Electrical Safety

Electrical Safety Program

The purpose of the Electrical Safety Program is to prevent electric shock or other injuries resulting from either direct or indirect electrical contacts, when work is performed near or on equipment or circuits which are or may be energized.

Scope

The scope of the Electrical Safety Program includes employees who may be exposed to electrical hazards from working on, near or with the following:

  • Any appliance or piece of equipment that uses electricity, either energized or de-energized.
  • The wiring/circuits that supply this equipment, including the building and premises wiring, wiring for connection to electrical supply from the point of use back to the point of generation.
  • Installations of other outside contractors and optical fiber cable.
definitions

Qualified Person – anyone with specialized training in avoiding the electrical hazards of working on or near exposed energized parts. OSHA defines “qualified” as one who, by possession of a recognized degree, certificate, or professional standing, or who by extensive knowledge, training and experience, has successfully demonstrated his/her ability to solve or resolve problems relating to the subject matter, the work, or the project. No Facilities Operations employee is considered qualified unless he or she has been formally trained and designated as such by the Director of the Lafayette College Facilities Operations Department.

Unqualified Person – anyone who may be exposed to the risk of electric shock in their duties, but is not permitted to work on or near exposed energized parts.

responsibilities

Department Heads will ensure that appropriate supervisors and employees are trained and knowledgeable in electrical safety as required by this standard. They will also be familiar with this SOP and OSHA’s electrical safety standards, follow the steps of the SOP, and hold Supervisors accountable for following this SOP.

Supervisors will ensure that employees are trained according to the requirements of OSHA’s electrical safety standard and the training section of this SOP. Supervisors must also document the training on a training roster, keeping a copy and returning the original to Public Safety, and follow the steps of this SOP.

Environmental, Health & Safety will review and update the College’s Electrical Safety Program annually.

Exposed employees will attend training as required, and follow the guidelines of electrical safety.

training

Training required by this program can either be classroom or on-the-job. The degree of training provided is determined by the risk type to the employee (e.g., qualified or unqualified).

topics covered by Electrical safety program
  • Selection and Use of Electrical Safety Work Practices
  • Use of Portable Electric Equipment
  • Electric Power and Lighting Circuits
  • Safeguards for Personnel Protection
Appendices
  • Appendix A – Electrical Hazards
  • Appendix B – Electrical Hazard Prevention
  • Appendix C – Capacitor Discharge
  • Appendix D – Electrical Fires
  • Appendix E – Ground Fault Circuit Interruptors (GFIs)
  • Appendix F – Extension Cords