Electrical and Arc Flash Safety

OSHA Proposes Penalties of $46.2 to TX Hydraulic Co

Hugh Hoagland — Fri, 18 May 2012 20:12:44 +0000

High Roller Wells Pearsall SWD #1 Ltd of Pearsall, TX, was cited for serious safety violations following an explosion and fire. Violations included failing to ensure that equipment and electrical wiring are rated for the environment in which they are being used, take necessary precautions to prevent possible ignition sources such as sparks or static electricity, conduct a workplace hazard assessment to determine the appropriate personal protective equipment needed, and ensure that there is an emergency action plan in place.

Click here to read the OSHA News Release dated 4/24/12.

OSHA Proposes Penalties of $47k to OH Food Group

Hugh Hoagland — Fri, 18 May 2012 20:07:02 +0000

American Foods Group of Sharonville, OH, was cited for 7 safety violations. Repeat violation involved failure to conduct periodic and regular inspections of lockout procedures for the energy sources of equipment. Six serious violations involved failing to train employees who service equipment so that they are authorized to implement the energy control program, train employees on how to troubleshoot electrical equipment using safe work practices, train employees on the operation of powered industrial trucks, affix locks to machines’ energy isolation devices prior to allowing employees to perform maintenance and servicing operations, and provide locks to production employees who service equipment.

Click here to read the OSHA News Release dated 4/23/12.

OSHA Proposes Fines of $51.3k to OH Steel Manufacturer

Hugh Hoagland — Fri, 18 May 2012 19:06:10 +0000

Wrayco Industries Inc. of Stow, OH, has been cited with 14 serious safety and health violations. Included in the safety violations was failure to develop machine-specific lockout/tagout procedures to control hazardous energy, and failure to use electrical equipment according to labels and listings. Additionally, serious health violations involved failure to provide a written hazard communication program.

Click here to read the OSHA News Release dated 4/25/12.

Electric Co-op Safety Article

Hugh Hoagland — Fri, 18 May 2012 17:56:27 +0000

This is a great article highlighting the importance of safety in an entire organization.

Good quotes:

“The absence of injuries does not mean the presence of safety. You can have an organization with no injuries that’s very unsafe—and extremely lucky.”

“The goal in my mind should always be zero (injury and incident rate). We may never get there, but if the goal is not zero, what message are we communicating? That it’s OK to have accidents? It’s OK to have injuries? I don’t think that’s what we want.”

“A strong safety culture is one where people think not only is it a responsibility for me to speak up, it’s required of me to speak up, and I expect the same from you, my co-worker.”

“We make sure our employees understand they’re our most valuable asset, and we want a world class safety program to make sure they go home every day in the same condition they went to work in.”

“The vast majority of our injuries are caused by the tiny personal decisions employees make each day: to walk across the bad spot in the parking lot, or the weed-covered area, rather than recognizing the hazard and avoiding it. Personal decisions are formed by the corporate culture that we’ve created and allowed at Dakota Electric.”

“Collectively we’ve been recognizing and celebrating our entire group of employees when we meet our safety goal each year. What we’ve been missing is recognizing them on a more individual level when they do something right about safety, and our ACT (Achieving Cultural Transformation) process provides us with that mechanism.”

“Getting to zero can be a long process. But when does it start? Whom does it start with? Somebody has to make that commitment and that’s why we’re pushing so hard, first with the CEOs.”

Click here to read the ECT.coop article dated 4/23/12.

Coating & Treatment Co in England Fined for Employee’s Shock

Hugh Hoagland — Fri, 18 May 2012 17:54:46 +0000

A Tecvac machine operator in Cambridge was seriously injured last July while checking new cables on a hardening machine. He was shocked, leaving open wounds to his forearm and left palm, and burns on left arm and knee. The company was fined for not having prevented access to the live parts of the cables, not insulating them or ensuring that the stored electrical energy had been discharged.

Click here to read the article dated 4/26/12.

Electrical Workplace Safety & Sudden Cardiac Arrest Article by NFPA

Hugh Hoagland — Fri, 18 May 2012 17:54:24 +0000

SCA (Sudden Cardiac Arrest) is not a heart attack (lack of blood), but rather involves the heart’s electrical impulses. CPR and AED (automated external defib) are needed when employees experience SCA in the workplace. 13% of workplace fatalities are due to SCA, with survival rates of only 1-5% if occuring outside of a hospital. If trained employees are not able to procure an AED for use within the 1st 4 minute window, the chance of the victim’s survival decreases substantially. NFPA 70E^®-2012, Section 110.2(C) requires employees whose duties warrant such training to be regularly instructed in methods of first aid and approved methods of resuscitation. Training in approved methods of resuscitation – CPR and AED use – must be certified by the employer on an annual basis. Employees who are trained in CRP and AED use, and who have an AED available for use, can substantially improve the chance of survival of a fibrillation victim, whether the fibrillation is due to an electrical shock hazard or sudden cardiac arrest.

Click here to read the NEC article by Michael Fontaine.

Construction Employee Electrocuted in NE

Hugh Hoagland — Fri, 18 May 2012 17:53:01 +0000

An employee of a contractor hired for a construction project was electrocuted while working on a utility pole in Dixon County Feed Yard in Allen, NE.

Click here to read the AP article dated 4/25/12.

Ansell Introduces PowerFlex® 80-813 Gloves for Arc Flash Protection

Hugh Hoagland — Fri, 18 May 2012 17:52:11 +0000

Ansell has launched a new glove series called PowerFlex® 80-813 for improved protection against arc flash, combining flame resistance, cut resistance and ergonomics. These gloves are arc-rated for HRC2, with a rating of 12.0 cal/cm2.

Click here to read the Press Release by Ansell dated 4/24/12.

ME Allows Two Apprentices per Licensed Electrician

Hugh Hoagland — Fri, 18 May 2012 17:50:25 +0000

A bill allowing licensed electricians to supervise two apprentices at a time instead of just one was signed into law by Maine Governor Paul LePage on 4-19-12. In addition, the law also removed the fee required for students to get a helper’s license when enrolled in high school or college electrical programs. The intent is to attract more young people from Maine to enter electrical careers. So the economy isn’t as bad if you are an electrician?? That’s right. With automation, we are really seeing growth in trained skills. If you can push a button or carry loads, you might not have a job, but if you can fix a robot, you are in HIGH demand.

Click here to read the article dated 4/22/12.

$67.5k Proposed Penalties to Bartlett Grain of KS due to 6 Deaths & 2 Injuries in Combustible Dust Explosion

Hugh Hoagland — Fri, 18 May 2012 17:47:55 +0000

Bartlett Grain of Atchison, KS, was cited by OSHA for willful and serious safety violations in response to the October 2011 grain elevator explosion tragedy.

The willful violations include allowing grain dust – which is nine times as explosive as coal dust – to accumulate, using compressed air to remove dust without first shutting down ignition sources, jogging (repeatedly starting and stopping) inside bucket elevators to free legs choked by grain, and using electrical equipment inappropriate for the working environment.

The serious violations involve a lack of proper preventive maintenance, certification and lubrication of grain handling equipment; inadequate emergency action plan training for employees and contractors; a lack of employee and contractor training on job hazards; and a housekeeping program that was deficient because it did not prevent grain dust accumulations.

Click here to read the OSHA News Release dated 4/12/12.