Electrical Safety Coalition Launched

On June 2, 2009 The Electrical Safety Coalition of Ontario announced the launch of a unique electrical safety campaign aimed at suppressing the demand for ‘live work’ on energized electrical equipment.
The Electrical Safety Coalition was created by the ECAO in conjunction with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) and other strategic allies. Major industry forces have joined together in helping to stem the on-site demand for electricians to take unnecessary risks to their safety and their lives by working live.

'Working Live’ by electricians is responsible for 50% of all occupational injuries and deaths due to contact with electrical equipment (MOL, 2006). This harm reduction campaign was created to encourage clients to ‘Just Don’t Ask’ their electrician(s) to work live. Those who work on high voltage power and utility lines must work live. They do so under the strictest of guidelines and safety measures and the reduction in their incident rates proves those strategies are working.

This is not the case with industrial, commercial and residential electricians where clients or operations managers are asking these electricians to work live, rather than undertaking the service work with a planned shut down, or, locking out, tagging out, and without other protective procedures in place.

The Electrical Safety Coalition was created in 2007 and represents the first time that major industry partners have joined together in a concerted effort to suppress the demand for ‘live work’.

For more information, visit their site at http://www.electricalsafetycoalition.com/ or click on the image above.