Staying Safe At Work: How To Maintain Vigilance Around Electricity

It’s easy to get complacent about the risks of working onsite. Steve Chadwick of Master Electricians Australia discusses the importance of electrical safety.

According to Safe Work Australia, in 2021 there were 194 workplace fatalities in Australia. While only a small percentage of these occurred as a direct result of electrocution, any work-related death is an alarming and unnecessary loss. Master Electricians Australia is working with the industry to create awareness and provide access to tools like safety guidelines and procedures to avoid future risks and fatalities. 

Electrical safety and the law

Each state and territory in Australia has Workplace Health & Safety and Electrical legislation in place to protect workers from becoming another statistic. Codes of Practice and Compliance Codes are guidelines which helps to achieve standards set out in Acts and Regulations. Below are the Codes of Practice appropriate to isolation, safety tag and lock out procedures: 

• How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks – ACT, NSW, NT, QLD, SA and TAS
• Managing Electrical Risks in the Workplace – ACT, NSW, QLD, SA and TAS
• Safe Low Voltage Work Practices by Electricians 

At any workplace, risks must be assessed before the start of onsite tasks or activity. The Electrical Safety Legislation requires that the electricity supply must be isolated from an installation or equipment prior to work commencing, unless an unacceptable risk is imposed on a worker or the community by isolating the electricity supply. Examples of the only risks that will enable live work are: 

• Non-conclusive test results obtained when the electrical supply is cut off from the installation or equipment. Thus, live testing would be required. 
• Live work deemed necessary in the interests of safety, example, maybe a major risk to the community over and above the risks that the worker would be exposed to. 
• Any tasks that could result in widespread outage — this risk is generally used by electricity entities. 

Risk control

The risk control hierarchy used when isolating supply (QLD Code of Practice for Managing Work Health and Safety Risks 2011) is as follows:

1. Elimination – Removal of the electrical energy which has the potential to cause ventricular fibrillation of the heart and burns to the skin
2. Isolation – creating a gap in the electrical circuit, which prevents electrical energy reaching to the isolated parts
3. Engineering – Use of a secure locking device, individually keyed and of robust construction
4. Administration – Application of a tag to the isolation device warning others of the potential risk if the device is closed and conducting a written risk assessment prior to work commencing
5. PPE – Use of appropriate personal protective equipment. 

Eliminating Electrical Energy 

If the electrical supply to equipment must be eliminated for the task to be performed, the electrical safety legislation dictates that the Employer/PCBU (person conducting a business or undertaking) must ensure the electrical equipment is tested by a competent person to determine whether the equipment is energised.

Testing to prove de-energised is live work, and therefore a Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS) must be developed for the work; a site risk assessment must also be completed before the work commences.  

Safety precautions 

No worker should ever assume the isolated electrical equipment will stay de-energised throughout the entire duration of electrical work. Safety precautions should always be carried out to ensure full protection of equipment and staff.

Safety precautions include:

• Full PPE (such as flame-retardant clothing)
• Suitable eye protection
• Rubber mats
• Insulating tools and gloves. 

If there is still a moderate risk, appointing a suitably trained and competent safety observer is always the recommended precaution. After leaving the work site for prolonged periods (lunch breaks, overnight or change of shifts), retesting the equipment to ensure it is still de-energised is another safety measure that must be followed. 

Risks of a live site

There is a possible risk that parts or conductors may become live while you’re working on site. 

This risk will most likely occur when:

• Breaking circuit neutral conductors
• Breaking Earth conductors
• Voltages from other circuits are induced which may not be significant to produce lethal currents but may cause the worker to lose concentration or balance leading to other injuries, example falling from height
• Conductive building parts may provide a return path to earth for the electrical current. Isolation from these parts will provide additional safety precautions under both normal and fault conditions

Induced or residual voltages may remain after isolating the supply. If this could occur, shorting and earthing of the conductors may be required.

There are several control measures that should be carried out to ensure heighted safety for all workers. Some of these include:

• Good lighting
• Clear pathways and work areas
• Removing distractions
• Evacuating unnecessary staff
• Install barricades.

Final testing and examination

Section 8 of AS/NZS 3000 provides the mandatory verification required when work is complete. Appropriate inspections and tests must be conducted to ensure the electrical equipment is electrically safe and will operate in all circumstances expected.

The testing may require evacuating all workers from the work area who are not necessary for the testing process. When live tests are to be performed, exclusion of these workers will enhance on site safety.

For further guidance and information on Isolation (Lock Out, Tag Out), contact your state or territory regulator.