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



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...

Maximum Demand for Buildings

Estimating maximum demand is a topic frequently discussed. Working out how much power to allow for a building can be very subjective . Allowing too much...

Lead us, Warleader

Delum, who had watched all in silence, his face empty of expression, now spoke in turn. ' "Lead us, Warleader, into glory."' Reading is something I do...

Electromagnetic Fields - Exposure Limits

Exposure to time varying magnetic fields, from power frequencies to the gigahertz range can have harmful consequences.  A lot of research has been conducted...

IEC 60287 Current Capacity of Cables - Rated Current

In the previous note we looked at the approach taken by the standard to the sizing of cables and illustrated this with an example.  We then looked at one...

Write your best report

Years ago I was told that you should always try to write the best report you can.  Many years later I still think on this as one of the better pieces of...

Inductance

When current flows within a wire, a magnetic field is created. The potion of this magnetic field perpendicular to the wire is called the magnetic flux...

Occam's Razor

I was reminded of Occam's Razor while reading a book. It's quite a simple principal of logic which has stood the test of time and is accepted as central...

Thermoplastic and Thermosetting Insulation

While there are a vast array of cable insulation materials, these are often divided into two general types; Thermoplastic or Thermosetting. For example...

Tip – Latitude and Longitude on Large Scale Plans

If you are working on a large plan, get the real coordinates [latitude, longitude] for two or more points and add them to the drawing. That way you can...

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