In June 2016, an electrician suffered minor flash burns to his right forearm and left hand while performing modifications to a low voltage motor control centre.
The power to the front compartment switchboard had been isolated and the busbars in the rear compartment remained energised. On removing the doors of the rear compartment to identify control cable core numbers, the electrician noticed that the busbar cover panel inside the compartment was not positioned correctly.
As he touched the cover panel to check if it was secure, it moved and an arc flash and a blast occurred. The worker was not wearing appropriate PPE gear.
The recommendations made to the organisation were:
- Rectify the design and installation of electrical equipment in the facility to standards,
- Develop safe work systems for employees, and
- Ensure supervision and proper training of all personnel
Have you ever had a near miss?
We all know the risks involved in working in Hazardous Areas or a High Voltage facility, even a small mistake can have dire consequences.
Even then, we see individuals opting for cheaper online learning courses to get their refresher training. This is due to:
- Cost cutting:Due to the continuous shifts in the industry, employers are resorting to cutting back on the investment in training. What they don’t realise is that they are risking a lot tomorrow, to reduce costs today.
- Individuals not realising the value in refresher training:
Refresher training is not just a rubber stamp; it is a way to stay up to date with the most current practices and procedures. One needs to be prepared for every situation that comes their way at work. Staying up to date is one way to ensure preparedness.
Ultimately, a trained individual can potentially prevent the following from happening:
- Injuries to personnel
- Catastrophic explosions
- Damage to plant and equipment
- Site outage
- Potential suspension of licence to operate
- Legal penalties
In accordance with the industry guidelines, Competency Training recommends that training is refreshed every 2-3 years.
Talk to one of our experts for more information or getting your team up to date. Call 1300 872 585
