1. Electrical Safety Equipment
Click to open blank screen
Good Afternoon. My name is Steve Wilson from Dofasco. Dofasco is an Integrated Steel producer located in Hamilton, about 40 minutes south west of here.
Click
I would like to spend a few minutes presenting a case study on Electrical Safety Equipment.

2. Why do we need Electrical Safety Equipment?
The Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act says:
“The power supply to electrical installations, equipment or conductors shall be disconnected, locked out of service and tagged before any work is done, on or near live exposed parts of the installations, equipment or conductors.”
Why do we need electrical safety equipment?
The legislation says that power needs to be locked out before anyone works on or near the equipment.
Click

3. Why do we need Electrical Safety Equipment?
“…if it is not practical to disconnect electrical installations, equipment or conductors from the power supply ….”
We need the safety equipment because the legislation recognizes that it is not always practical to shut off the power.
Click

4. Why do we need Electrical Safety Equipment?
“The worker shall use rubber gloves, mats, shields and other protective equipment and procedures adequate to ensure protection from electrical shock and burns while performing the work.”
The legislation itemizes some of the required equipment but leaves the door open for many other items.
Click

5. Examples of Electrical Safety Equipment
On the next few slides I have some items listed but before you look, lets see how many we can name and one of my cohorts from Dofasco will write them down.
Click

6. Examples of Electrical Safety Equipment
Rubber Gloves
Mats
Shields
Safety glasses or face shield
Non conductive hard hat
FR clothing
CLICK

7. Examples of Electrical Safety Equipment
Rubber blankets
Insulated tools
Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters
Locks
Test equipment
CLICK

8. Examples of Electrical Safety Equipment
Procedures
Design of equipment
Labeling of equipment
Documentation
Audits of the Safety Program
Training
CLICK

9. Where the Safety Equipment did not work
The following is from a news release from the Ontario Ministry of Labour.
I would like to talk about a couple of cases involving the use of safety equipment
The first is a case where the safety equipment did not do its job.
In the second one the safety equipment protected the workers.
CLICK

10. in the death of an employee.
The Niagara Fall Hydro-Electric Commission was fined $200,000 for two violations of the Occupational Health and Safety Act that resulted
in the death of an employee.
CLICK

11. The deceased was moving cables through a small underground duct from one vault to another when he came in contact with alive 8000 volt conductor.
CLICK
The accident occurred when an insulating blanket moved. The blanket had been covering the energized conductors.

12. The commission was found guilty of
1. Failing to ensure that every reasonable precaution was taken to prevent a hazard to a worker from an energized conductor.
2. Failing to ensure that a worker used rubber gloves, mats, shields and other protective equipment and procedures adequate to ensure protection from electrical shock and burns while performing work.
PAUSE
Now I would like to talk about a case where the safety equipment protected the workers
CLICK

13. They had a procedure to do the work and they were following it.
Where the Safety Equipment worked.
Recently at Dofasco a group of our High Voltage Electricians were doing some switching.
They had a procedure to do the work and they were following it.
CLICK

14. The workers were required to open this disconnect switch to isolate the downstream equipment.
CLICK

15. CLICK This is how the switch should have looked when they opened it.
The workers were not aware that the switch should be open this far so they though that …
CLICK

16. … this was the open position.
CLICK

17. The approved procedure that they were using called for the switch to be checked with a Live Line Indicator or “Hot Stick”.
When they did they were amazed that one phase was still alive.
Both the rubber gloves and the Hot Stick need to be regularly tested by an approved testing facility.
CLICK

18. The equipment was isolated and grounded at the upstream breaker.
CLICK

19. On inspection it was found that a pin which activates the arcing contact had fallen out and jammed the mechanism.
CLICK

20. Electrical Safety Equipment can save your life or prevent injury.
CLICK
But only if it is used properly and routinely inspected.

21. With the properly maintained safety equipment we can hit the mark every time.
CLICK

22. Thank You
CLICK