Closing the Safety Gap

As I write this month’s editorial, I can’t help but notice all of the notifications flooding my inbox that highlight educational events aimed at improving safety outcomes for those working at heights and planned for OSHA’s annual National Safety Stand-Down held May 5-9. Considering the fact that “Fall Protection — General Requirements” clinched the top spot for the 14th year in a row on OSHA’s most frequently cited workplace safety standards for 2024, education and training in this area is obviously crucial. See EC&M’s gallery at ecmweb.com/55284312 for an overview of the top 10 violations. It’s not that I’m surprised to see the same citations showing up year after year based on the sheer number of exposures per category across multiple industries. However, I do wonder why obvious improvements in safety protocols, technologies/equipment, and more aggressive education/training efforts over the years have not moved the needle a little more in the right direction. To get some additional perspective, I decided to ask some of EC&M’s contributing safety experts for their thoughts.

According to Terry Becker, P.Eng. with TW Becker Electrical Safety Consulting Inc., it’s possible that we continue to see the same violations due to lack of compliant occupational health and safety management systems — specifically, he says workers may not be required to complete a Field Level Hazard Assessment before executing work tasks. He also notes that fall protection has historically seen the most violations because some industries (like residential housing construction) do not institute a working at heights policy — you can visibly see the lack of fall arrest PPE being used on these jobs. Longtime electrical consultant to EC&M Mark Lamendola concurs, adding that the OSHA list can be a bit misleading for the electrical industry because roofing companies inevitably skew the fall protection category totals. Since most electrical work is not performed at elevation, he points out that we don’t have a clear picture of how electrical contractors are cited for OSHA violations related to gravity. In addition to reinforcing fall protection safety practices, what can electrical professionals do to help improve safety outcomes across the board and keep themselves and their companies off the OSHA citation list?

According to Becker, the industry needs compliant electrical safety programs. “Employers are unfortunately using three bids and a buy for ‘arc flash awareness’ training; they are not pre-qualifying the company and the instructor,” he says. “Train the trainer options most likely fail as you need to have appropriate background NFPA 70E knowledge, application knowledge, and the ability to complete a broad spectrum of training.” He maintains the required NFPA 70E risk assessment procedure is often not provided, and the mandatory Electrical Safety Program does not include it. “A documented qualitative work task based risk assessment with a matrix and work task risk register table allows an employer to take control of arc flash and place appropriate focus on electric shock,” he says. “All workers on a worksite are exposed to electric shock, and OSHA severe injury statistics prove electric shock is a problem.”

Lamendola has written several excellent series for EC&M’s “Safety Matters” newsletter on avoiding OSHA citations, such as Hazard Communication System Citation Prevention Parts 1 through 8 (ecmweb.com/55132968) and Preventing Ladder-Related Citations (ecmweb.com/55284186). Check them out; they are definitely worth a read! In general, he recommends:

Ensure everyone knows “Safety is your first priority.” Understanding this means you will intuitively know what to do in most cases, and, if you don’t know, you’ll find out.
Instill an attitude of working methodically, and ensure everyone has the correct equipment for the job.
Pick an OSHA Subpart. Methodically review it in small chunks. Update your safety program according to what you learn.
Don’t look for what you can get by with look for how you can ensure people act safely and have a safe place to work.
Drill this in: Electricity is dangerous. Gravity is dangerous. Don’t take chances with either one.
An OSHA citation doesn’t mean the company has failed OSHA’s requirements. It means the company has failed its employees.

A new survey commissioned by Bosch Power Tools and conducted by Talker Research revealed similar sentiments. According to the study, which surveyed 1,000 Americans from the general population and 1,000 trade workers, 32% of trade workers want to see more support from their employers to improve job-site safety, including making sure everyone knows how to properly use equipment. The research also revealed more than half (57%) of trade workers have experienced up to four safety-related “close calls” in the past year, and 31% have left a job or worksite because it felt unsafe. These statistics demonstrate the urgent need to always keep electrical safety top of mind. Only through increased awareness, education, training, diligence, and vigilance will we have a chance at closing the underlying safety gap that exists in all industries, including the electrical market.