Working on electrical equipment exposes a worker to electric shock and arc flash hazards. Unlike many safety concerns, these hazards simply can’t be eliminated or avoided as working on or around energized equipment is often required for some tasks, such as using a meter to test for voltage or rack a breaker. Training, therefore, is perhaps the most essential part of an electrical safety program, but arc flash and electrical safety training comes in many formats and lengths, so it’s essential that the training is effective for electrical Qualified Persons (those who work on or around energized equipment ≥ 50v).
The first part of the electrical safety process is identifying the hazards and the associated risk, but this can be tricky because you can’t always see, smell or hear the specific hazards. Hazard recognition training comes in the form of understanding the fundamentals of electrical equipment and distribution systems, and the conditions or situations where that would expose a worker to a higher risk. Equipment malfunctions, breaker tripping, improper installations, buzzing and related information normal or abnormal operation of equipment should be applied to recognizing the hazards, with information on how to address the specific hazard.