Safety Bulletin: Electrical Hazards
Incident #1
An employee was removing 277-volt, 2×4 light fixtures and re-lock power cables from a ceiling. The employee applied excessive force on a relock cable to disconnect it from a ceiling wire, causing the internal wiring to come into contact with a metal junction box. The re-lock was energized, which resulted in a fault that tripped the main breaker, shutting down power to the entire building. Fortunately, no one was injured. It was determined that proper Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) procedures were not followed prior to beginning work, zero voltage verification was not conducted, and the employee failed to adhere to the established demolition policy, all of which could have prevented the incident.
Incident #2
An Encore Journeyman was working in a ceiling junction box, and his foreman instructed him to check all wires to make sure that all conductors were deenergized. The journeyman self-admittedly did not take the time to touch and test all the conductors, as instructed, and just waved his Fluke pen tester thorough the junction box. Unfortunately, a circuit had been missed in the lock out/tagout process, and our electrician received a shock from a 277-volt circuit.
Lessons Learned & Demo Policy Update:
These incidents highlight the critical importance of verifying that all electrical conductors and equipment are to be considered energized until proven otherwise.
- Zero Voltage Verification: Prior to any work, all circuits and electrical equipment must be tested and verified de-energized by a qualified electrician. No assumptions should be made based on previous work or communication that any part of the circuit or equipment is deenergized.
- Verification Before Proceeding: Electricians should never proceed with electrical installation or demo work unless they have received explicit confirmation that circuits are de-energized through Encore’s LOTO procedures and then verifying with our zero voltage verification procedures.
- Controlled Disconnection: Electricians must use the correct disconnection methods for all electrical components, including relock systems. Excessive force should never be applied to connectors.
- Update to Demolition Policy: A bullet point has been added to Encore’s current demo policy which reads as follows, “Conduct a meeting with the general contractor to review Encore Electric’s demo policy and scope, ensuring alignment of safety and project expectations.”
Ensuring strict adherence to Encore’s lockout/tagout, zero voltage verification and demo policies will eliminate any electrical incidents and improve overall safety on-site.
Stay safe, stay aware, and “if you can touch it, test it”!