The silent threat in the workplace: Is your business safe from electrical hazards?

Every year, R7-billion is paid out by the Compensation Fund and Rand Mutual Assurance to address occupational injuries and diseases in South Africa. This statistic highlights the pressing need for improved health and safety practices in workplaces across the country. This is because unfortunately, many of these accidents are caused by overlooked hazards.

According to Dr Andrew Dickson, engineering executive at CBI-electric: low voltage, almost all businesses in South Africa rely heavily on electrical equipment, yet exposure to it is one of the leading causes of death in the country. With this in mind, and in light of World Day for Safety and Health at Work, he urges employers to consider this and ensure that protective measures are in place.

He outlines the most common causes of electrical accidents in the workplace and how they could be mitigated:

1. Ground-faults: Under normal conditions, electricity flows in a closed circuit, travelling from the live to the neutral conductor. A ground fault occurs when this current escapes the circuit and travels to the ground instead. In these instances, the alternate electrical path to ground may be through the user, resulting in serious injuries or death. To prevent these, workplaces must ensure that all necessary circuits are protected by an earth leakage device, also known as ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs).
2. Overloaded Circuits: When too many appliances or machines are plugged into a single circuit, it can become overloaded. This can also happen when appliances or machines with high electrical current demands, like industrial heaters, laser cutters, or copiers, are plugged into circuits not designed for such loads, exceeding the circuit’s capacity. 
3. Voltage spikes: Electrical devices are designed to handle specific voltages but can be subjected to higher voltages than they are designed to handle, which can damage the equipment. Typical causes include damaged wiring, lightning, and switching, such as when electricity returns after load shedding. Businessowners should ensure that they have adequate surge protection devices (SPDs) in place. 
4. Counterfeit electrical products: Employers must ensure that the electrical products they install are the genuine article as most counterfeit lookalikes are unsafe and can even cost lives since they are typically made from inferior materials and do not meet the necessary conformance standards for public health and safety as well as for the protection of the operating environment. 
5. Lack of proper training on electrical safety procedures: When employees are aware of the risks around working with electricity and the safety measures that must be taken, it can go a long way towards ensuring that accidents are avoided. It could even mean the difference between life and death.