The subject of electrical safety for technicians revolves primarily around electrical safety grounding, electrical insulation, and control of humidity. Other factors resulting in general electrical safety are personal protective equipment, proper preventive maintenance procedure and knowledge of electrical safety basics.

Electrical safety is an important subject for consideration for products that uses electricity. Safety is an important factor before, during and after any electrical work. These electrical works include electrical installation, design and production. Likewise, maintenance, and troubleshooting. Users of electricity too should know what is going on around electrical installations.

Electricity gives power to nearly every appliance we use on daily basis. There were reports of fatal issues related to electricity such as electric shock, fire, burn, and even electrocution and even death. It’s our responsibility as users and handlers to consider safety as primary issues in matters concerning electricity.

Regulatory bodies maintain electrical safety standard:

Worldwide there are government regulations and agencies about safety standards that are mandatory for products to conform with before being accepted to the market. There are safety and standard agencies like ULCE, CSA, BSI, SON, CCC, and so on. Aside the international standard individual countries and region has her regulatory bodies.

Mandatory Safety Tests:

There are series of mandatory safety tests such as “high voltage test’ also referred to as ‘Dielectric Voltage Withstand Test or High Potential Test’. Other mandatory tests are ‘Insulation Resistance Test”, ‘Ground Continuity Test” and ‘Leakage Current Test”/Patient Leakage Current Test. You can find those tests and other tests in IEC/CEI IEC 61010 and many other national and international standards and codes. Electrical safety test is very important to safeguard against electric hazards such as fire, shock, and damages to equipments. Not only those, the worst negligence is death by electrocution.

Recommended Class of Equipment:

There are safety recommendations for different classes of equipment. The classes is for specific locations such as hospital; Gas or Petrol station; flour mills; laboratories and lots more.

Physical Observation:

The best way to remain safe when using electricity is to play safe and be aware of your surrounding. Look up and around to see if there any power line especially when working on roof or tree. Electricity is very dangerous near water. Regular check electrical wiring and equipment is a must to avoid catastrophic damages and what do you look for? You need to search out for loose connections, burn outs, water or fluid dripping on wire/cable or sockets and worn out insulation.

What must you do to ensure electrical safety?

1. Make provision for electrical safety kits
2. Before you work on any electrical circuit, total isolate the circuit from the power supply and carry out tests. These tests are to ensure that all poles of the circuit are dead.

Other requirements are:

1. Regularly check all electrical appliances
2. Replace broken cable
3. Maintain proper electrical earthing in socket and plugs
4. Use Proper insulating materials.
5. Test all electrical appliances before use
6. Obey national and international standards and codes