Business Magazine.
Register for ESW 2019
On March 04 – March 08, 2019, the IEEE IAS Electrical Safety Workshop will take place in Jacksonville, Florida.
You can reserve your room at the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverside. Use their Booking Code (given on the web page) to get conference pricing.
Registration to the conference opened October 1, 2018. Visit their website to find out more information about the conference and expo.
