There’s never a wrong time to put safety first. Every May, the Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI), a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting electrical safety in the home, school, and workplace, markets its annual campaign to educate key audiences about specific steps that can be taken to reduce the number of electrically related fires, fatalities, injuries, and property loss. In response, the team at EC&M has always dedicated our May issue to health and safety. However, that definitely doesn’t mean we only cover safety once a year. After the “National Electrical Code,” content on “electrical safety” topics consistently ranks as one of our audience’s most sought-after subject area searches on our website — and rightly so. As a result, we feature safety-related articles in every print issue, e-newsletter, and frequently online.
This month, we’ve got a full assortment of articles that puts safety front and center. Starting with the cover story, John Kostick, an industry veteran, master electrician, and volunteer firefighter, chronicles some of his most “Frightening Finds” on the job, offering a fascinating look at some seriously scary electrical blunders the installer before him left behind. I’m betting many of you have similar shocking scenarios like this to share. If so, please drop me an email at [email protected]. One thing we’ve determined from all of the feedback we’ve received from our safety content over the years is that learning from others’ mistakes can really make a difference because it helps to prevent similar tragedies from happening in the future. That’s the underlying focus of our Forensic Casebook department. Taking an in-depth look at specific electrical accidents from a forensic engineering perspective, this column demonstrates real-life consequences of carelessness, shortcuts, or failure to follow proper safety procedures. Most of all, it gives a face and a voice to the victims, telling their stories and reinforcing how critical safety is in the electrical industry. In “The Case of the Deadly Downed Power Line,” the Kentucky FACE Program goes over the contributing factors that led to the electrocution of an employee surveying utility pole placement as well as offers three recommendations to prevent a similar incident. Next we have “OSHA’s Top 10 Violations of 2020.” Although this annual list historically tends to highlight mostly “repeat offenders” when it comes to the most common violations, our readers still like to see which categories maintained their positions, contemplate why certain ones went up or down in the rankings, and reflect on what we as an industry can do better to reduce these numbers — notice that the totals decreased from 2019 to 2020. And don’t miss Electrical Consultant Mark Lamendola’s “Six Ways to Make Lockout/Tagout More Efficient.” Offering real-world tips for properly identifying all related energy sources in a work environment, this piece walks readers through best practices for preventing human error when performing this ever-important task.
In addition to this month’s print content, EC&M also recently wrapped up a great members-only webinar on “Arc Flash Myths: Fact or Fiction” in which the presenter, Tommy Northcott, PE, a senior power engineer and branch manager with Jacobs Technology, discussed when and where arc flash hazards exist, how to determine what type of PPE to wear in what conditions, outlined the impact of maintenance on risk, examined employee and employer responsibilities for ensuring the safest work environment, and dispelled some of the most comment misconceptions out there to set the record straight. If you haven’t already, I highly recommend that you register for and view this free webinar, which is currently available on demand on our website.
