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Tag Archives: “safety alert”
Arc Flash: Who’s Training the Trainers?
Whether giving or getting arc flash training, have you considered whether the trainer is “qualified,” “effective,” “proficient” or “competent” for the job? Is the training content “adequate?” How can we tell? Does it matter?
Many OSHA standards require employee training, but are vague on trainer qualifications. HazCom requires only “effective” training. HAZWOPER specifies that trainers have “the training and/or academic credentials and instructional experience necessary to demonstrate competent instructional skills and a good command of the subject matter.” The Bloodborne Pathogens standard requires only that the training record include “the names and qualifications of the persons conducting the training.” No definition of credentials or “effective” training other than by performance failures, i.e., accidents. “Competent” or “proficient” are often decided by incident investigations or lawsuits. Remember, paperwork is the first place “they” look!
Posted in Health and Safety Compliance, Management Systems, Risk Management
Tagged "accident investigation", "arc flash", "Dr. Scott Harris", "electrical safety", "ieso llc", "iesollc", "kenneth Harris", "Kenneth Scott Harris", "nfpa 70e", "OHSAS 18001", "safety alert", "Scott Harris PHD", "Scott Harris", "train the trainer", arcflash, competent, credentials, hazcom, IESO, lawsuit, litigation, NFPA, nfpa70e, OSHA, proficient, qualified, training
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Arc Flash Alert for Healthcare
Hospitals are covered under the OSHA/NFPA 70E requirements. Arc flash/blast incidents can cause severe employee injury and loss of electrical power to key functions of patient care, while the cost of injury treatment may exceed $1,000,000 per case with permanent disability and probable litigation. As one Director of hospital engineering services recently told us, “There are systems in the hospital that we just can’t shut down, and must perform our inspections on live parts.”
We recently published an article on our website in which we continue to recommend the rigorous analysis prescribed by IEEE 1584, and warn against “quickie” or generic 70E arc flash solutions. An industrial facility asked IESO to evaluate arc flash results from another firm that reportedly used a customized program for arc flash analysis. The facility management was concerned about the lack of time the consultant spent on-site, the minimal review of electrical components and the generic results. Our review revealed highly inaccurate information on 90% of the labels including incident energy ratings underestimated by 200-450%, clearly endangering employee safety.
Posted in Download Center, Health and Safety Compliance, Risk Management
Tagged "arc blast", "arc flash analysis", "arc flash", "Dr. Scott Harris", "electrical safety", "healthcare accreditation", "healthcare industry", "ieee 1584", "ieso llc", "iesollc", "iso 14001", "Keith Spencer", "kenneth Harris", "Kenneth Scott Harris", "nfpa 70e", "safety alert", "Scott Harris PHD", "Scott Harris", arcflash, audit, hospital, hospitals, IESO, nfpa70e, OSHA, training
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Lift Platform Safety Alert
A regulation change by OSHA in 2003 all but banned lift platforms. Are you still using them? Many are. Do you have the required written approval? Can you even get it? Download our illustrated safety alert for the latest details on how to handle this issue.
Lift platforms, sometimes called safety platforms, are essentially work platforms attached to a forklift and used to raise personnel. Think of them as a poor man’s aerial lift. Such platforms are in common use and range in our experience from commercially produced and well designed to homemade models that would not even pass for a good deer stand. Since May 1971 OSHA permitted elevation of personnel by a “safety platform firmly secured to the lifting carriage and/or forks” of the powered truck as long as there was adequate protection from falling objects and a means for personnel on the platform to shut off power to the truck.
Posted in Download Center, Health and Safety Compliance
Tagged "aerial lift", "boom lift", "Dr. Scott Harris", "fork truck", "general duty clause", "general industry", "kenneth Harris", "Kenneth Scott Harris", "lift platform", "lift platforms", "lift truck", "removed and reserved", "safety alert", "safety platform", "safety platforms", "Scott Harris PHD", "Scott Harris", "work platform", "work platforms", "written approval", aftermarket, CLARK, compliance, forks, forktruck, HYSTER, lifttruck, OSHA, toyota
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Arc Flash Safety Alert!!!
IESO, LLC recently published an arc flash article (http://iesollc.com/wordpress/2009/06/22/arc-flash-safety-history-and-requirements/) on our website. We continue to recommend the rigorous analysis proscribed by IEEE 1584, and warn against “quickie” or generic solutions. This safety alert illustrates a real-world example of why that is.
An industrial facility recently asked IESO, LLC to evaluate arc flash results from another consultant who reportedly used a customized program developed in-house. The facility management team was concerned about the lack of time that the consultant spent on-site (less than five hours), the minimal review of electrical components and the generic results. Labels for all electrical components were identical whether for buss plugs, MCC panels or substation switchgears, and the facility staff had serious doubts that they got what they paid for.