Protective Gear

[Paul W. Abernathy]

Originally Posted by Mike Parks

""Deenergized parts." Live parts to which an employee may be exposed shall be deenergized before the employee works on or near them, unless the employer can demonstrate that deenergizing introduces additional or increased hazards or is infeasible due to equipment design or operational limitations. Live parts that operate at less than 50 volts to ground need not be deenergized if there will be no increased exposure to electrical burns or to explosion due to electric arcs."

http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owad...ARDS&p_id=9910

Mike,

I do not know a single inspector who will shut down the system to do their inspection of the electrical panel. I think their was a HUGE argument over this some time back........electricians versus Hi's but they are going into them regardless for visual inspection.

I also don't think the OSHA will play much effect on the HI's as they are not employee's bound by some of OHSA's requirements...HOWEVER....

While I read alot about Protective Eyewear and Cotton Clothing and such...if you are ever in a "REAL" ARC FAULT BLAST the third degree burns on the neck, face and arms just may be the death of you as well.

Protection is VERY important.....but please guys don't loose sight of the fact gloves, eyewear and so on will not protect you 100% from an ARC BLAST if you are in the middle of one.

Good news is lower voltage ( 600V ) or less and the typical 200A services are not as prone to the same high voltage arc blasts as you would see in an industrial setting.....but even (1) spec of molten conductor can BURN and BLIND you regardless of the smallest or largest ARC Blast..... I happen to wear safety glasses with a perscription....but I agree 100% with all protection methods listed.

[Brian E. Kelly]

How many HI's were hurt in the last 5 years inspecting the panel?

I do wear a dust mask in the attic, and am very carefull setting up my ladder.

Of course it is a metal ladder which poses another level of risk.

[rbunzel]

I usually wear mechanics gloves instead of cotten. The have a better feel to them I can easily pick up the panel screws to put them back on. As summer comes I also highly recommend them for the roof as we all know how hot the shingles can get.

For the crawl spaces I always get fully suited up in hooded coveralls, respirator, gloves and eye protection. I use disposable coveralls and carefully keep the contaminated items away from my respirator in my truck. Your respirator doesn't do you much good if you threw it in with your dirty gloves and coveralls after the last job. Now the face cup has all the dirty contaminants that you were trying to keep out of your respiratory system. In HazMat we call that cross-contamination,

//Rick

[Greg Fretwell]

I agree the #1 piece of safety gear is a Z87.1 rated pair of safety glasses.
I keep a pair around my neck on a Croakie all the time. (UV-a,UV-b, IR rated sunglasses) I like Crews and I get them by the box at about $4 a pair so I don't feel bad throwing them away when they get scratched up.
When I am working in low light situations I like the yellow ones.
I have a hard hat in the car for places where that is appropriate. Good shoes and natural fiber clothes is just a personal preference.

[rwand1]

I am not in the habit of wearing safety glasses. Maybe I should start.
I wear mostly cotton.
I use to wear rubber gloves, but found them combersome and no longer wear gloves.
As to foot wear I have a pair of rubber sole deck shoes.

I can't remember the last time I saw a residential licenced electrician wearing safety glasses and gloves, but they did have boots on.

[rwand1]

Paul said...

I do not know a single inspector who will shut down the system to do their inspection of the electrical panel.

Let me introduce myself. I have on occassion found it necessary to shut off the main switch.

[Greg Fretwell]

What do you tell them when the main will not reset? It does happen.

[Paul W. Abernathy]

Originally Posted by rwand1

Paul said...


Let me introduce myself. I have on occassion found it necessary to shut off the main switch.

Then LET me introduce MYSELF........if you do you are choosing to go above the standard SOP and thats fine...but not the majority.

If you do not PROBE inside the panel and remove the cover with proper methods should not be a worry. If you are trained properly to use a voltage ticker, back of your hand and proper and correct opening methods...why

As greg says.....what if it WONT reset...old FPE's or Zinsco's...it could happen.....do you ALSO pick up the electricians TAB to come and take care of the problems?

Sorry i will never teach a student to shut down the panel to do a routine and proper electrical panel inspection....nope......sorry

Must be a Canadian thing.....Would be interesting to know why you feel it needs to be shut down IF it is on when you arrive at the inspection.. Do you see something that concerns you making you shut it down...then thats not an inspection thing...thats a safety thing and a totally different situation.....a typical routine home inspection should not require the shut down of the system.

Personally...I don't care if you shut it down......really..I don't care too much but based on the CONTEXT of the Mikes post....my statement was made.....

[Dan Bowers, CMI]

I have started wearing Trojans for protection on inspections.

[Paul W. Abernathy]

lol....I ain't touchin that one.....No Seriously....Not Touching..

[mthomas2]

For years I wore a set of quite expensive ($350, twenty years ago) progressive tri-focal metal frame safety-glass (not poly carb - scratches too easily) safety glasses. My wife made me buy them so I would never forget eye protection at a job site - I just put them on in the morning if I would be at a hazardous location that day, and took them off in that evening.

They were destroyed a few years back when someone walking past the end of a table saw bumped into a 10' length of 5/4 x 10" oak and turned it into a javelin - which I took full in the face, knocking me unconscious.

Somewhere around here I still have the pictures taken at the time: the glasses were "formed" to the left side of my face by the impact, and you can clearly see the imprint of the safety frame into the face all he way around the the eye socket on that side.

Remarkably - and entirely due to the glasses - I still have vision in both eyes.

I've been wearing inexpensive poly-carbs over street prescription glasses when opening panels --- but I really ought to get another pair of those prescription safeties.

--------

Q. Where can you buy the "electricians" gloves on-line? And do you really need the leather outer gloves, or are the dielectric liners sufficient if you are just opening panels.

------

BTW, recently had a client start to reach into a panel to try to point something out to me - first time this has ever happened. (Of course, I tell them NOT to approach the panel, that if there is anything in there they need to know about I will take a picture, etc., etc.).

[jcundiff]

Only if she makes me.

[Greg Fretwell]

Mike, your eye doctor will be very happy to sell you some z87.1 safety glasses. My wife has a pair of designer looking safety sunglasses that were about the same price as what most women pay for glasses. I think Vera Wang even has a couple frame styles that are suitable.

[kgraham]

I just invested $75 to get a pair of linemans gloves to open panels with. Take a look at my post under electrical about "Wrong screws in panel front" which will explain why.
Otherwise, the rest of my stuff is pretty much what has been mentioned already.

[Bruce D. Pinel]

Some comments:

As far as OSHA goes and depending on which state you work out of, they will be interested in accidents if the injured person is an "employee". The police/fire responders may be required to call them. (Maybe the lawyers will want to comment on this.)

Also, the other day, somebody posted about working on a 3 phase system. Not sure of the voltage, but here is an arc flash on a 480V 3 phase system.

http://teslamania.delete.org/frames/...volt_arc_flash

As for gloves, mine are tested and certified for 1000V. I also don't trust those fasteners, especially when you have to grab the dead front with 2 hands!