Deenergizing Lines & Equipment

 

Before starting work on power transmission/distribution systems, crews must determine existing conditions by inspection or test. One critical condition that must be determined is whether lines and equipment are energized or deenergized.

Deenergizing lines and equipment

When deenergizing lines/equipment operated in excess of 600 volts, and the means of disconnecting from electric energy is not visibly open or visibly locked out, the following rules apply:

·               The particular section of line or equipment to be deenergized must be clearly identified, and it must be isolated from all sources of voltage.

·               Notification and assurance from a designated employee must be obtained that:

-        All switches/disconnectors through which electrical energy may be supplied to the particular section of line or equipment to be worked on have been deenergized.

-        All switches/disconnectors are plainly tagged indicating that employees are at work.

-        Where the design of the switches and disconnectors permits, they have been rendered inoperable.

·               After all designated switches and disconnectors have been opened, rendered inoperable, and tagged, visual inspection or tests must be conducted to ensure that equipment or lines have been deenergized.

·               Protective grounds must be applied on the disconnected lines/equipment to be worked on.

·               Guards or barriers must be erected as necessary to adjacent energized lines.

·               When more than one independent crew requires the same line or equipment to be deenergized, a prominent tag for each crew must be placed on the line or equipment by the designated employee in charge.

·               When completed with work on deenergized lines or equipment, designated employees in charge must determine that all employees in their crew are clear, that protective grounds installed by their crew have been removed, and they report to the designated authority that all tags protecting their crew may be removed.

When a crew working on a line or equipment can clearly see that the means of disconnecting from electric energy are visibly open or visibly locked-out, the following provisions will apply:

·               Guards or barriers must be erected as necessary to adjacent lines.

·               Upon completion of work on deenergized lines or equipment, each designated employee in charge must determine that all employees in their crew are clear, that protective grounds installed by their crew have been removed, and they must report to the designated authority that all tags protecting their crew may be removed.

Electrical Safety for Construction

 

Exposed junction box wiring, damaged extension cords, and temporary set-ups are just some of the electrical hazards construction workers face daily. And electricity can be deadly, expos¬ing you to such dangers as shock, electrocution, fires, and explosions.

According to the Bureau of Labor (BLS) statistics, 486 workers died in 1995 from electrocution. Contact with electrical current killed 347 employees while contact with overhead power lines killed 139 more. Approximately eighty-three of these deaths were construction workers.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has recognized the important role of the National Electric Code (NEC) in defining basic requirements for safety in electrical installations.

In 1986 OSHA updated the construction electrical regulations (29 CFR Subpart K), by pull¬ing requirements from the 1984 NEC that directly affect employees in construction work¬places, and placing them in construction rules.

Your employer is required to provide you with training in safe electrical work practices, and has a duty to provide hazard-free equipment and work situations.
The OSHA electrical regulations for construction are located in Subpart K of 29 CFR 1926. The rules are divided into four major groups:

In 1986 OSHA updated the construction electrical regulations (29 CFR Subpart K), by pulling requirements from the 1984 NEC that directly affect employees in construction workplaces, and placing them in construction rules.

Your employer is required to provide you with training in safe electrical work practices, and has a duty to provide hazard-free equipment and work situations.
The OSHA electrical regulations for construction are located in Subpart K of 29 CFR 1926. The rules are divided into four major groups:

Part I—Safety requirements for installing and using equipment
Sections 29 CFR 1926.402-.408 contain installation safety requirements for electrical equip¬ment, and installations used to provide electric power and lights at jobsites.

These sections apply to installations, both temporary and permanent. They do not apply to existing permanent installations that were there before the construction started.

Part I contains requirements for: (1) approval of electrical components, (2) examination, installation, and use of electrical equipment, (3) guarding of electrical equipment, (4) overcurrent protection, and (5) grounding of equipment connected by cord and plug (extension cords).

Part II—Safety related work practices is critical for: (1) protection of employees, (2) passageways and open spaces, and (3) lockout and tagging of circuits.

Part III—Safety related maintenance and environmental considerations covers the protection of wiring components and the environmental deterioration of equipment.

Part IV—Safety requirements for special equipment covers batteries and battery charging, personal protective equipment, and emergency eyewash stations.

Safety should be foremost in your mind when working with electrical equipment. You face hazards from jobsite conditions, your tools, and the electricity that powers them.

Rigger Training

 

OSHA’s subpart CC, Cranes and Derricks in Construction, requires riggers to be qualified to perform their job.

Qualified rigger required

Employers must use qualified riggers during hoisting activities for assembly and disassembly work. Additionally, qualified riggers are required whenever workers are within the fall zone and hooking, unhooking, or guiding a load, or doing the initial connection of a load to a component or structure.

Qualified rigger criteria

A qualified rigger is a rigger who meets the criteria for a qualified person. Employers must determine whether a person is qualified to perform specific rigging tasks. Each qualified rigger may have different credentials or experience. A qualified rigger is a person that:

·               Possesses a recognized degree, certificate, or professional standing; or

·               Has extensive knowledge, training, and experience; and

·               Can successfully demonstrate the ability to solve problems related to rigging loads.

The person designated as the qualified rigger must have the ability to properly rig the load for a particular job. It does not mean that a rigger must be qualified to do every type of rigging job.

Each load that requires rigging has unique properties that can range from the simple to the complex. For example, a rigger may have extensive experience in rigging structural components and other equipment to support specific construction activities. Such experience may have been gained over many years.

However, this experience does not automatically qualify the rigger to rig unstable, unusually heavy, or eccentric loads that may require a tandem lift, multiple-lifts, or use of custom rigging equipment. In essence, employers must make sure the person can do the rigging work needed for the exact types of loads and lifts for a particular job with the equipment and rigging that will be used for that job.

Do qualified riggers need to be trained or certified?

Riggers do need to be properly trained, but they do not have to be certified by an accredited organization or assessed by a third party. Employers may choose to use a third party entity to assess the qualifications of the rigger candidate, but they are not required to do so.

Is a certified crane operator a qualified rigger?

A certified crane operator does not necessarily meet the requirements of a qualified rigger. Determining whether a person is a qualified rigger is based on the nature of the load, lift, and equipment used to hoist that load plus that person’s knowledge and experience. A certified/qualified crane operator may meet the requirements of a qualified rigger, depending on the operator’s knowledge and experience with rigging.