TakingtheFlashOutofElectricalSafety
ImprovingElectricalSafetywithAudits
OneProgramElement
ThatCanImproveElectricalSafetyComplianceby40%
HughHoagland,
Sr.ManagingPartner
CONTENTS
TheProblem:LearningorDoing?
2
HowDoIGain>40%Compliance?
4
HowAuditingandTrainingLeadtoSuchGreatResults?
6
Summary
6
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ImprovingElectricalSafetywithAudits
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TheProblem:LearningorDoing?
IwalkedintotheroomtodoelectricalsafetytraininglikeIhavedonethousandsoftimesbeforeandlooked
aroundtheroom.ItwasaSaturday;Iwasinmyhometown.WedotrainingallovertheworldbutwhenItrain
athomeIcan’thelpbutwonderiftheseguysaresomeoneIknow.Aretheyhusbandsorwivesoffriends?Do
mykidsgotoschoolwiththem?
Likesomanytimesbefore,IwalkedintoacompanywhichhadreceivedanOSHAcitationduetoanemployee
complaint.SotheydecidedtoimprovetheirsafetyprogramandbecomeanOSHAVPP(VoluntaryProtection
Program)site.TheseprogramsbeganinCaliforniaunderCal-OSHAin1979followedbyFederalOSHAin1982.
Afteryearsofexperimenting,FederalOSHAofferedtheprogramtoallemployersin1998.BasicallyVPPsets
performance-basedcriteriaforamanagedsafetyandhealthsystem.Oneofthecurrentissuestheyarefocusing
oniselectricalsafety.CompanieswhichclearthehurdlesofimprovementinVPParenotcitedbyOSHAsince
OSHAisregularlyauditingandhelpingimprovetheirprogram.Electricalincidentsarethefifthleadingkillerof
employeessoitisanimportantfocusandespeciallysosincethe2000versionofNFPA70Emadearcflasha
householdwordandcommoninsafetycircles.InterestinglyenoughthissitehadbeenintheprocessforVPPfor
sometimeandjustidentifiedtheelectricalsafetyneedafteranOSHAconsultation.TheproblemisthesameI
seeeverywhereanditaffectsallsafety.
MostcompaniestryingtocomplywithsafetystandardsstartwithPPEorawrittenprogram.PPEisimportant
andshouldbeputintoplacequicklybutastheoldadagegoes“PPEshouldbethelastresort,”sofroma
programperspectiveacompanyshouldquicklystandardizedapproaches.Thedisadvantageofthese
standardizedmethodsistheyaretheoreticalanddon’tgettothemost“bangforthebuck”quicklyandmost
peopleseethemasanexerciseinfutilityorjust“morepaperworkwithoutresults”.Wehavehadclientswho
hademployeesdiewhiletheywerecommissioningarcflashstudies,sodon’tignorethePPEbutdon’tstop
there.Somecommonprocessesforbuildingasafetyprogramfocusonhazardsandprogramswhileothers
focusonbehavior.Eachofthesehasmeritsbutagoodprogrammustdoallthesethings.Acommonoutlinefor
developingasafetyprogramisbelow:
1. Establishthevalueofsafety,notjustaprioritythatcanbeshifted.
2. Createasafetyprogramby:
a. HazardIdentification
b. HazardEvaluation
c. HazardControl
3. Educatemanagementandsupervisionsotheysupport,valueandgrowtheprogram(commonlyskipped
step).
4. Beginmeasuringsafetyasapartofjobperformance.
5. Makesafety,andplanningforit,ajobsitepriority.
6. Makeallemployeesresponsiblefor,andaccountablefor,safebehavior.
Theproblemwithmostsafetyprogramsfromanelectricalstandpointisthatthesafetydepartmentsoftendo
nothavethetechnicalexpertisetodoelectricalsafety.Butelectricalsafetymustbemanagedaspartofan
overallsafetyprogram.
OSHAhaselectricalsafetyrequirements,buttheyareinsufficienttobuildanelectricalsafetyprogramaround
exceptinthecaseofelectricutilities(29CFR1910.269especiallysince2014whenthisstandardsupersededthe
NESC).MostOSHA10Hourcourseshaveanelectricalsafetycomponentbuttheytendtobeverycursory(they
ImprovingElectricalSafetywithAudits
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areadequateinmostcases,ifaplantdoesnothaveelectriciansordoitsownelectricalwork).NFPA70E
StandardforElectricalSafetyintheWorkplace®isrecognizedastheconsensusstandardrelatedtoelectrical
safetyandoutlinesrequirementsforanelectricalsafetyprograminarticle110.1.
Tobeeffective,electricalsafetyprogramsmusthaveanoverallsafetyimprovementprocessbuiltintothe
technicalelectricalsafetyprogram.TheNFPA70Ecommitteerecognizedthisfactorandincludedinformational
notes(IN)whicharenon-mandatorybutencompassesawholerangeofchangesinhowelectricalsafetywillbe
doneinthefuture.AversionofthefirsttwoINshavebeenincludedsincethe2009edition,theotherswere
addedin2015.Inarticle110.1(A),theysimplystate,
“InformationalNoteNo.1:Safety-relatedworkpracticessuchasverificationofproper
maintenanceandinstallation,alertingtechniques,auditingrequirements,andtraining
requirementsprovidedinthisstandardareadministrativecontrolsandpartofanoverallelectrical
safetyprogram.
InformationalNoteNo.2:ANSI/AIHAZ10,AmericanNationalStandardforOccupationalHealthand
SafetyManagementSystems,providesaframeworkforestablishingacomprehensiveelectrical
safetyprogramasacomponentofanemployer’soccupationalsafetyandhealthprogram.
InformationalNoteNo.3:IEEE3007.1,RecommendedPracticefortheOperationandManagement
ofIndustrialandCommercialPowerSystems,providesadditionalguidancefortheimplementation
oftheelectricalsafetyprogram.
InformationalNoteNo.4:IEEE3007.3,RecommendedPracticeforElectricalSafetyinIndustrialand
CommercialPowerSystems,providesadditionalguidanceforelectricalsafetyintheworkplace.”
TheyaresimplebutusingtheANSIZ10andtheIEEEstandardslistedbringsaholisticapproachtoelectrical
safety.NotethateventhoughIN’sarenon-mandatory,theyoftenforeshadowupcomingmovesbythe
committeeorveryimportantunderstandingthecommitteeassumesaregoodpractices.OSHAVPPnormally
includesrequirementstousetheZ10standard.ConsidersomeoftherequirementsofANSIZ10-2012:
1. Requiresasafetymanagementsystem.Thisisaproactive,standardizedprocessforcontinuously
assuringandimprovingelementeffectiveness.
2. Requiresestablishingpolicyandobjectivesthatuseanorganizationalstructurewithsystematic
documentedroles,responsibilities,processesandresourcestoobtainobjectives.
3. Emphasizescontinuousimprovementandsystematiceliminationofrootcausesofdeficiencies.
4. Requiresmanagementleadershipandemployeeparticipation.
5. Requiresplanningandongoingreview,assessmentandprioritizationofobjectivesbyimplementationof
plansandallocationofresources.
6. ImplementationoftheOH&SSystemwhichincludesthefollowingelements:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
HierarchyofControls
DesignReviewandManagementofChange
Procurement
Contractors
EmergencyPreparedness
Education,Training,andAwareness
Communication
DocumentandRecordControlProcess
ImprovingElectricalSafetywithAudits
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7. EvaluationandCorrectiveAction
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
MonitoringandMeasurement
IncidentInvestigation
Audits
CorrectiveandPreventiveActions
FeedbacktothePlanningProcess
8. ManagementReview:OutcomesandFollowUp
ManycompanieshavetheirsafetyprogramoperatingintheANSIZ10formattosomeextentbuttheyoften
placeelectricalsafetyundertheengineeringdepartmentandonlypartsareactually“owned”bysafety.Inorder
togetrealcomplianceimprovement,thesafetyprocessmustinfiltratetheelectricalmaintenanceworld.
Implementationofastrongconsensusstandard(NFPA70E/CSAZ462fortheUSandCanada,respectively)within
acontinuousimprovementprocessframeworkwillbumpupthequalityofanyelectricalsafetyprogram.
Werecommendthefollowingelementsforanelectricalsafetyprogram(SeeNFPA70E,AnnexE):
1. Inspect/evaluatetheelectricalequipmentforcodecompliance
2. Maintaintheelectricalequipment’sinsulation,enclosureintegrityandoperationalreliability:esp.
breakersandfuses.
3. Planeveryjobanddocumentfirst-timeprocedures
4. De-energizewheneverpossible
5. Anticipateunexpectedevents
6. Identifyandminimizethehazard
7. Protecttheworkerfromshock,arcandotherhazards
8. UsetherighttoolsandPPEforthejob
9. Assess,audit&documentworker’sskills
10. Audittheprinciplesoftheapplicablestandards
11. Auditbothemployees,contractorsandservicepersonnelforproperelectricalsafety(contract
employeesarenotcoveredunderyourcompany’sworker’scompensationinsuranceandrepresenta
greaterliabilityifnotworkingsafely)
12. Reportandinvestigateincidentsandnearmisses
13. Putactionitemsinplacefromauditedissuesandimprove,theprogramdocument,writtenprocedures,
PPEandanyotherfindingsfromauditsandincidentrootcauseanalysis.
HowDoIGain>40%Compliance?
1. Train.Trainingraisescomplianceby10-50%dependingonthebehaviors.Thegeneralstudywason
basicbehaviorslikehardhatsetc.Electricalsafetyhabitsarenewandoftennotaswell-knownasbasic
safety.
2.
SetGoalsandMeasure.YouhavetomeasuretheRIGHTthings.Measuringbehaviorslikeflash
suitusemighttakeyearstodevelopbaselinedatabutmeasurebehaviorslike:
ImprovingElectricalSafetywithAudits
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a. De-energizing,LockOut/TagOut,
b. Wearingofrubberinsulatinggloves
c. Verificationofmeterandabsenceofvoltage
d. wearingofbasicarcrateddailywear
e. Wearingflashsuitsforhigherlevelexposures
f.
Useofinsulatedtools
g. Testingofrubberinsulatinggloves,blanketsandotherinsulatedequipment
Thislistisn’tinclusivebutthesebehaviorsareeasytomeasureandgiveBIGresults.Mostincidents
involvednoinjurywhentheelementsaboveareused.
3.
Audit,Audit,Audit.Werecommendathreetierauditingstrategy.
•
YearOne:Haveanoutsidefirmauditgivingyouaframeworkforaudit.
•
YearTwo:Audityourownsiteasasafetyperson.
•
YearThree:Haveanothersafetyperson/electricalpersonfromwithinyourcompanyaudityour
siteandyouaudittheirsite(cross-pollination).
Starttheprocessoveragain.
ThisthreestepapproachtoauditingwillbemorecosteffectiveANDgetbetterresults.Auditingisalearning
tool.Outsidefirmsandotherpeoplehavedifferentapproaches,andyoucanlearnandteachothersaboutwhat
youhavelearnedorseen.Trainingisgreatbutitisn’ta“beall,endall.”WhenIsaytraininghere,Imeanevent
training.Highimpacttrainingcangetsomeresults;itgetsattentionandintroducesconcepts.Detailed
technicaltrainingalsoiseffectivebutgoesovertheheadsofsomeworkersandisnomoresuccessfulin
changingbehaviorthanhighimpacttraining.Trainingincreasescompliancebyabout10-40%uptoabout77%
atthebest.Training,auditingandretrainingtakesyouoverthetoptomuchbettercompliance.Peopledon’tdo
whatyouexpect;theydowhatyouinspect.ThechartaboveisbasedonthedatainTheEffectsofTraining,Goal
Setting,andKnowledgeofResultsonSafeBehavior
byReberet.al.1
Figure1:EffectsofTraining,GoalSetting,andKnowledgeof
ResultsonSafeBehavior
Insimplesafetybehaviorlike“horseplay”Reberet.
al.foundtheworkforcesstudiedwereabout65%
compliant(commoninbasicsafety).Trainingalone
improvedcompliancebyabout12%.Measurement
ofcleargoalsandknowledgeofresultscould
improvecompliancetoabout95%.Thebaseline
forelectricalsafetywehavefoundisnotthishigh
butstatisticallyweusetheirargumentaswe
continueourstudies.Thegreatestresultscome
frommeasuringANDsharingtheresults.Again,
peopledon’tdowhatyouexpect,theydowhat
youinspect.Historically,electricalsafetywasonly
1
TheEffectsofTraining,GoalSetting,andKnowledgeofResultsonSafeBehavior:AComponentAnalysis,byRobertA.
ReberandJerryA.Wallin,TheAcademyofManagementJournal,Vol.27,No.3(Sep.,1984),pp.544-560
ImprovingElectricalSafetywithAudits
6
inspectedbythejourneymanorthemanagerofthatdepartment.Noonecameinfromtheoutsidetoaudit
electricalsafety.Ifsafetyauditsweredone,littleintheauditrelatedtoelectricalsafetyandalmostnothing
relatedtoelectricalsafeworkpractices.Thatischanging.
HowAuditingandTrainingLeadtoSuchGreatResults?
Toreallysucceedinthesafetyprofession,wemustbestudentsoflearningandadultpsychology.Kolb
developedalearningcycleafterextensiveresearchanditcanhelpwithunderstandingwhyauditingisso
important.
Alllearnersgothroughphasesoflearning.
Someofthesephaseshappenquicklyifthe
behaviorisreadilyunderstandableoreasyto
implement.Behaviorscanchangequicklybut
individualdifferencesanddifferencesin
behaviorscanbemakebehaviorchangemore
difficult.Evenifanewbehaviortakesless
effortinitiallysomepeoplemayrejectit
becausetheydon’tbelieveit’simportant.
Changeitselfisdifficultandotherissuescan
affectchange.
Howdoadultslearn?Kolbsays,we
experience,reflect/review,learn/conclude
andtryitouteveryday.Ineventtraining,if
thelearningcan’tbeimplementedbecauseof
hindrancesintheworkplace,peerpressureor
whatever,itwilloftenbeunlearnedor
forgotten.
Figure2:KolbLearningCycle
http://www.ldu.leeds.ac.uk/ldu/sddu_multimedia/kolb/static_version.php
Goalsettingandauditinghelptraininggetimplemented.Whenyousetgoalsandauditthemithelpsidentify
failuresinmotivation,systems(youcan’twearrubberinsulatingglovesifyoudon’thavethem),and
understanding(frequentlywithnewbehaviors,especiallycomplexones,peopledon’tfullyunderstandthe
requirements).Auditingbasicallybecomesmoretrainingandhelpsclarifythebehavioralgoalsandtweakthe
systemsotheseobjectivegoalscanbemetandhavethedesiredeffectofnoinjuries.
Summary
Companieswhowanttooperatesafelymusthavesystemswhichallowforlearning,andevaluationof
behavioralchange.Trainingaloneisnotenoughtoreachcomplianceinmostcases.Statisticallyithasbeen
shownthatTraining,GoalSetting,AuditingandCommunicationofResultshavebeeneffectiveinincreasing
companycompliancetosafetystandards.ImplementingbothtrainingANDauditingintoyourcompliance
toolboxwillraisethebarinyourcompanymorethanmostmethods.
HughHoaglanddoesarcflashtestingandelectricalsafetyandarcflashtraining.e-HazardoffersANSIZ10
complianceauditing,internalaudittrainingandspreadsheetsandexternalauditsolutionstoimprovecompany’s
electricalsafetyprograms.Hughmaybereachedathugh@e-hazard.com.