Make Safety Second Nature

May 16, 2018
The Importance of Electrical Safety

As we have for as long as I can remember — and I’ve been working on EC&M for some time now (around 20 years and counting if memory serves me right) — the May issue has always been dedicated to all things electrical safety. Although we regularly focus on safety every month in the monthly print issue, as well as provide safety updates, news, best practices, and accident and investigation information online on a daily basis, this annual safety edition gives us a chance to showcase some of the latest trends in this area that affect the electrical industry and take a fresh look at many of the recurring safety topics that continue to top our readers’ content priority lists.

Let’s face it. Safety awareness is an issue that’s never going away, nor should it. Whether you’re talking about the workplace in general, or the construction industry/electrical industry specifically, accidents continue to happen, despite the best of intentions by employers and employees, the most expertly crafted corporate safety plans, and the keenest attention to safety protocols and procedures on the job. In fact, according to the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, which is based on the 2016 Census numbers, 5,190 fatal work injuries were recorded in the United States in 2016 — a 7% increase from 2015. This translates into 3.6 per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers, which, on average, accounts for more than 99 deaths per week or more than 14 every day! Looking at the construction industry specifically in the BLS reports, out of 4,693 worker fatalities in private industry in 2016, 991 or 21.1% came from construction, which equates to one in five worker deaths. The leading causes of private sector worker deaths (excluding highway collisions) in the construction industry were falls (38.7%), followed by struck by object (9.4%), electrocution (8.3%), and caught-in/between (7.3%). These“fatal four,” as BLS refers to them, were responsible for more than half (63.7%) of the construction worker deaths in 2016. According to BLS, eliminating the fatal four would save 631 workers’ lives in America every year.

Regardless of industry, preventing even one more injury or saving one more life is the ultimate goal. From what I’ve witnessed in the electrical industry, that commitment is real among all of you, and will continue to be unwavering. Adopting a safety culture in your business, leading by example, and always putting safety top of mind are just a few examples of keeping that safety promise as an electrical professional. Keeping up with the newest trends and technologies that enhance worker safety is another.

That’s why we decided to focus on the emerging concept of “wearable” safety products in this month’s cover story, “Safety in Fashion.” Freelance Writer Tom Zind does a masterful job at examining how this relatively new niche is poised to transform worker health and safety in construction and maintenance applications. By embedding WiFi-enabled sensors into things like apparel, hard-hats, headsets, gloves, glasses, work boots, and clip-ons that connect to a network, several new products offer a true Internet of Things (IoT) experience in which employers can monitor hard-to-capture data, such as an employee’s location and movements, personal biometrics stats/vital signs, and job-site safety hazards/conditions, in real time. They also allow employees to take advantage of safer, more effective hands-free communications and reporting capabilities. As the article points out, there are pros and cons to this technology, including privacy concerns over Big Brother watching and tracking employees; however, it’s definitely a trend worth watching. The truth is, practicing electrical safety will never go out of style. Using whatever means necessary, let’s all commit to making safety second nature every second of every day.

About the Author

Ellen Parson | Editor-in-Chief - EC&M

Ellen Parson is the Editor-in-Chief for EC&M. She has a journalism degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She's been a business-to-business writer and editor for more than 25 years, most of which have been covering the construction and electrical industries. Contact her at [email protected].

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