If you are a business owner, you need to be diligent about ensuring that the workplace is a safe place for employees and customers. From the warehouse to the sales floors, you may have legal liability if someone gets hurt or injured.
If you do not put measures in place to prevent workplace electrical hazards, accidents may happen. But you may also run the risk of an electrical fire. Therefore it is very important to periodically assess your business environment and fix any vulnerabilities you may find.
If you want to make sure that your workplace is free of electrical hazards, you can call a local master electrician for a site and vulnerability assessment. In the meantime, you can perform an inspection with your operations or facilities manager to ascertain if three is any current risk.
Here are some common causes of electrical issues you can look for today in your workplace.
- Faulty Wiring: Any cables or wires which are frayed, not working properly, or not in use should be removed from your place of business immediately. Damaged wires represent a serious electrical hazard which needs attention. Loose wires – or cables which have exposed sections – should be replaced as they are the cause of many electric shocks and even electrical fires. Train your personnel to regularly check the wires around their own stations, and then perform regular overall checks of all wiring to be sure that your cables are intact and working safely.
- Contact with Water: When electricity or electrical outlets come in contact with water, the risk of shock increases significantly. It is of extreme importance that electric equipment is kept away from any source of water at all times – whether a cup of drinking water, or wires exposed to the weather. Employees should always ensure that their hands are dry when working with electrical equipment. Safety protocols, such as wearing gloves when working around electricity, should be investigated and implemented where possible.
- Overcrowded Outlets: An outlet is only designed to handle a certain amount of electrical input and output before it can present a danger of serious shock, as well as become a fire hazard. Overusing the outlet can cause overheating, or for the power to short out. This is a serious misuse of the electrical outlet, and if found, needs to be rectified immediately. If you have concerns that the outlets themselves are posing a threat, call in experienced help. This may include if your outlets continually short out “for no reason”, or if employees are receiving small shocks or seeing sparks when plugging in a cord.
- Equipment Safety: No matter what type of equipment you need to run your business efficiently, they need to be used and wired properly so as not to cause an electrical hazard. Severe injuries have occurred when people have come in improper contact with equipment they thought was not functioning (or even just shut off) but the electricity was still live. Often, the electrocution, no matter how minor, can cause employees to fall backward, off ladders or scaffolding thus compounding the injury. If you have equipment which is plugged in and routinely worked on, it is imperative that you hold safety seminars for employees and technicians alike. Equipment should always be disconnected from electricity before maintenance, and safety measures put in place if workers must climb around the equipment in order to reach it. Be sure all employees are trained, and potentially dangerous areas are clearly marked with signage.
Workplace electrical hazards are nothing to fool around with and require the assistance of a trained electrician. If you have any concerns regarding electricity, electrical outlets, electrical panels, or employee training at your Sarasota facility – call Promise Electric. We are dedicated to promoting electrical safety at all times, and are here to help.
