You will agree that ensuring safety at your work place is a critical dimension of your responsibilities. Accidents can change the lives of the victims and their families. Moreover, they can lead to heavy losses of lives and equipment, and prove to be costly and time consuming for you and your utility. From time to time, we all make mistakes, but when life and limb are at risk, it is inexcusable to take chances. It would be very sad to go through the rest of one’s life knowing that some one had been killed or injured due to one’s own negligence.
Fortunately, most accidents in electrical installations can be avoided with a little care and caution. You only need to follow certain basic guidelines and procedures to prevent and reduce the incidence of accidents. Electrical accidents, unlike most other industrial accidents, quite often happen to professional and supervisory staff. In fact, in some situations, they may be at greater risk than the manual staff. Although the apparatus and working practices are undergoing change, many of the old problems persist, and we
witness the same electrical accidents time and again. Therefore, we need to be more vigilant and careful.
Let us begin the discussion by considering this question: What kinds of accidents take place in electrical installations? These are listed in Box .
Box: Types of Accidents
• ELECTRIC SHOCK
Accident
Prevention and
Protection
• ELECTROCUTION
• BURNS (ELECTRICAL OR THERMAL CONTACT)
• FIRES
• EXPLOSIONS
• INJURY FROM A FALL, FROM CUTS, OR FROM FRACTURES
• A very large proportion of accidents to electrical staff do not involve electric shock but are caused by flash and arc burns due to incorrect way of working on live exposed conductors. Too much work is done live, and by persons with inadequate training in live work.
• Most electrical fatalities are due to electric shocks at the lowest distribution voltage of 240 V (415 V, 3 phase). Contrary to some commonly held beliefs, 240 V is a very dangerous voltage.
• Nearly all electric shocks, even at 240 V are potentially lethal. For every fatality, there have been many narrow escapes and far greater number of minor shocks and tingles. It depends crucially on whether the victim is able to ‘let go’ of the live conductors or not. Mostly the answer is yes, hence the large number of lucky escapes.
Causes of Accidents
Let us begin by considering an example of how an accident can take place when a technician is working to rectify a fault. Suddenly, the rung of the ladder he is standing on breaks down, and he falls on the ground. His arm is fractured but luckily he does not sustain any serious head injury.
The question before us is –”Why did this happen?“
There could be many reasons for such an accident, some related to equipment and others related to safety procedures. Consider the following questions that may help you in arriving at a suitable answer:
• How do we design our ladders or other relevant equipment such as access stairs and platforms?
• How do we purchase ladders? Do we buy the cheapest available?
• Are they checked on arrival, for suitability?
• Are ladders stored in a controlled manner?
• Have we included ladders in our maintenance programme?
Questions related to safety procedure would be:
• Do we have safety rules for using ladders and working at heights?
• Have people been trained in those safety rules?
• Are ladders properly marked and identified?
• Do we have any sort of an inventory control of ladders?
• Are people adequately supervised, particularly when performing risky tasks?
The reason for this accident could stem from any one of the following factors:
• The issue of ladder safety is one of the least important in the safety management system.
• Ladder safety may be addressed but the standard of performance is inadequate.
• Standards may be defined but there is no compliance.
This example is a pointer to the causes of accidents, which may be broadly divided into two categories: Direct and Indirect.
Direct Causes of Accidents
Accidents occur due to both unsafe acts of workforce and unsafe working conditions.
• Unsafe acts refer to the violation of commonly accepted safe procedures of working.
• Unsafe conditions refer to the conditions with potential of causing injury to a person or damage to the equipment.
In Table , we give examples of both kinds of accidents.
Fortunately, most accidents in electrical installations can be avoided with a little care and caution. You only need to follow certain basic guidelines and procedures to prevent and reduce the incidence of accidents. Electrical accidents, unlike most other industrial accidents, quite often happen to professional and supervisory staff. In fact, in some situations, they may be at greater risk than the manual staff. Although the apparatus and working practices are undergoing change, many of the old problems persist, and we
witness the same electrical accidents time and again. Therefore, we need to be more vigilant and careful.
Let us begin the discussion by considering this question: What kinds of accidents take place in electrical installations? These are listed in Box .
Box: Types of Accidents
• ELECTRIC SHOCK
Accident
Prevention and
Protection
• ELECTROCUTION
• BURNS (ELECTRICAL OR THERMAL CONTACT)
• FIRES
• EXPLOSIONS
• INJURY FROM A FALL, FROM CUTS, OR FROM FRACTURES
• A very large proportion of accidents to electrical staff do not involve electric shock but are caused by flash and arc burns due to incorrect way of working on live exposed conductors. Too much work is done live, and by persons with inadequate training in live work.
• Most electrical fatalities are due to electric shocks at the lowest distribution voltage of 240 V (415 V, 3 phase). Contrary to some commonly held beliefs, 240 V is a very dangerous voltage.
• Nearly all electric shocks, even at 240 V are potentially lethal. For every fatality, there have been many narrow escapes and far greater number of minor shocks and tingles. It depends crucially on whether the victim is able to ‘let go’ of the live conductors or not. Mostly the answer is yes, hence the large number of lucky escapes.
Causes of Accidents
Let us begin by considering an example of how an accident can take place when a technician is working to rectify a fault. Suddenly, the rung of the ladder he is standing on breaks down, and he falls on the ground. His arm is fractured but luckily he does not sustain any serious head injury.
The question before us is –”Why did this happen?“
There could be many reasons for such an accident, some related to equipment and others related to safety procedures. Consider the following questions that may help you in arriving at a suitable answer:
• How do we design our ladders or other relevant equipment such as access stairs and platforms?
• How do we purchase ladders? Do we buy the cheapest available?
• Are they checked on arrival, for suitability?
• Are ladders stored in a controlled manner?
• Have we included ladders in our maintenance programme?
Questions related to safety procedure would be:
• Do we have safety rules for using ladders and working at heights?
• Have people been trained in those safety rules?
• Are ladders properly marked and identified?
• Do we have any sort of an inventory control of ladders?
• Are people adequately supervised, particularly when performing risky tasks?
The reason for this accident could stem from any one of the following factors:
• The issue of ladder safety is one of the least important in the safety management system.
• Ladder safety may be addressed but the standard of performance is inadequate.
• Standards may be defined but there is no compliance.
This example is a pointer to the causes of accidents, which may be broadly divided into two categories: Direct and Indirect.
Direct Causes of Accidents
Accidents occur due to both unsafe acts of workforce and unsafe working conditions.
• Unsafe acts refer to the violation of commonly accepted safe procedures of working.
• Unsafe conditions refer to the conditions with potential of causing injury to a person or damage to the equipment.
In Table , we give examples of both kinds of accidents.
 |
| Examples of Accidents Arising from Unsafe Acts and Unsafe Conditions |
 |
| Some Direct Causes of Accidents |
Indirect Causes of Accidents
These comprise all such factors that give rise to direct causes. These include lack of knowledge and skills, physiological/anatomical
deficiencies and inappropriate psychological traits of workers.
• Lack of knowledge and skills is marked by incorrect knowledge, incomplete knowledge, low degree of skill or lack of skill and misunderstanding of job instructions.
• Inappropriate physiological/anatomical deficiencies refer to poor eye- sight, hearing defects, lack of fitness, illness, allergies, etc.
• Inappropriate psychological traits characterize workers who are arrogant, lazy, fearful, careless, nervous, egoistical, absent-minded and over-confident.
Accident Reporting and Investigation
Accident records are essential aids for prevention of accidents. They give us information about the type of accidents most frequently encountered, where they occur and their relative severity. A study of these records reveals common hazards and leads to a better understanding of the causes of accidents and most effective methods of preventing them.All accidents should be promptly reported, whether they result in injury or not. Many injury-free accidents, which are not reported, recur with serious injuries. All accidents to the public involving company personnel, equipment or property should also be reported promptly. You have learnt about Rule 44A of the Indian Electricity Rules, 1956 pertaining to the intimation of an accident. It is stated again in the margin for ready reference.
As per the rule the report should be submitted in a prescribed form, which is given in the Appendix 1. You must understand that the occurrence of electrical accident has to be reported with all seriousness: It helps in ascertaining the causes of electrical accidents. Besides, immediate steps can also be taken for administering first-aid, medical attendance, preserving the evidence, etc. A
thorough review can be done on how the accident occurred, pinpoint lapses and fix responsibilities. Measures can then be taken so that it does not recur.Of course, it needs to be ensured that the remedial measures are implemented properly.
For breach of Rule 44A, there is penalty under Rule 138A of I.E. Rules, 1956 under which if any person responsible for the generation, transformation,transmission, conversion, distribution, supply or use of energy fails to report to the Inspector and other authorities concerned, the occurrence of the accidents, s/he should be punishable.
Every accident should be investigated to determine the cause and the steps needed to prevent its recurrence. It should be the responsibility of the person in charge of the work to get complete details of the accident as soon as possible after it occurs. accident, apart from any statutory investigation of the accident, the management may like to have internal investigation conducted for the following purposes:
• arriving at factual information leading to corrective action;
• fact finding and not fault finding;
• identification of principal source of accident;
• indicating the need for engineering revision in various types of equipment and materials; and
• disclosure of inefficiencies in operating processes and procedures.
However, it must be ensured that the investigating individual should not be involved with any disciplinary proceedings.
Cost of Accidents
All injury cases, whether minor or major, result in financial loss to the organization in addition to irreparable loss for the family members in case of a fatal accident. The cost of accidents comprises two components: Direct cost and Indirect cost.
These comprise all such factors that give rise to direct causes. These include lack of knowledge and skills, physiological/anatomical
deficiencies and inappropriate psychological traits of workers.
• Lack of knowledge and skills is marked by incorrect knowledge, incomplete knowledge, low degree of skill or lack of skill and misunderstanding of job instructions.
• Inappropriate physiological/anatomical deficiencies refer to poor eye- sight, hearing defects, lack of fitness, illness, allergies, etc.
• Inappropriate psychological traits characterize workers who are arrogant, lazy, fearful, careless, nervous, egoistical, absent-minded and over-confident.
Accident Reporting and Investigation
Accident records are essential aids for prevention of accidents. They give us information about the type of accidents most frequently encountered, where they occur and their relative severity. A study of these records reveals common hazards and leads to a better understanding of the causes of accidents and most effective methods of preventing them.All accidents should be promptly reported, whether they result in injury or not. Many injury-free accidents, which are not reported, recur with serious injuries. All accidents to the public involving company personnel, equipment or property should also be reported promptly. You have learnt about Rule 44A of the Indian Electricity Rules, 1956 pertaining to the intimation of an accident. It is stated again in the margin for ready reference.
As per the rule the report should be submitted in a prescribed form, which is given in the Appendix 1. You must understand that the occurrence of electrical accident has to be reported with all seriousness: It helps in ascertaining the causes of electrical accidents. Besides, immediate steps can also be taken for administering first-aid, medical attendance, preserving the evidence, etc. A
thorough review can be done on how the accident occurred, pinpoint lapses and fix responsibilities. Measures can then be taken so that it does not recur.Of course, it needs to be ensured that the remedial measures are implemented properly.
For breach of Rule 44A, there is penalty under Rule 138A of I.E. Rules, 1956 under which if any person responsible for the generation, transformation,transmission, conversion, distribution, supply or use of energy fails to report to the Inspector and other authorities concerned, the occurrence of the accidents, s/he should be punishable.
Every accident should be investigated to determine the cause and the steps needed to prevent its recurrence. It should be the responsibility of the person in charge of the work to get complete details of the accident as soon as possible after it occurs. accident, apart from any statutory investigation of the accident, the management may like to have internal investigation conducted for the following purposes:
• arriving at factual information leading to corrective action;
• fact finding and not fault finding;
• identification of principal source of accident;
• indicating the need for engineering revision in various types of equipment and materials; and
• disclosure of inefficiencies in operating processes and procedures.
However, it must be ensured that the investigating individual should not be involved with any disciplinary proceedings.
Cost of Accidents
All injury cases, whether minor or major, result in financial loss to the organization in addition to irreparable loss for the family members in case of a fatal accident. The cost of accidents comprises two components: Direct cost and Indirect cost.
 |
| Some Costs of Accidents |
Direct costs include the
− cost of medical treatment; and
− compensation for loss of earning capacity/permanent disability/fatality
Indirect costs pertain to:
− production loss and time loss of co-workers;
− idle time of machine and damage to equipment;
− loss of morale of workers in the unit;
− loss of time of supervisory personnel in submitting report/accident analysis;
− loss of efficiency of injured persons after reporting for duty;
− transportation charges;
− administrative and legal expenses;
− company’s reputation being at stake;
− cost of training the substitute employee;
− business interruption and failure to meet schedule; and
− investigation by statutory authorities and penalties imposed by them.
Indirect costs usually vary from 5 to 11 times that of direct cost.
− cost of medical treatment; and
− compensation for loss of earning capacity/permanent disability/fatality
Indirect costs pertain to:
− production loss and time loss of co-workers;
− idle time of machine and damage to equipment;
− loss of morale of workers in the unit;
− loss of time of supervisory personnel in submitting report/accident analysis;
− loss of efficiency of injured persons after reporting for duty;
− transportation charges;
− administrative and legal expenses;
− company’s reputation being at stake;
− cost of training the substitute employee;
− business interruption and failure to meet schedule; and
− investigation by statutory authorities and penalties imposed by them.
Indirect costs usually vary from 5 to 11 times that of direct cost.
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