One way to think of job safety is that it’s a game workers play with management to see what they can get by with so safety doesn’t interfere with getting work done. This approach is noted for its success in getting people killed.
Another way to think of job safety is it’s a process by which you determine what the hazards are and how to protect yourself against them so that work may proceed safely. This approach is noted for its success in preventing injuries and fatalities.
For some people, picking between these two strategies is a hard choice. Those people do not belong in the electrical industry. For those who pick the winning strategy, NFPA 70E helps by requiring the electrical safety program to have a risk assessment procedure [110.1(H)].
The procedure must:
- Provide the process for identifying the risks, assessing the hazards, and implementing risk control [110.1(H)(1)].
- Address potential human error [110.1(H)(2)].
- Require that risk be controlled by elimination, substitution, and/or engineering controls; and in that particular order [110.1(H)(3)].
Also listed in 110(H) are awareness, administrative controls, and PPE. And the four Informational Notes at the end of 110H are helpful both for those writing the procedure and those implementing it in the field.
