Electricity construction site safety

Portable electrical tools can reduce much of the hard work for any tradesperson and increase his or her productivity. Electrical tools should be maintained in a good condition and be appropriate for the purpose for which they are used. Many construction sites now insist on low-voltage or battery tools being used which can further increase safety without any loss of productivity. Some useful electrical tools are shown in Fig. 4.8. 

The Health and Safety Regulations make reference to workers having a duty of care for the health and safety of themselves and others in the workplace. The Electricity at Work Regulations identify one responsible person on-site as the duty holder . This recognizes the responsibility of an electrician to take on the control of electrical safety for the whole construction site. 

At construction sites the most common electrical hazard is the grovmd fault electrical shock. A ground fault occurs when a hot electrical wire contacts a grounded enclosvu-e. In most situations, the fault will trip a circuit breaker or blow a fuse. However, if a break in the ground wire occurs, the worker would no longer be protected, unless a secondary safety measure is available. 

In October, 1994, OSHA kicked off its Focused Inspections Initiative for construction sites. If an inspector comes calling and you have implemented effective safety and health programs/plans, then you coidd receive a focused inspection. A focused inspection concentrates on the fom leading causes of death at construction sites falls from elevation struck-by, hit-by caught in/between and electrical hazards. This toolbox talk will concentrate on one of those hazards, caught in/between hazards. 

Chapter 24 Engineering science (J.R. Ridley) 479 Chapter 25 Fire precautions (Dr P. Waterhouse) 500 Chapter 26 Machinery hazards (Professor R. T. Booth) 555 Chapter 27 Mechanical handling (K. G. Pearson) 577 Chapter 28 Electricity (E. G. Hooper) 603 Chapter 29 Statutory engineering inspections (E. S. Long) 622 Chapter 30 Safety on construction sites (A. Pinder) 650 Chapter 31 Safe use of chemicals (S. Bradley) 679... 

This standard permits you to repair an extension cord, under the conditions set forth, provided the cord is a flexible cord that is No. 12 or larger. Additionally, 1926.403(a) requires all electrical conductors used by employers on a construction site to be approved. Section 1926.449 defines approved as Acceptable to the authority enforcing this subpart. The authority enforcing this subpart is the Assistant Secretary of Labor for the Occupational Safety and Health. The definition of acceptable indicates what is acceptable to the Assistant Secretary of Labor, and therefore approved within the meaning of this subpart. ... 

The Construction (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1996 deal with the main hazards likely to be found on a construction site. In addition to these specific hazards, there will be the more general hazards (e.g. manual handling, electricity, noise etc) which are discussed in more detail in other chapters. The hazards and controls identified in the Construction Regulations are as follows. 

A detailed account of this topic is given in the HSE publication Electrical Safety on Construction Sites (HSG 141) and only a summary will be given here. 

Electrical safety on construction sites, HSG141, 1995, HSE Books... 

The Construction (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1996 were made on 14 June 1990 and came into force on 2 September 1996 to implement part of Directive 92157/EC and should be read in conjunction with the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations. There are no specific electrical requirements, but Regulation 17 states that plant and equipment has to be safe and maintained in a safe condition. This would include the electrical installation. Standards for electrical installations on construction sites are explained in Chapter 11. 

Subsection 611-03 recognises that many installations do not have isolating switches and are fed from the supply company s combined cut-out, neutral link and sealing box on the end of the service cable, so in such cases electrical maintenance is restricted to qualified persons. The restriction does not apply to relamping if an isolating switch is available. Supplies are sometimes taken from street furniture to feed temporary installations such as market stalls, Christmas decorative street lighting and small roadworks. Subsection 611-06 requires no impairment of the safety of the permanent installation so it must not be overloaded and the connection must be safe. The temporary installation should comply generally with section 604 for construction sites. 

From an historical perspective, the problem with electrical safety on construction sites largely began after World War II when portable electric tools, electrically powered plant and electric lighting came into general site use. Up until the 1960s, there was no purpose-designed electrical distribution system available, so the main contractor would usually ask the electrical subcontractor to provide a minimum installation at minimal cost. 

BS 4363 Distribution units for electricity supplies for construction and building sites, was issued in 1968, and was amended in 1992 for compatibility with BS EN 60439-4 1994. This standard specifies the equipment. In 1969 BS CP 1017 appeared. This was the code of practice which describes how the BS 4363 apparatus was to be installed and used. This code was subsequently amended and renumbered as BS 7375 1996. See also HSE guidance booklet HS(G)141 - Electric Safety on Construction Sites. 

If your career in the electrical industry is to be a long, happy and safe one, you must always wear appropriate PPE such as footwear and head protection, and behave responsibly and sensibly in order to maintain a safe working environment. Before starting work, make a safety assessment what is going to be hazardous, will you require PPE, do you need any special access equipment Construction sites can be hazardous because of the temporary nature of the construction process. TTie surroundings and systems are always changing as the construction process moves to its completion date when everything is finally in place. 

The demonstration plot of the experimental site should be constructed to evaluate the effectiveness of phytoremediation. The field activities consist of site mobilization, plot layout an construction, and soil sampling combined with other agricultural practices designed secifically for phytoremediation and adapted for the conditions present at the site. The activities has to be conducted in accodance with the personal protective equipment, level of protection, action levels and other health and safety practices, i.e. hazard analysis general safety reccomendations evaluation of the mechanical, electrical, fire hazards, gas and power lines, heat stress, noise, chemical hazards. 

Small-scale reactors have more advantages than large-scale reactors in variety of energy utilization, construction, maintenance and adoption of innovative technologies, while the latter have scale merits in construction cost. The nuclear energy utilization of small-scale reactors are ship propulsion, electricity generation, heat supply, and sea water desalination, etc. Construction and maintenance for small-scale reactors can be made in factories exclusive use for them, but not at the site of the plant. In small-scale reactors, the safety can be enhanced sometimes by new technologies. 

In accordance with the national program of nuclear power development, a complex of R D work is being carried out by the Russian design and scientific organisations on development of advanced power units of new generation with reactor plant WWER-lOOO/V-392. These units meet up-to-date national and international requirements for safety and economic efficiency of electric power production. Permission of the Gosatomnadzor RF has been issued for the construction of the forerunner unit of this design at Novovoronezh NPP site. 

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