Ten Safety Traps

It’s much easier to protect yourself from obvious dangers than from ones you actually have to look for. Many are just hidden from plain sight, such as a bear trap covered with twigs and leaves. Here are 10 to look for.

1. Ladder with a bad foot or bad rung. Often, the problem is a popped rivet or other connector. Nothing looks out of place to the casual eye. Before first use of a ladder, look at every joint to ensure nothing is broken or bent.
2. Damaged test leads. Whether the problem is a tip cover/boot that pulls off or a deep nick in the wire, it might look just fine when you go to use it.
3. Porous insulating gloves. Always check insulating gloves before pulling them on, because one small puncture can render them ineffective for protection. Don’t blow into them, though (this makes them moist inside); do the rollup test.
4. Danger in the dark. Russ, a multisite maintenance electrician, responded to a trouble call at a facility he had not visited in more than a year. He had to enter a dimly lit equipment room to access a particular cabinet. Someone had left a big heavy box of old parts and other junk on top of the cabinet. When Russ opened the cabinet door, it caught on the edge of the box and pulled it down on him. What was his first mistake? Not ensuring the room was adequately lit. His second mistake was not visually inspecting the entire work area for possible hazards.
5. Cord across the steps. If you must use steps across which someone has strung a portable cord, don’t just promise yourself that you will be careful. Yes, you will probably avoid tripping and then tumbling down the stairs while going one direction. But on the return trip you may not see the cord; you might be thinking over what you were just working on or you might “almost but not quite” step over it. Either pull it all the way to the back and tape it down, or unplug it and remove it.
6. Unsafe safety harness. The stitches can look fine and everything about it seem to be OK when you give it a visual inspection. However, a visual inspection is not a stress test. A safety harness does have an expiration date, even if you never use it. It’s usually 10 years if unused, half that if you take a few falls with it. An average-sized person falling in the typical scenario will generate close to 1,000 lb of force. A fall greatly exceeding that means you should replace the harness rather than use it again.
7. Flying debris. Safety glasses are intended to protect your eyes from objects or particles hitting you straight-on. Safety glasses with side shields improve on this. If you’re working in an environment where debris can come from any direction without notice, then wear safety goggles.
8. High voltage. To reduce energy waste, the plant electrical engineer began retrofitting motors with power factor correction capacitors. However, the way these were connected left a shock hazard for the electricians who would work on those motors. Per 460.8(C), such capacitors require a disconnecting means. It is also a good idea to label the motor terminal box (or wherever these capacitors are installed) to note the motor has PF capacitors.

However, the Code isn’t always followed and good ideas for labeling aren’t always implemented. Always assume PF capacitors are connected until you verify they aren’t.

9. Wrong breaker is isolated. Drawings can contain errors, and people can make mistakes in following correct drawings. After deenergization, test the circuit using the three-step method. First, test the meter by measuring a known energized conductor or terminal. Then measure the circuit under test. Then test the meter the same as you did in the first step. Unless the last step also shows voltage, then you can’t be sure the circuit has no voltage.
10. The tool bag feels full. This method is how conductive tools get left across terminals or bus bars, sometimes resulting in a spectacular display of molten copper blasting through a cinder block wall. Use tool caddies or pouches with dedicated spots for each tool. Before starting to work on the equipment, open the caddy or pouch and do a tool count. Note what, if anything, is missing.

Before reenergizing, repeat this tool count to ensure you have what you started with. If you don’t, then you’ll need to find what’s missing before you reenergize. You can add an additional layer of safety to this method by using insulated tools that are ANSI-specified for the voltage of that circuit. It is worthwhile to review ASTM F1505-01, Standard Specification for Insulated and Insulating Hand Tools.