Safety Checklist: 10 Dumb Things Smart People Do When Testing Electricity, Part 2

Mar 18, 2017

People who make their living by working with electricity quickly develop a healthy respect for anything with even a remote chance of being “live.” Yet the pressures of the getting a job done on time or getting a mission-critical piece of equipment back on line can result in carelessness and uncharacteristic mistakes by even the most seasoned electrician. Here in Part 2 are the final five quick reminders of what not to do when taking electrical measurements.

DO NOT:

6. Work on a live circuit. De-energize the circuit whenever possible, and verify it’s de-energized before starting work. If you have to work on a live circuit, make sure an arc flash risk assessment has been completed, use the appropriate PPE, and verify the operation of your test tool by testing a known voltage source first.

7. Fail to follow lockout/tagout procedures. Lockout/tagout procedures exist to protect you from potentially fatal electric shock. Don’t risk someone re-energizing your work environment. Review a sample lockout/tagout procedure from the Environmental Safety and Health Group of OSHA at www.shosha.gov.

8. Multi-task while measuring. When working with live circuits, try not to hold the meter in one hand while testing with the other. In a transient situation, that could create a path to ground through your heart. Hang or rest the meter or use a wireless read-out to get the meter out of your hands and the readings at eye level, and use an alligator clip for your ground, so that that you’re only using one hand to probe the energized conductor.

9. Neglect test leads. Test leads are a critical component of DMM safety. Make sure your leads match the CAT level of your job. Look for test leads with double insulation, shrouded input connectors, and test probes with finger guards and a non-slip surface. Test the leads with a known voltage before using. Consider leads with adjustable shrouds. There are even probes with built in fuses!

10. Hang onto an old test tool forever. Today’s test tools contain safety features unheard of even a few years ago. These features are worth the cost of an equipment upgrade and a lot less expensive than an emergency room visit. For example, new standards restrict the length of metal in the tip of a test probe to 4mm or less in CATIII/IV environments.

Read Part 1 here: https://electricalindustry.ca/latest-news/2884-safety-checklist-10-dumb-things-smart-people-do-when-testing-electricity-part-1. This article was first published by Fluke Corporation; http://content.fluke.com/platforms/wpcf/downloads/10_common_mistakes_EN.pdf.