Electricity Today T&D Magazine

How to guard utility personnel from shock hazards

BY JEFF JOWETT, Megger

In the power industry, safety is just as important a function as performance. Safety considerations, parameters, and methods of implementation are an integral part of any electrical system. A most important element is the grounding system. This system performs several functions, not the least of which is safety. Substations are active in fault clearance, and personnel working in and around them, as well as pedestrians passing in the vicinity, need to be protected. When a fault condition occurs, the grounding electrode (grid) must be sufficient to equalize potentials...

When working in close proximity to exposed energized equipment or working on live electrical circuits, it’s necessary to protect not only the equipment being worked on but also the worker. Rubber insulating gloves and insulated hand tools are vital components of a successful PPE system and should be used in conjunction with each other to provide the maximum protection for the worker.
It’s common to perform a task on de-energized equipment which is locked out and tagged out while still being within the shock boundary and in close proximity to other live equipment. In this case, a worker could accidentally...