PPE Requirements for Installing Temporary Protective Grounds

Paul Chamberlain, American Electrical Testing Co., LLCColumns, Safety Corner, Winter 2023 Columns

The purpose of using temporary protective grounds is to protect personnel servicing the equipment and to create a safe work environment. Before servicing a piece of electrical equipment, it is important to ensure that it is in a safe state and to verify zero voltage before applying temporary protective grounds. In many situations, more than one set of grounds or …

Seasonal Safety

Paul Chamberlain, American Electrical Testing Co., LLCColumns, Fall 2023 Columns, Safety Corner

It is said that spring is a time of new growth for Mother Nature, but it is also true for many man-made industries. It can be a time of heavy workload, especially for construction and related industries. Each season presents very real hazards that everyone must be made aware of.  It is a good idea to train employees about these …

Communicating Hazards Using a Pre-Job Brief

Paul Chamberlain, American Electrical Testing Co., LLCColumns, Safety Corner, Summer 2023 Columns

Protection from hazards always begins with proper prior planning. An important aid to planning a job correctly and thoroughly includes using a tool known throughout the industry as a pre-job brief (PJB). These tools are commonly used at tailboards or tailboard meetings in construction parlance, but no matter what they are called, they are all designed to help you do …

Rotating Machinery Hazard Awareness

Paul Chamberlain, American Electrical Testing Co., LLCColumns, Safety Corner, Spring 2023 Columns

Performing condition analysis or maintenance on rotating machinery is a hazardous task that requires an experienced individual who is capable of performing the duty and possesses a solid ability to identify any potential hazards and mitigate their risks.  Inadvertent injuries, such as crushed hands, arms, severed fingers, blindness, or death can occur from rotating machinery if extreme caution is not …

Programs, Policies, Manuals, Procedures, and Training

Paul Chamberlain, American Electrical Testing Co., LLCColumns, Safety Corner, Winter 2022 Columns

Several regulatory agencies direct which documents are required when performing a company’s tasks. In some cases, federal and state requirements must be adhered to for the same task or hazard. For example, in the United States, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) and state environmental agencies such as the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MA DEP) regulate potential environmental …

Battery Safety Concerns

Paul Chamberlain, American Electrical Testing Co., LLCSafety Corner, Columns, Fall 2022 Columns

The theme for this issue of NETA World is electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. EV vehicles are either wholly driven off battery power or, in the case of a hybrid, driven with battery and supplemented with a gas internal combustion engine. Let’s review some of the safety issues associated with batteries. One major concern when working with or around batteries …

Performing Personnel Audits

Paul Chamberlain, American Electrical Testing Co., LLCColumns, Safety Corner, Summer 2022 Columns

They are called many things — observations, audits, assessments — but they are all intended to accomplish the same task: Evaluate the people in the field performing the task at hand. Generally, you observe an employee doing a task, then audit or assess whether performance of the task meets expectation. These inspections can be performed by any level within a …

Vehicle Safety for the Workforce

Paul Chamberlain, American Electrical Testing Co., LLCColumns, Safety Corner, Spring 2022 Columns

Commuting to and from work by vehicle is a daily routine for many. The COVID pandemic has changed how some organizations operate, forcing many employees to work remotely, but for those who need to be on the job doing physical work, the commute never stopped. For some, driving to a jobsite, client sites, the shop, the parts supplier, and everything …

Hand Protection

Paul Chamberlain, American Electrical Testing Co., LLCColumns, Safety Corner, Winter 2021 Columns

Workers’ hands are the most commonly injured body part. Whether the hazard comes from rotating machinery, pinches between two materials, heat, chemicals, or electricity, your hands are under constant attack. Without them, every task would be difficult to perform. This article identifies the common hazards and risks to a worker’s hands as well as ways to mitigate injuries and promote …

Distracted Driving

Paul Chamberlain, American Electrical Testing Co., LLCColumns, Fall 2021 Columns, Safety Corner

People are easily distracted in a world filled with more distractions every day. In this day of modern technology, it is easy to get overwhelmed with the number of distracting devices out there, and these devices have encroached upon the driving environment. Cell phones are convenient means to communicate over long distances, but couple them with texting, email, internet, and …