If you’ve got electricity, you might be at risk
Download the new free
OSSA Electrical Safety Checklist (.pdf, 138 kb)
for a helpful checklist overview of what you need to
be aware about in your workplace.
As part of its “Safe at Work Ontario” enforcement strategy, the Ministry of Labour (MOL) is launching a series of blitzes to reduce hazards common to Ontario workplaces. On the radar for November, 2008: Electrical Hazards.
Since 1998 there have been 69 workers killed, 263 critically injured and 844 workers who received more than minor injuries as a result of electrical hazards.
About half of these incidents involved workers who were working on electrical equipment while it was energized. This included 28 workers who were killed and 255 who received serious burns from “arc flash” (an electrical explosion). Other causes of injury involved malfunctioning meters, faulty equipment and using equipment in close proximity to live electricity.
Who among service sector firms should be concerned?
MOL inspectors will be on the lookout for firms that use electricity in their place of business—that’s right, everybody. The very fact that hydro is so commonplace is what puts employers who become complacent, and their employees, at risk. Indeed, service sector firms are far from immune, as the fast food provider whose young worker was electrocuted when he changed an advertising sign last August, can attest. Other areas of exposure include:
What you need to know before the MOL comes calling:
Know the four types of injuries that result from electrical hazards—electrocution, shock, burns, and falls from ladders and other high places—and the variety of ways they can occur. Next, determine what customized solutions you need to implement in your workplace to prevent these injuries from happening. MOL inspectors will be checking to see if you:
1). Are aware of all electricity hazards in your workplace;
2). Have assessed the hazards;
3). Have implemented effective controls to protect staff.
Don’t walk this road alone:
The Ontario Service Safety Alliance (OSSA) is your WSIB-approved provider of health and safety solutions, and your trusted and confidential advisor in achieving a common goal: helping you build a durable health and safety culture in your organization. Call OSSA at 1-888-478-6772 or email info@ossa.com.
Download the new free OSSA Electrical Safety Checklist (.pdf, 138 kb) for a helpful checklist overview of what you need to be aware about in your workplace.
That an occupational health clinic will monitor a worker's exposure to many chemicals.
