ELECTRICAL SAFETY PROGRAM
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ELECTRICAL SAFETY PROGRAM The purpose of this program is to inform interested persons, including employees, that Northern Clearing, Inc. is complying with the OSHA Electrical Safety Standard, Title 29 Code of Federal Regulations 1910.333, by determining that this workplace needs written procedures for preventing electric shock or other injuries resulting from direct/indirect electrical contacts to employees working on or near energized or de-energized parts. This program applies to all work operations where Northern Clearing, Inc. employees may be exposed to live parts and/or those parts, which have been de-energized. The Health and Safety Director has overall responsibility for coordinating safety and health programs in this Company. The Health and Safety Director is the person having overall responsibility for the Electrical Safety Program. The Health and Safety Director will review and update the program, as necessary. Copies of the written program may be obtained from the Personnel Director in the Corporate Headquarters. Under this program, Northern Clearing, Inc. employees receive instructions in the purpose and use of energy control procedures, as well as the other required elements of the Control of Hazardous Energy standard. This instruction includes the de-energizing, and equipment re-energizing. If, after reading this program, our employees find that improvements can be made, please contact the Health and Safety Director HAZARD ANALYSIS REPORT To determine areas of the Corporate Headquarters and Satellite Offices that need to be included in the Electrical Safety Program, the Safety and Job Superintendents have conducted a hazard analysis of our workplace, including various field locations. This analysis located in the Corporate Headquarters, and has provided the Health and Safety Director with information identifying which departments or areas have equipment using electricity, various types of wiring installations, and the types of employee functions that must be covered by the Electrical Safety Program. The departments/areas of Northern Clearing, Inc. identified as having electrically operated equipment and/or wiring installations are: the Corporate Headquarters shop and all field locations. Electrically operated equipment that must be de-energized before work can be done on it and where its specific located includes generators, welding machines and all metallic equipment.
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QUALIFIED EMPLOYEES Employees of our company who are qualified to work on, near, or with energized electric circuits and equipment are welders and mechanics. (Note: A “qualified” person is one who is capable of working safely on energized circuits and is familiar with the proper use of precautionary techniques, personal protective equipment, insulating and shielding materials, and insulated tools.) UNQUALIFIED EMPLOYEES Employees working on, near, or with energized electric circuits and equipment who have limited knowledge of electrical circuitry are called “unqualified”. Those employees and all other Northern Clearing, Inc. employees. (Note: An “unqualified” person is one who has limited knowledge of electrical circuitry and little or no such training.) TRAINING PROGRAM Every employee at Northern Clearing, Inc. who faces the risk of electric shock from working on or near energized or de-energized electrical sources receives training in electrical related safety work practices pertaining to the individual’s job assignment. The goal of our electrical safety training program is to ensure that all employees understand the hazards associated with electric energy and that they are capable of performing the necessary steps to protect themselves and their coworkers. Our electrical training program covers these basic elements: • Other wiring • Lockout and tagging of conductors and parts of electrical equipment • Application of locks and tags. • Other electrically related information, which is necessary for employee safety. • Fiber optical cables, where appropriate • General information on premises wiring For Qualified Employees, the following additional training is provided: 1. Safety-related work practices 2. Skills and techniques to distinguish live parts from other parts 3. Skills and techniques to determine the nominal voltages of exposed live parts 4. Clearance distances and corresponding voltages. For Unqualified Employees, the electrical safety procedures we teach to those who have limited knowledge of electrical circuitry, but must work near or on it include: 1. Awareness of activities involving electricity and repairs 2. Awareness of lockout/tagout procedures 3. Introduction to electrically related safe work practices 4. Any potential for comparable risk of injury due to electrical shock or other electrical hazards 3
Note: This applies to exposure to electrical circuits operating at 50 volts or more to ground. This training must be completed before participants will be allowed to work in areas of Northern Clearing, Inc. or the field locations where electrical hazards exist. The format we follow for our training program is lecture, classroom, and videotape; and other appropriate formats as decided by Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College. The procedures we follow when training new employees who will be working on or near electrical equipment or circuitry are on-site orientation, tailgate topics, and some classroom training. When changes occur in our Company that involves electrical elements, we provide additional employee training to ensure the safety of all affected workers. The Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College conducts the electrical safety training for all employees. Every employee who participated in the Electrical Safety Program receives a certificate which they sign verifying that they have completed the course, that they understand the information presented, and that they will follow all company policies and procedures regarding electrical safety. The Personnel Director in the Corporate Headquarters keeps these signed certificates of training materials and documentation. SAFETY-RELATED WORK PRACTICES In order to prevent electric shock or other injuries that may result from either direct shock or indirect electrical contacts when work is performed near or on equipment or circuits that may be energized, safety-specific practices are used. Working on or near exposed de-energized parts. For parts of the electrical equipment that have been de-energized but not locked out or tagged will be treated as energized parts. LOCKOUT/TAGOUT – INTRODUCTION
It is a Northern Clearing, Inc. policy that circuits and equipment must be disconnected from all electric energy sources before work on them begins. We use lockout and tagging devices to prevent the accidental re-energization of this equipment. These lockout and tagging procedures are the main component of our electrical safety program, and there is a specific section of this Manual assigned to this. For a brief summary, the safety procedures that make up our lockout and tagout program include the following: A. De-energizing circuits and equipment. Employees disconnect the circuits and equipment to be worked on from all electric energy sources and release stored energy, including blocking and/or relieving, that could accidentally re-energize equipment. B. Application of locks and tags. Only authorized employees are allowed to place a lock and tag on each disconnecting means used to de-energize circuits or equipment before work begins. Locks prevent unauthorized persons from re-energizing the equipment or circuits and the tags prohibit unauthorized operation of the disconnecting device.
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1. Verification of de-energized condition of circuits and equipment. Prior to work on the equipment, we require that a “qualified” employee verify that the equipment is deenergized and cannot be restarted. 2. Re-energizing circuits and equipment. Before circuits or equipment are re-energized, we follow these steps in this order: 1. A “qualified” employee conducts tests and verifies that all tools and devices have been removed. 2. All exposed employees are warned to stay clear of circuits and equipment. 3. Authorized employees remove their own locks and tags. 4. A visual inspection of the area is conducted to ensure all employees are clear of the circuits and equipment. PERFORMANCE OF ELECTRICAL WORK 1. Working on or near exposed energized parts – only qualified persons may work on electric circuit parts or equipment that have not been de-energized under the procedures. These persons must be capable of working safely on the energized circuits and be familiar with the proper use of special precautionary techniques, PPE, insulating and shielding materials, and insulated tools. 2. Overhead lines – if work is to be performed near overhead lines, the lines must be de-energized and grounded, or other protective means, such as guarding, isolation, or grounding, must be used before work is started. If an unqualified person is working in an elevated position near overhead lines, the work location must be at least 10 feet for 50 kV or below and 10 feet + 4 inches for every 10 kV over 50 kV. For qualified personnel the following approach table applies for work in the vicinity of overhead lines, and may not approach or take any conductive object without approved insulated handles: Voltage Range (phase to phase)
300 V and less >*300 V, < *750 V >750 V, < 2 kV >2kV, < 15 kV >15 kV, < 37 kV > 37 kV, < 87.5 kV >87.5 kV, < 121 kV > 121 kV, < 140 kV
Minimum Approach Distances
Avoid contact 1 foot 1 foot 6 inches 2 feet 3 feet 3 feet 6 inches 4 feet 4 feet 6 inches
* > = Greater than; < = Less than For unqualified personnel, for voltages to ground 50 kV or less – 10 feet; for voltages over 50 kV, 10 feet plus four inches for every 10 kV over 50 kV. 3. Vehicular and mechanical equipment – any vehicle or mechanical equipment capable of having parts of the structure elevated near energized overhead lines will be operated so that a clearance of at least 10 feet is maintained. If the voltages are 5
higher than 50 kV, the clearances are to be increased 4 inches for every 10 kV over 50 kV. 4. Illumination – adequate illumination must be available to perform the work in a safe manner. This includes in spaces and out-of-doors. If there is inadequate illumination, the work will not be performed, and employees are prohibited from reaching blindly into areas where energized parts may exist. 5. Confined spaces – If our employees work in confined or enclosed spaces, such as a manhole or vault, that may contain exposed energized parts, workers will use protective shields, barriers, or insulating materials as necessary to protect against contact. Doors and other hinged panels must be secured. Entry into these confined spaces may require special procedures, as well. Special references and procedures are required for Confined Space entry procedures. 6. Conductive materials and equipment – - Portable Ladders – must have non-conductive side rails - Conductive Apparel – jewelry and conductive clothing are prohibited, unless protected by covering, wrapping, or other insulating means - Housekeeping Duties – housekeeping duties are prohibited where live, parts may present an electrical contact hazard, unless protected; non-conductive cleaning materials are required. - Interlocks – only qualified persons may defeat electrical interlock, and the system must be returned to operational condition when the work is finished. PORTABLE ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT Equipment handling Electrical tools and equipment must be handled in a manner to avoid damage. This includes not using the flexible electrical cords for raising or lowering the equipment, and the cords cannot be stretched or hung in such a fashion that could damage the outer jacket or insulation. Portable cord and plug-in connected equipment and flexible cord sets (i.e., “extension cords”), must be visually inspected before use on any shift for external defects and for possible evidence of internal damage. We will remove from service and tag out all damaged or defective equipment.
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