Installing electrical systems in high-risk areas can be challenging. These areas may have overhead and buried power lines and heavy electrical loads in many cases. Therefore, people working in these places need to wear protective clothing, such as safety boots, to avoid electrocution and other hazards.
More than that, adequate guidance and ongoing training are required for the layout of electrical systems in hazard-prone areas. Suppose you are planning to work in high-risk zones, such as drilling and pipe laying, soon.
If so, continue reading this article because it will help you learn ways to work safely and appropriately in the positions mentioned in the oil and gas job boom information and other advertisements. So, keep reading!
1. Ground all power supplies and equipment
Grounding your electrical equipment is vital to prevent current from passing through the worker's body. Electricity usually comes from broken or faulty lines, but it can also come directly from equipment if it is not grounded. To avoid this, you may need to ground all of your equipment.
In some cases, grounded but faulty equipment can be dangerous. Because of this, it may be necessary to discard the faulty equipment or have it repaired as quickly as possible. Avoid removing the grounding prongs from your equipment plug for safety reasons. You can also opt for double-insulated equipment to reduce grounding and electrical hazards.
2. Identify and label hazards
A risk assessment helps you identify the risky parts of your workspace. You can start with areas where power lines are hanging or buried. After that, you can inspect the sockets, lines and extensions. You can also include slippery spaces and leaky areas.
After the assessment, you can label the different hazards. When preparing labels, you might consider the following colors based on different risk levels:
- Red: for danger
- Yellow: for caution
- Orange: for warning
- Green: for safety
- Blue: for information
3. Only use equipment approved by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
To ensure that all of your equipment is in excellent working condition, you may consider purchasing and using OSHA-approved equipment. These are generally displayed through stickers or markings with the agency's name. Purchasing OSHA-approved equipment not only saves you the trouble of having low-quality and defective equipment, but it also ensures that your workplace will likely pass OSHA standards.
4. Clean and maintain equipment regularly
The use of well-cleaned and maintained equipment reduces the risk of accidents in the workplace, especially in high-risk areas. Furthermore, it also minimizes downtime and avoids frequent equipment maintenance, reducing maintenance costs. Furthermore, it helps workers to continue working without any hassle.
To maintain your equipment properly, you can practice the following:
- Check equipment for signs of damage
- Follow the manufacturer's instructions
- Test lubricants regularly. Add if necessary
- Use appropriate equipment
- Inspect equipment for wear, especially on exposed wires
- Schedule maintenance checks
- Record equipment trouble history, including commonly fixed sections and replaceable parts
5. Use appropriate cables
Different voltages require different types of power cords. When choosing the yarn you need, you may want to consider the following:
- Wire gauge
This refers to the carrying capacity or the amperage passing through the wire.
- Wire length
In many cases, the longer the wire, the more tension it can withstand. Additionally, long lines can neutralize voltage drop better than shorter lines, increasing amperage capacity.
- Flexibility
The more flexible the wire, the better it can be reshaped or bent into irregularly shaped spaces. For more ideas, you can refer to the following yarn flexibility levels:
- Solid core: less flexible in lower gauge wires, but more flexible in higher gauge types.
- Thick braided yarn: has medium flexibility and can be reshaped
- Finely braided yarn: highly flexible
6. Turn off the power supply if working
Before working on exposed wires and live electrical parts, de-energize them. You can turn off an area-specific power supply if you are working in a smaller space. However, you may consider turning off the main supply if you are working on lines in larger areas. This way, you can work freely and safely in high-risk areas, without exposing yourself to electrical risks.
7. Install physical barriers
You can apply a lockout and tagout policy to areas and lines with the highest risks for safer practice. This policy is a system where physical restrictions are installed around power supplies. You can add warning and warning signs to alert workers to potential hazards they may come into contact with.
- Use non-conductive tools
8. Use non-conductive tools
Whether installing, repairing a wire, or cleaning the area, an electrical engineer must always use non-conductive tools and accessories to ensure safety. This equipment usually has plastic or rubber handles and covers to prevent electrical hazards. In addition to these, many non-conductive tools come in extendable, plug-in, and clip-on tubular features that allow for long-distance tasks.
9. Inspect the area before and after electrical installation
Examining high-risk zones before and after installing wires and other peripherals ensures that risks are minimized during work to maximize safety. You can create an inspection plan similar to preventive maintenance for a more thorough and detailed inspection and process.
The plan may include a checklist that contains possible and common hazards that you need to address immediately. Additionally, you may also consider preparing a security manual to have a collective guidance that contains policies and procedures.
10. Post-warning signs
Labels are vital for providing information about risks in high-risk zones and guiding directions to safe access points. In this case, you can refer to the same color-coded security labels mentioned above.
Packing
As the cliché goes in every workplace, safety comes first. To ensure this, you may need to apply certain security practices, including the tips mentioned in this article. While they cannot guarantee that no more problems will occur in the future, they will lessen the problems that may occur again.
For more proven hacks on engineering electrical systems in high-risk zones, you can read online about experienced electricians and their custom tuning practices. When considering tips, always start with your workplace. Consider its structure, the space and wires you would work in, and the maximum safety of each workspace in that area.
