Danny P. Liggett’s research while affiliated with Dupont and other places

This paper examines what it takes to improve the electrical safety culture in an organization. First, the components of a culture are examined and how any culture comes to be the norm is reviewed. Second, examples are given on how culture has already changed significantly by contrasting past and present work practices in electrical safety. Third, suggestions for concrete ways to make future improvements in electrical safety cultures are provided. A fundamental argument in this paper is that culture represents the sum total of what is commonly acceptable without examination. The culture is also driven by everyday observation and experience. In order to change the culture, there must be a redefinition of what is acceptable, followed by visible changes that everyone can experience and observe. Management owns the resulting culture, whether good or bad, because it sets standards for what behaviors are tolerable and acceptable. Therefore, the future of electrical safety will depend on how well management understands the risk and consequences of electrical work, and their responsibility in shaping and owning electrical safety policies and practices. Key elements addressed in this paper include management ownership of the electrical safety culture, busting the myth of “overcompliance,” integrating cultural drivers into an overall electrical safety program, and addressing the more difficult aspects of human performance in a fair manner.

Historically, electrical safety is managed within a construction project when the project has introduced electrical current to the site rather than in the design phase. Project management may have discussed electrical safety in the design phase. Without including construction management, some key issues of electrical safety may have been overlooked and can cause safety concerns during the actual building process. Construction projects should include electrical safety with prevention through design as a core design principle. Electrical Safety should begin upstream in the design process and follow through the entire lifecycle of the project. The paper proposes including construction management of electrical safety throughout the entire project. It will also cover three broad areas of concern: 1) Management of temporary and permanent electrical power during all phases of construction. 2) Electrical safety when moving from de-energized equipment to energized equipment, and safety during commissioning. 3) How the equipment and the relevant safe guards under the control of construction transfers to the control of commissioning and operations. Each of these areas should be planned, designed, and decided before construction begins. Through involvement of the contractor in the planning and design phases many incidents and safety concerns can be avoided. Also time and money can be saved through planning of equipment delivery, placement, and energizing.

Electrical safety incidents and injuries can be the result of inappropriate work behavior or what is referred to as “unsafe acts.” This occurs even though training and education have been provided on the electrical hazards and the possible consequences. Providing training to people is not enough to motivate them to follow the procedures. When unsupervised, those people who are aware of the hazards may still believe they are qualified to take risks because previous “unsafe acts” have not resulted in an incident. This presentation will provide information on what motivates people to intrinsically follow proper electrical safe procedures. By understanding these principles, human performance can be positively changed and the electrical work practices of personnel can be improved to consistently follow safe work procedures.

For more than 50 years, research has shown that a correlation exists between the number of incidents, injuries, and fatalities. Investigation into electrical incidents indicates that there is more to understand about the causal effect of the number of incidents occurring. Many electrical incidents are caused by undesirable actions of people. These are called unsafe acts. Why do people perform unsafe acts? Lack of experience, knowledge, or skills often come into play. What people believe about safety is another important component. The intent of this paper is to explore these relationships and to focus on unsafe behaviors and beliefs about safety. By investigating and using the actions outlined in this paper, fewer incidents will occur resulting in a decrease in injuries and fatalities.

Electrical safety incidents and injuries can be the result of inappropriate work behavior or what is referred to as “unsafe acts.” These occur although training and education have been provided on electrical hazards and their possible consequences. Providing training to people is not enough to motivate them to follow the procedures. When unsupervised, those people who are aware of the hazards may still believe that they are qualified to take risks because previous “unsafe acts” have not resulted in an incident. This paper will provide information on what motivates people to intrinsically follow proper electrical safety procedures. By understanding these principles, human performance can be positively changed, and the electrical work practices of personnel can be improved to consistently follow safe work procedures.

An electrical hazard analysis is often performed to understand the hazards of an electrical system in order to identify the personal protective equipment necessary to do work on that system. The typical electrical hazard analysis includes a shock hazard analysis and an arc flash analysis. In the industrial world, a hazard analysis is typically a more in-depth analysis of the hazards associated with a process involving hazardous chemicals and/or flammable materials. Numerous hazard analysis tools are available to understand process hazards and determine if the mitigation methods in place are adequate or whether additional levels of protection are needed. Utilizing these analysis tools to perform an electrical hazard analysis of the electrical distribution system of a facility greatly enhances understanding and knowledge of the hazards associated with the distribution system while providing a systematic method of risk and hazard reduction.

Having good procedures in place and having safe equipment are just two of the elements that are needed in having a good electrical safety program. People are the third element. People do not automatically, instinctively or intuitively follow the safe work practices contained in electrical safety procedures. They need to be led. How we lead and encourage people to be aware of the electrical hazards and to follow the procedures is important to changing the culture of electrical safety. Leadership is critically important in developing the willingness to use and apply electrical safe work practices developed by companies and organizations.

This paper will attempt to define what electrical safety leadership is and how it can be used to make significant changes. If there is to be continuing change in the electrical safety culture, there need to be leaders who are willing to take up the cause. Leadership is not something that is appointed or assigned, but is something that is earned as a result of knowledge, abilities, and commitment. Leadership is needed at the individual level, site level, corporate level, and societal level. Leaders need to be recruiting and developing other leaders to spread the level of influence in changing the electrical safety culture. Organizations such as the Petroleum Chemical Industry Committee (PCIC) and the Electrical Safety Workshop (ESW) should be developing electrical safety leaders. This paper will also attempt to outline some steps that can be taken to develop electrical safety leaders.

This presentation will cover Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCIs) as defined under OSHA General Industry Electrical Standard S29CFR1910, Subpart S [1], effective Oct 2008. These recent OSHA changes outline GFCI Requirements for General Industry temporary wiring installations that are used during construction-like activities including certain maintenance, remodeling or repair activities, involving buildings, structures or equipment. This General Industry rule also covers voltage other than 125 volt, single-phase receptacles (high voltage applications). We will present the history of GFCI Standards, GFCI internal make-up and knowledge that will save lives. We will also cover applications up to 600V, 80A, with examples from manufacturing/process plants, entertainment examples, municipal/institutional applications and more.