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As our homes become more versatile, serving as living spaces, workplaces, classrooms or even more, our perspective on them has shifted. However, this increased time at home has also led to a rise in electricity consumption, with residential areas accounting for a significant 29% of global usage. Unfortunately, greater electricity usage comes with greater risks, making prioritizing safety for electricians, households, and builders crucial.
To ensure our safety around electricity, it is crucial to understand the hazards involved, such as arc flashes and shocks. While the likelihood of exposure is relatively low, in the case of it happening, injury is highly likely. It is important to manage the control measures that prevent these hazards with great care and technical competence. This is where having an electrical safety management system, manual, or checklist comes into play. The checklist may include electrical safety rules, training, compliance, auditing, and electrical safety instructions. For an electrician, whether working on your own or in a company, it is essential to have these measures in place to ensure the safety of all, including you and your employees.
Measures to ensure safety for electricians
1. Wear proper protective gear
It’s important to stay safe when working with electricity by wearing non-conductive gloves and shoes. Use additional protective gear based on your level of exposure.
2. Use safety tools
Utilize safety tools like voltage detectors, clamp meters, and receptacle testers. Use secure extension cords, outlet strips, cord shields, cable coverings, and floor cable guards to prevent accidents. Surge protectors and voltage regulators can also help protect equipment.
To avoid electrical risks on construction sites, its recommended to use ground fault circuit interrupters on every outlet and identify problem areas in wiring.
3. Training to ensure safety for electricians and households
Proper safety training for professionals and households can lower the risk of electrocution. Prioritize safety by training staff to identify hazards, using safety checklists daily, and performing comprehensive inspections. Encourage staff to seek help from superiors or experienced professionals if they are unsure how to handle equipment.
Watch this video for a basic training on safety for electricians and non-electricians:
The golden rules of electrical safety
There is a significant lack of awareness regarding various electrical hazards and their possible solutions. While taking care of cords and following basic safety tips on electrical use are best-at-home practices, important electrical panel safety products are the unsung heroes of electrical safety in homes worldwide.
Electrical safety should always follow the three golden rules, Protection of People, Protection of Equipment, and Protection against Fire.
Electrical Shock is one of the hazards which can range from minor discomfort to fatality, so it is important to protect people when they accidentally encounter live electrical parts. We use various electrical appliances in our homes such as refrigerators, washing machines, TVs, ovens, and heated towel rails. These devices require a specific voltage range, and any fluctuations beyond that range can harm the electronic components in the circuits, reducing their lifespan or causing irreparable damage. It is crucial to protect these devices from voltage fluctuations. Electrical fires can be caused by drawing more current than the specified limit. Unintended electrical connections between current-carrying parts, and prolonged arcs can create a fire, resulting in losses with far-reaching consequences. It’s crucial to provide protection against these fires to ensure safety for electricians.
How Schneider Electric is leading the safety charge
Schneider Electric is committed to driving innovation and accelerating sustainability, with a purpose firmly rooted in these values. We are constantly working with home builders, electricians and even designers to provide the best digital technologies for our ever-changing world. Schneider Electric prioritizes safety for end-users and development stages.
Specialized safety products like Residual Current Circuit Breakers (RCCBs), Surge Protection Devices (SPDs), and Arc Fault Detection devices (AFDDs) ensure maximum safety for electrical panels by preventing power wastage, electrocution, power surge damage, and electrical fires caused by faulty appliances and circuits. Schneider Electric offers a range of RCCB, SPD and AFDD products to ensure all round electrical protection, such as The Easy9 and Resi9 ranges and the Acti9 Active is a family of all-in-one protection devices with in-built residual circuit devices, miniature circuit breakers, and AFDDs.
Safety for electricians and end-users
Electricians and end-users must take the proper precautions to ensure electrical safety. Everyone benefits when electricians prioritize safety and encourage households to do the same. At Schneider Electric, we’re dedicated to promoting safety awareness and offering top-quality products that enable safe and worry-free use of technology and electricity for all.
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