Health and Safety Fund to host "Health Fair" at '98 Unity Conference The Laborers' Health and Safety Fund of North America, is scheduled to host a "Health Fair' at the 1998 Laborers' Unity Conference, March 20-22 in Madison. The Fair is intended to provide members and their families with on the spot preventive health screenings and other informational services.

Protect yourself from high voltage electrocutions

Construction workers are at risk of electrocution on the job. Electrocutions cause 4% of LIUNA on-the-job deaths, 66% of which are from contact with high voltage (over 600 volts).

Worksite sources of high voltage electricity are power lines, electrical boxes, substations and conductors.

The Hazards
Laborers can come into contact with high voltage electricity when loading and unloading materials, working around power lines, electrical boxes and substations, drilling into concealed conductors in walls or soil with jackhammers, and trimming, felling or bucking trees with operating equipment. (e.g., front-end loaders).

Workers often contact high voltage electrical conductors directly, but most often the contact is made with ladders, scaffolds, tools, rebar, pipe/conduits, metal beams, taglines, aerial buckets or cranes.

Overhead power lines and transmission equipment pose very serious hazards.

OSHA prohibits the operation of equipment within ten feet (further for lines over 50 KV) of electrical distribution or transmission lines rated 50 kilovolts or less - unless the lines have been de-energized and visibly grounded at the point of work, or insulating barriers have been installed.

What You Can Do
Only qualified electricians who have been instructed in lockout procedures should work on high voltage sources.

Exercise extreme caution when working in the vicinity of power lines. You must treat power lines as "hot" unless you know they are property de-energized and grounded.

Electrical installations over 600 volts that are open to unqualified persons must be surrounded with a metal enclosure or enclosed in a vault and controlled by a lock.

Ensure that overcurrent devices are readily accessible and not located where they create an employee safety hazard.

Ensure that fuses and circuit breakers are located or shielded so that employees will not be burned or otherwise injured by their operation (e.g., arcing).

Take Action
In order to protect yourself from electrocution, remember to:

• Verify that electrical lines are de-energized.
• Ensure that the line remains de-energized without a lockout and tagout procedure.
• Use insulated protective equipment when working on or near high voltage circuits.
• Keep a safe distance from energized lines.

Electricity is an extremely powerful tool. Keep it from becoming a deadly one by recognizing hazards and taking the necessary safety precautions.

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