May has been designated as National Electric Safety Month by the Electrical Safety Foundation International. Here are some important electrical safety tips to share with your employees:
- Don’t overload circuits by using adapters and other means to add plug ins to existing outlets.
- Use the proper size extension cord for the tool or equipment you are using.
- Watch for overhead power lines when moving equipment, especially on farmsteads and along the edges of fields where tall, folding equipment can catch primary wires.
- Use Lock Out Tag Out procedures.
- Inspect and immediately fix any circuits, wires, tools or other electrical equipment that tends to overheat, or has frayed wires or cracked insulation.
- Only use meters rated for the voltage and load that you are measuring.
- Review the different power disconnects in your operation as a part of this month’s safety training session.
- Avoid working with electricity when you are wet, or in wet conditions.
Electrocution can occur in a heartbeat, and for very simple reasons such as a small break in insulation, improper grounding, carelessness, exposed wiring and a host of other avoidable conditions. This month, take the time to focus on electrical safety to ensure that all your employees Get Home Safe every night.