Jim Schuster is CEO of Martin Technical, Inc. Industrial safety services including Lockout Tagout, Arc Flash, Training, Electrical Safety Services, Engineering and Consulting. Call 866-234-6890 or visit www.MarTechnical.com.
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.
Unfortunately, as with many OSHA requirements, they inform you “what” to do, but not “how” do it, and leave this part up to the employer. The challenge for many employers is the lack of knowledge or experience to effectively implement the OSHA lockout guidelines.
