Contents

Causes of Electrical Hazards:....................................................................................................................................... 2
Electrical hazard control measures........................................................................................................................... 2
1. Carry our risk assessment............................................................................................................................... 2
2. Assess all electrical installations................................................................................................................... 2
3. Use Fuses, circuit-breakers appropriately................................................................................................ 2
4. Use robust electrical accessories................................................................................................................. 2
5. Ensure machinery has emergency stop key............................................................................................ 3
6. Adequate maintenance................................................................................................................................... 3
7. Timely inspection............................................................................................................................................... 3
8. Repairs should be done by competent personnel................................................................................ 3
Other electrical Safety Control Measures............................................................................................................... 3
Extra Tips to overcome hazards................................................................................................................................. 4
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)....................................................................................................................... 5
Alerting techniques......................................................................................................................................................... 5
Electrical Hazard – A dangerous condition such that contact or equipment failure can result in
electric shock, arc-flash burn, thermal burn, or blast

Causes of Electrical Hazards:
 Faulty or damage wiring or equipment.
 Loose connections.
 Use of poor quality fittings.
 Lack of earthing/bonding and grounding.
 Use of overrated fuse or jumper.
 Working on live equipment.
 Overloading of power sockets and equipment.
 Poor housekeeping.
 Handling of electrical equipment with an incompetent person and lack of training
awareness.
 Lack of safe working procedure and communication.
 Failure to use appropriate PPE and use.
 Lack of warning signs.

Electrical hazard control measures

1. Carry our risk assessment: You must ensure an assessment has been made of any
electrical hazards, which covers:
 Who could be harmed by them
 How the level of risk has been established
 The precautions taken to control that risk

The risk assessment should take into consideration the type of electrical equipment used, the
way in which it is used and the environment that it is used in. 

2. Assess all electrical installations: You must make sure that the electrical installation
and the electrical equipment are:
 Suitable for its intended use and the conditions in which it is operated
 Only used for its intended purpose
3. Use Fuses, circuit-breakers appropriately : In wet surroundings, unsuitable
equipment can become live and make its surroundings live too. Fuses, circuit-breakers
and other devices must be correctly rated for the circuit they protect. Isolators and fuse-
box cases should be kept closed and, if possible, locked.
4. Use robust electrical accessories : Cables, plugs, sockets and fittings must be robust
enough and adequately protected for the working environment.
 5. Ensure machinery has emergency stop key: Ensure that machinery has an
accessible switch or isolator to cut off the power quickly in an emergency.
6. Adequate maintenance: So far as is reasonably practicable, you must make sure that
electrical equipment and installations are maintained to prevent danger.
7. Timely inspection: Users of electrical equipment, including portable appliances,
should carry out visual checks. Remove the equipment from use immediately and check
it, repair it or replace it if:
 The plug or connector is damaged
 The cable has been repaired with tape, is not secure, or internal wires are visible etc
 Burn marks or stains are present (suggesting overheating)

Have more frequent checks for items more likely to become damaged (eg portable electrical
tools and equipment that is regularly moved, or used frequently or in arduous environments).
Less frequent checks are needed for equipment less likely to become damaged (eg desktop
computers etc).

Visual checks are not usually necessary for small, battery-powered items, or for equipment that
works from a mains-powered adaptor (laptops or cordless phones etc). However, the mains-
powered adaptor for such equipment should be visually checked.

8. Repairs should be done by competent personnel: Repairs should only be

carried out by a competent person (someone who has the necessary
skills, knowledge and experience to carry out the work safely).

Other electrical Safety Control Measures:

1. Don’t work on live equipment, isolation and multi lock system shall be followed.
2. Don’t hang cloth or any material on electrical equipment.
3. Handling of electrical equipment or switchgear shall not be done with wet hand or body.
4. Electrical switches or access to them shall not block by any material.
5. Use appropriate PPE while working on electrical equipment.
6. Use safe work practices every time electrical equipment is used.
7. Know the location and how to operate shut-off switches and/or circuit breaker panels.
Use these devices to shut off equipment in the event of a fire or electrocution.
8. Limit the use of extension cords. Use only for temporary operations and then only for
short periods of time. In all other cases, request installation of a new electrical outlet.
9. Multi-plug adapters must have circuit breakers or fuses.

 Place exposed electrical conductors (such as those sometimes used with electrophoresis
devices) behind shields.
 11. Minimize the potential for water or chemical spills on or near electrical equipment.
12. All electrical cords should have sufficient insulation to prevent direct contact with wires.
In a laboratory, it is particularly important to check all cords before each use, since
corrosive chemicals or solvents may erode the insulation.
13. Damaged cords should be repaired or taken out of service immediately, especially in wet
environments such as cold rooms and near water baths.
14. Only equipment with two-prong plugs should be used in the laboratory. The two
prong provides a path to ground for internal electrical short circuits, thereby protecting
the user from a potential electrical shock.
15. Ensure that workers know how to use the electrical equipment safely
16. Make sure enough sockets are available. Check that socket outlets are not overloaded by
using unfused adaptors as this can cause fires
17. Ensure there are no trailing cables that can cause people to trip or fall
18. Switch off and unplug appliances before cleaning or adjusting them
19. Ensure everyone looks for electrical wires, cables or equipment near where they are
going to work and check for signs warning of dangers from electricity or any other
hazard. Checks should be made around the job, and remember that electrical cables may
be within walls, floors and ceilings (especially when drilling into these locations)
20. Make sure anyone working with electricity has sufficient skills, knowledge and experience
to do so. Incorrectly wiring a plug can be dangerous and lead to fatal accidents or fires
21. Stop using equipment immediately if it appears to be faulty – have it checked by a
competent person
22. Ensure any electrical equipment brought to work by employees, or any hired or
borrowed, is suitable for use before using it and remains suitable by being maintained as
necessary
23. Consider using a residual current device between the electrical supply and the
equipment, especially when working outdoors, or within a wet or confined place.
24. Be aware of the dangers of working near or underneath overhead power lines. Electricity
can flash over from them, even though machinery or equipment may not touch them.

28. Consult local electricity companies and service plans to identify where cables are located.

Extra Tips to overcome hazards

Unique hazards don’t need to lead to accidents. They just require extra attention.

Take safety seriously. Take the extra time required to be safe.

Don’t get tunnel vision. We might only have a narrowly defined task to complete, but
paying attention to what others are doing around us can alert us to when things aren’t right.

Communicate. Especially when dealing with the energizing of equipment for testing or

running for the first time. Be sure everyone understands what is supposed to happen and
when.
Walk around. Sometimes just taking a few minutes to walk around the work area or follow
the process lines can lead to identifying both process and safety issues.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Employees working in areas where there are potential electrical hazards must be provided with,
and use, electrical protective equipment that is appropriate for the specific parts of the body
protected and for the work performed. Personal Protective Equipment refers to items typically
worn by a worker to provide protection from recognized hazards. PPE for the electric power
industry generally includes:

 safety glasses,

 face shields,

 hard hats,

 safety shoes,

 insulating (rubber) gloves with leather protectors,

 insulating sleeves, and

 flame-resistant (FR) clothing.

Alerting techniques. 
The following alerting techniques shall be used to warn and protect employees from hazards
which could cause injury due to electric shock, burns, or failure of electric equipment parts:
 Safety signs and tags. Safety signs, safety symbols, or accident prevention tags
shall be used where necessary to warn employees about electrical hazards which
may endanger them,
 Barricades. Barricades shall be used in conjunction with safety signs where it is
necessary to prevent or limit employee access to work areas exposing employees
to uninsulated energized conductors or circuit parts. Conductive barricades may
not be used where they might cause an electrical contact hazard.
 Attendants. If signs and barricades do not provide sufficient warning and
protection from electrical hazards, an attendant shall be stationed to warn and
protect employees.