Always Use PPE 

By on

A lot of our members work in countries where PPE (personal protective equipment) is regulated or they work for companies/organizations which take employee safety seriously.  Unfortunately, there are places/companies where little or not thought is given to safety and daily peoples lives are put at risk.  If you are working on live circuits then you should always use PPE.

If you are subject to regulations (country or company) you should follow these.  If you work where there are not regulations or they are inadequate you need to look after your own safety.  When working on live circuits you should be using the following:

  • Insulated tools which are rated for the category of work being carried out
  • Safety glasses (or a face shield with safety glasses)
  • Flame resistance clothing or overalls
  • Insulating gloves
  • Safety shoes with electrically insulating soles (stand on insulating mats if available)
  • Remove lose articles (watches, jewelry, etc.)

The person primarily responsible for your safety is yourself.  If anything happens to you it affect you and your family far more than anyone else.  Always use PPE at all times when working on live equipment.

Note: the recommendations are relevant for light electrical work.  If a risk assessment identifies a significant 'Arc Flash' risk, then full flash protective gear should be worn. On higher voltages or special installations, additional PPE may be required.



Steven McFadyen's avatar Steven McFadyen

Steven has over twenty five years experience working on some of the largest construction projects. He has a deep technical understanding of electrical engineering and is keen to share this knowledge. About the author

myElectrical Engineering

comments powered by Disqus

  1. Anaheim Electrical Power's avatar Anaheim Electrical Power says:
    2/3/2012 11:08 PM

    Great info. Thanks for sharing these recommendations. It really helps! Always secure safety when performing electrical works.


Comments are closed for this post:
  • have a question or need help, please use our Questions Section
  • spotted an error or have additional info that you think should be in this post, feel free to Contact Us



8 Steps to Low Voltage Power Cable Selection and Sizing

A recurring theme on our forums is cable sizing. Now many installations are unique and require special consideration. However, a lot of the time things...

Windows Live Writer and myElectrical

When making adding a Note to our site we have a great online WYSIWYG editor and things are pretty simple.  However, if you prefer you can write, manage...

IEC Reference Designations

The IEC publishes a series of documents and rules governing the preparation of documents, drawings and the referencing of equipment.   Depending on country...

How to refer fault levels across a transformer

Over the past year or so I've been involved in on going discussions related to referring fault levels from the secondary of a transformer to the primary...

Harmonised Cable Codes and Colours

Within Europe the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC) has standardised the both the designation and colour of cables.   ...

Cable Insulation Properties

Cable insulation is used to provide electrical separation between conductors of  a cable.  During the historical development of cables, numerous types...

How to measure power supply quality

If your are ever called out to troubleshoot something on your electrical system, one of the first things consider is the supply voltage. You want to ensure...

Maxwell's Equations - Introduction

Maxwell's Equations are a set of fundamental relationships, which govern how electric and magnetic fields interact. The equations explain how these fields...

Lighting - Lamps

Lamps are the essential part of any luminaire. These are the light generating components. Since the advent of electrical lighting in the middle of the...

Closed Doors

"I can live with doubt and uncertainty and not knowing. I think it is much more interesting to live not knowing than to have answers that might be wrong...

Have some knowledge to share

If you have some expert knowledge or experience, why not consider sharing this with our community.  

By writing an electrical note, you will be educating our users and at the same time promoting your expertise within the engineering community.

To get started and understand our policy, you can read our How to Write an Electrical Note