Safety – Toolbox talk for electrical safety
Toolbox talk for electrical safety - How to conduct the best electrical safety talk
Why is a toolbox talk for electrical safety a good toolbox talk topic?
Electrical hazards are en ever-present danger to most people in the world, as we all use and rely on electrical equipment and machinery to go about our every day lives. Electrical hazards and incidents are even more common on many work sites around the world, including construction, mining and oil and gas.
In order to mitigate these risks and prevent as many incidents as possible, companies in these industries work hard on creating reliable operating procedures and practices.
Some of these practice are formal and legal in nature - such as hot works permits like this. And some of the practices are simple inspections performed regular to ensure that equipment and machinery is in good working order.
Another key part of maintaining electrical safety and of ensuring people are equipped to handle electrical hazards and incidents is to discuss electrical safety - in both a formal and informal setting - which can lead to improved electrical Job Hazard Analyses.
A toolbox talk for electrical safety is an easy and reliable way to keep your workforce up-to-date and knowledgable about electrical safety, and to garner site specific feedback and discussions about how electrical safety can be improved for everyone.
Toolbox talks on electrical safety are one of the most important toolbox talk topics because of how:
- How common electrical hazards and incidents are
- The severity of electrical incidents which can include major injuries and death
- How comfortable people 'feel' around electrical equipment and machinery because of how often they interact with it (become too comfortable/take it for granted)
- The fact that not many people on site are trained in electrical safety, and yet they all have to interact with and use electrical equipment
It's unlikely that a single toolbox talk on electrical safety will cover all the ground you need to cover, and you should look at each toolbox talk as an opportunity to cover and discuss a few key elements of electrical safety.
Toolbox talk for electrical safety example
When thinking about how to conduct a toolbox talk for electrical safety, and what to talk about, it's usually helpful to look at a real life example like the one below or like this.
As was mentioned above, a toolbox talk only gives you enough time to cover the topic briefly, with a focus on discussing a few key issues over the course of a few minutes.
The toolbox talk on electrical safety example below was based on electrical shock - which is one of the more frequent electrical safety issues - and one which can be very dangerous.
It's also one of those good electrical safety talks, as everyone is aware of electric shock - and yet not too many people know what to do when it happens.
These subjects often make for great toolbox talks, as they create good engagement because everyone can relate, and also allow for a bunch of great tips which people don't know about - and can apply to the workplace and their every day lives.
You'll notice that the toolbox talk on electrical safety below was also documented well, which is a key part of your overall toolbox talk practices.
Documenting your toolbox talks properly through form fields like:
- Personnel in attendance
- The toolbox talk topic - electrical safety
- Who was the training officer/presenter
- What electrical safety subtopics were covered
- The actions which need to be taken for electrical safety to be improved
Documenting and managing toolbox talks this way is sure way to increase the likelihood of further actions being taken (especially by documenting who's responsible for the actions) and of covering as many safety topics in as much detail as possible over the course of a project - or the life of your company.
Use this toolbox talk for electrical safety example as your own framework for free.
Other smart ways to improve electrical safety, and minimise electrical hazards
A toolbox talk for electrical safety is a quick and easy way to improve electrical safety and to bring the topic front of mind for your workers.
But there are also a number of other ways in which you can improve electrical safety at your company, and on your projects and sites.
One of the ways is to implement an internal electrical safety audit. This audit can be guided by an electrical safety audit checklist like this, or it can be handled by an expert. These audits are a great opportunity for someone to take the time to properly walk through the workplace and uncover areas for improvement and spot and identify hazards which have been ignored or missed during normal operations.
Other processes and procedures which you can employ or improve include better managing electrical safety checklists for temporary workers, and better managing electrical safety registers and other documentation.
If you get all of these forms and processes in place and working well, then you will find that identifying, assessing and then mitigating the common risks of electrical safety become easier and easier. It becomes a built-in and innate muscle which your organisation uses to continuously improve safety.
This, in addition to conducting toolbox talks on electrical safety and other topics, builds that culture of safety and knowledge of safety which will really impact your safety results - and the wellbeing of your workers.
People in 80+ countries use this safety management system to improve their safety processes and outcomes.
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