ECN Forum Forums Safety Discussion and News Occupational Safety Discussion Is Safety that Important?

Thanks Scott!.

From what I can see guys,
Occupational Safety isn't as pro-active as what it should be.
It seems like it is more like the "Ambulance at the bottom of the cliff", sort of thing.
How do we turn this around?.
We can talk about Education until we are blue in the face, at the end of the day, I reckon it comes down to the individual.
I've worked in a few places here and I'm more than well aware of the Safety laws, but I like to work to the situation, not the Laws that tell me how I should work.

What little I can add here:

-Test your meters and electrical testers every morning on a circuit you know to be energized.

-When I use non-contact voltage sensors I use two of them in tandem (they're taped together) because they are less reliable than a tester that makes solid electrical contact.

Know the limitations of your tools and equipment:
-I've actually run across cheap multimeters that had a maximum working voltage of 250VAC.
-Non-contact sensors will not work with DC or sheilded conductors and are much less responsive with twisted pair cables.
-I've seen tools advertised as "electricians pliers/screwdrivers/etc." that claimed to be insulated but had no maximum voltage ratings and were missing the double triangles. Make sure any insulated hand tools are tested to ASTM F1505-01 and IEC 900 standards.

I know a lot of guys like to work live, I'm not one of 'em but some ideas for those that prefer it:
-Always wear your gloves and glasses at a minimum, a set of insulated tools isn't a bad idea, either.
-I don't pull NM into energized panels because of the bare EGC, too much of a chance it could whip around and short something out.
-I don't work with metal connectors if they are in any position where a locknut or connector could end up in the bus if it's dropped.
-If a panel has any voltages greater than 120 to ground I won't work it live for any reason. Period.

-John