Electrical Troubleshooting Quiz

Various issues keep arising with mysterious causes

Various issues keep arising with mysterious causes. For example:

• A supervisor keeps finding empty boxes stacked up in front of a fire exit, but nobody saw who did it.
• During the monthly fire suppression system inspection, the inspecting tech found the supply valves had been shut off.
• During the PM on a critical production line, the tech found a jumper installed around an e-stop.

Each of these incidents puts people at risk for injury or even death. Obviously, your company's insurer would not be happy either. What can you do, electrically, to reduce the mystery level?

Monitoring will definitely help. You can install hidden cameras that have motion detection and visible cameras as a deterrent. Some store images that you can view later, while others work in real time and can be connected to your network.

If your facility doesn't have wireless access points for its network, it's behind the times. Install wireless routers and/or access points, set up a secure system, and add wireless webcams.

To solve problems like jumpered e-stops and other safety devices, enclose the terminations in a junction box equipped with an alarm and, if necessary, a lock.