# Basic Safety Classes



## wildleg (Apr 12, 2009)

you would think that would be the case. I guess some things never change . . . damn shame, too, because you are spot on !

Well, be careful, and pick up all the tips you can, but for starters -

-always verify with your own meter using live-dead-live that the conductors/equipment you are working on are dead or don't touch them.
-never walk backwards (ever)
-never get between a machine and a hard place, under a load, between a load and a hard place, and always make sure an operator sees you when near any equipment. always keep an eye on the equipment even if they do see you when near it.
-never get in an unshored ditch
-always look around 360 degrees and up and below when walking through any work area
-always make sure you have all the required safety equipment on and are wearing it properly 
-don't operate equipment unless you have been trained or certified on it
-always have an escape plan in case something goes terribly wrong, know where the safe exits are, know where the fire extinguishers are, etc.

well, that's all that came off the top of my head. good luck.


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## Black Dog (Oct 16, 2011)

ggrumpy said:


> Sorry if this is already covered...As a new commercial apprentice, I would think there are safety classes required before going to work in the field. May be i'm just being over cautious. Any suggestions or past experience would be helpful.


Your boss should have gave you a pair, they have lots of them at HD however and you should just wear them all the time on the job.

Remember you can only lose a eye twice.....


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## gnuuser (Jan 13, 2013)

wildleg said:


> you would think that would be the case. I guess some things never change . . . damn shame, too, because you are spot on !
> 
> Well, be careful, and pick up all the tips you can, but for starters -
> 
> ...



this probably falls under protective equipment but add a chastity belt (to keep someone from nailing your butt):laughing:

good info there wildleg 

to add your eyes and ears are a valuable asset look and listen carefully
never rush into things because being in a hurry will cause you to overlook the obvious.

be methodical in your observations look for the causes of the problem.
automation systems generally are interlinked in function. requiring certain conditions to be met before the next action.
talk to operators and find out exactly how a machine is acting and how it should act. ( this seriously narrows the field of things that you will need to troubleshoot)


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## Michigan Master (Feb 25, 2013)

Black Dog said:


> Your boss should have gave you a pair, they have lots of them at HD however and you should just wear them all the time on the job.
> 
> Remember you can only lose a eye twice.....


Safety glasses are _very_ important but I believe the OP asked about safety classes, not safety glasses. 

Think you might need to upgrade to prescription glasses. :laughing:


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## Black Dog (Oct 16, 2011)

Michigan Master said:


> Safety glasses are _very_ important but I believe the OP asked about safety classes, not safety glasses.
> 
> Think you might need to upgrade to prescription glasses. :laughing:


I think a break a pair about once a week....:laughing:


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## Michigan Master (Feb 25, 2013)

ggrumpy said:


> Sorry if this is already covered...As a new commercial apprentice, I would think there are safety classes required before going to work in the field. May be i'm just being over cautious. Any suggestions or past experience would be helpful.


Wildleg gave some real good general safety tips. Always be aware of your surroundings! There's a lot hazards out there other than just electrical. 

Very common training courses are the OSHA 10hr. and 30hr. classes for construction or general industry; these cover a fairly broad range of topics and, if required, should be covered by your employer. There is also safety training required by OSHA _specifically_ for employees who face electrical hazards. 

Your boss may not plan on having you exposed to too many hazards initially; just because your first day (or several weeks) isn't spent in formal training doesn't mean he has no intention of providing it. Also _how_ training is administered is largely determined by your employer and generally acceptable providing it is effective in creating a safe work environment.


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## ggrumpy (Sep 30, 2014)

Thank you all for the great advice. I will always consider the power on and treat it with the utmost respect. "Slow is fast and fast is slow" is my motto when it comes working around electricity. I will take the time to listen to those with experience and take notes in a small note pad, and hope that I learn something new every day.


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## Destined_Sparky (Sep 16, 2014)

Get OSHA-10 certified


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## Zog (Apr 15, 2009)

Your company is required to provide NFPA 70E training


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## ggrumpy (Sep 30, 2014)

Are they required to provide it in a set time frame or prior to working in the field ?


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## Michigan Master (Feb 25, 2013)

You should be trained _before_ being exposed to the hazard.

OSHA is the enforcing agency and states in 29 CFR 1910.335(a)(1)(i) that, “_employees working in areas where there are potential electrical hazards shall be provided with and shall use electrical protective equipment that is appropriate for the specific parts of the body to be protected and for the work to be performed_.” OSHA specifies what to do, but not really how to comply; they instead defer to the NFPA-70E which is the national consensus standard for electrical safety in the workplace.

After initial training, employees must be provided with update training every 3 years. Additional training is also to be provided whenever supervision or annual inspection indicates an employee is not following electrical safety-related work practices, or when new technology, equipment, or changes in procedure occur.


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## Soviet Hawk (Apr 19, 2014)

One that people really forget and don't notice it till they are old but don't forget your hearing protection. If I remember correctly it is about 80-90 decibel range will cause permanent hearing damage that you usually wont notice till old age. Even low decibel sounds (like 50-60) over a long period of time can cause the same damage. 

Another one is don't trust people when it comes to power, I have heard of people sending someone to kill the breaker and they turned the wrong one off so they get fried. Granted you should be doing your tests but you only get one chance with electricity, if you are lucky two. Always confirm the power is locked out and off with your own eyes. 

Now depending on where you are there may be variations on working on live equipment but don't be afraid to refuse work if it is live. A lot of people may not like that but they won't be the ones dead if you screw up. Plus it is a rule in the Canadian code book so not sure if it applies to the American code book.



> 2-304 No repairs or alterations shall be carried out on any live equipment except where complete disconnection of the equipment is not feasible.


If another trade says if you turn off the power and they can't work then just work something out.


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## ggrumpy (Sep 30, 2014)

A majority of my companies work is maintaing up and running businesses, so most work is live and turning it off is not an option.


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## V-Dough (Jul 22, 2014)

1. Do not work live unless you have to.
- if you do make sure you have electrical gloves and safety glasses if you working on small stuff away from the source (receptacle, light fixture)
- anything bigger ARC flash gear is a must (FR clothing, face shield...)
- make sure the meter you're using has a proper CAT rating for the voltage you're working with

2. Use your common sense - if it seems dangerous it probably is, do not be scared to refuse unsafe work.

3. Keep work area clean

4. Ask for fall protection training (a little booklet that teaches you how to use ladders properly and how to use fall arrest systems)

5. Ask, ask, ask. How to use tools? What's the best way to do something? etc. There are no stupid questions just stupid answers


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## Michigan Master (Feb 25, 2013)

ggrumpy said:


> A majority of my companies work is maintaing up and running businesses, so most work is live and turning it off is not an option.


No it is an option, it just takes a little more coordination. There are only several exceptions to live work outlined by OSHA, and this info is also covered in 70E training.


> *29 CFR 1910.333(a)(1)* Live parts to which an employee may be exposed shall be deenergized before the employee works on or near them, unless the employer can demonstrate that deenergizing introduces additional or increased hazards or is infeasible due to equipment design or operational limitations. Live parts that operate at less than 50 volts to ground need not be deenergized if there will be no increased exposure to electrical burns or to explosion due to electric arcs.
> 
> *Note 1:* Examples of increased or additional hazards include interruption of life support equipment, deactivation of emergency alarm systems, shutdown of hazardous location ventilation equipment, or removal of illumination for an area.
> 
> ...


A good article and some similar discussion in this thread.
http://www.electriciantalk.com/f12/electrician-critical-condition-after-arc-flash-walmart-71637/


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## Michigan Master (Feb 25, 2013)

Here are a couple of OSHA citations from last month; the first is for lack of crane safety training, and the second one is for failure to de-energize while installing emergency lighting.

*Massachusetts Bay Electrical Corp. cited for safety violations in connection with 2 worker fatalities on Cape Cod, Massachusetts*
_Employer failed to ensure proper crane operation and employee training_
Sept. 24, 2014 
https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=NEWS_RELEASES&p_id=26754

*Employee injured while working at Oconee Fall Line Technical College;*
*Georgia electrical contractor cited for safety violations*
Sept. 22, 2014
https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=NEWS_RELEASES&p_id=26730


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## tripfox (Nov 18, 2013)

Why am I seeing comments about safety glasses and equipment? He was talking about safety classes. I think the right answer to his question is NO, you're not being over cautious. I believe that it is necessary to take safety classes for that field.


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## RIVETER (Sep 26, 2009)

ggrumpy said:


> Sorry if this is already covered...As a new commercial apprentice, I would think there are safety classes required before going to work in the field. May be i'm just being over cautious. Any suggestions or past experience would be helpful.


Asking questions and being cautious are good qualities. I worked at Ford and in a different department on a weekend job; They told me that safety glasses were not required where I was working. YEAH!!!, I thought. I was drilling a 1/8th" hole in a valve panel. The bit snapped and stuck in my eye. Sometimes safety is just up to you.


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## wcord (Jan 23, 2011)

ggrumpy said:


> Sorry if this is already covered...As a new commercial apprentice, I would think there are safety classes required before going to work in the field. May be i'm just being over cautious. Any suggestions or past experience would be helpful.


Caution is good.
We go over basic safety before new apprentices go into the field. Safety glasses and hard hats are provided before they walk onto a site.


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## Phatstax (Feb 16, 2014)

Always assume everything around you is energized. Always assume that everyone around you is not paying attention. Always watch your back, AND your toolies back. I saw a guy almost tip over an elevated scissor lift on Saturday because he assumed the floor around him was clear, as he rolled up on some sprinkler pipes staged a few moments before. The scary part was his toolie was not paying attention, he was checking his phone to see if it was break time. The lift would have crushed him. 
My toolie was the ground mans room mate and we almost watched his friend die.


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## gnuuser (Jan 13, 2013)

Soviet Hawk said:


> One that people really forget and don't notice it till they are old but don't forget your hearing protection. If I remember correctly it is about 80-90 decibel range will cause permanent hearing damage that you usually wont notice till old age. Even low decibel sounds (like 50-60) over a long period of time can cause the same damage.
> 
> Another one is don't trust people when it comes to power, I have heard of people sending someone to kill the breaker and they turned the wrong one off so they get fried. Granted you should be doing your tests but you only get one chance with electricity, if you are lucky two. Always confirm the power is locked out and off with your own eyes.
> 
> ...


85 decibles in an 8 hour time frame (weighted average)
and i echo the above statement always confirm the power is locked out 
and apply your own lock and lockout hasp


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## derekwalls (Dec 18, 2012)

Phatstax said:


> Always assume everything around you is energized. Always assume that everyone around you is not paying attention. Always watch your back, AND your toolies back. I saw a guy almost tip over an elevated scissor lift on Saturday because he assumed the floor around him was clear, as he rolled up on some sprinkler pipes staged a few moments before. The scary part was his toolie was not paying attention, he was checking his phone to see if it was break time. The lift would have crushed him.
> My toolie was the ground mans room mate and we almost watched his friend die.


I was involved a few years ago when my partner wasn't paying attention to machinery and had gotten pinned. Luckily he wasn't mortally injured. He had his back turned to the material moving along the shipping table. Long story short, he almost lost his life installing a hoffman box for a 10 ft 3/4" conduit run for a pump that hasn't been used yet. 
I can't stress the fact to always watch your back. Better yet; don't turn your back to something hazardous if you have the option, which I'm sure you do. In the words of the production manager on the day my buddy got hurt; "Don't turn your ass to the path." I still hear those words when I walk out into unknown work areas.


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## Michigan Master (Feb 25, 2013)

derekwalls said:


> I was involved a few years ago when my partner wasn't paying attention to machinery and had gotten pinned. Luckily he wasn't mortally injured. He had his back turned to the material moving along the shipping table. Long story short, he almost lost his life installing a hoffman box for a 10 ft 3/4" conduit run for a pump that hasn't been used yet.
> I can't stress the fact to always watch your back. Better yet; don't turn your back to something hazardous if you have the option, which I'm sure you do. In the words of the production manager on the day my buddy got hurt; "Don't turn your ass to the path." I still hear those words when I walk out into unknown work areas.


Being alert is always important; however, it sounds as if perhaps more than that was warranted in this situation - such maybe awareness barriers, mechanical guarding, or equipment lockout.


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## derekwalls (Dec 18, 2012)

Michigan Master said:


> Being alert is always important; however, it sounds as if perhaps more than that was warranted in this situation - such maybe awareness barriers, mechanical guarding, or equipment lockout.


There were no guards at the time of the incident but they added all sorts of handrails and signs. They also implemented a factory wide work permit that still applies to all contractors to this day.


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