Countries are actively working on the recovery from the economic downturn to a normal state in the post-pandemic era. Manufacturers are gradually bringing the workers back to meet the supply chain demands. However, during the pandemic period, many challenges put them at disadvantage, such as downsizing. As a result, it led to a gap for the new recruits. Workstation safety requires intensive training, and Ikonix is fully prepared to ensure companies return to the highest standard of safety. Market data shows the US labor market, the fatal injuries rate increased from 0.5 per 100,000 workers in 1H 2019 to 0.8 per 100,000 workers in 1H 2022 after the pandemic.1 Although many possibilities are causing the hazards, we focus on one of the most common workplace safety concerns – electrical safety in this article which considers a safe workstation and workplace safety training. Without the proper knowledge, electric hazards will cause serious job injuries, illnesses, deaths, and an enormous cost.
Creating A Safe Workstation
Most workplace accidents and injuries are preventable if you conform to OSHA compliance training standards to set up a safe workstation. And this is one of the best ways to protect your test operators from the dangers of electric shock. In some cases, the test may not be able to conduct in a restriction area or DUT (Device Under Test) enclosure. When necessary, there are other methods that you can use:
SAFETY PROBES
Use extended probes to contact the DUT during a test. A push button on the probe extends a conductive tip for contact to the DUT. This forces the operator to hold extended probes so that they cannot touch the DUT or instrument while a test is running.
INSULATION MAT
The electrical insulation mat is an ideal means for adding a level of operator safety. It isolates the operator from ground while testing, which greatly mitigates the shock hazard.
DUAL PALM REMOTE SWITCH
Two hand operation switches force the operator to place a hand on each switch and hold them throughout the test. You should place the palm switches at least 21.6 inch (550 mm) apart to prevent the operator from one hand activation of both switches. This does NOT allow the operator to touch the DUT as their hands must remain on the test switches during the test.
To learn more about Personal Protective Equipment (P.P.E), click here.
Providing Completed Safety Training
Manufacturing is one of the high-risk industries. Conducting safety training for employees helps employees be aware of workplace electrical hazards to reduce the number of accidents, injuries, and fatalities. According to an Ansell Inteliforz survey, roughly 50% of employees said their employer should offer regular safety training to improve workplace safety.2 However, each industry has different requirements and electrical safety has a lot of details to cover. It makes it challenging for companies to decide on the right topics.
Ikonix has many years of industry experience to help companies find the right topics to reinforce workplace safety. We create application-specific courses to maximize the safety of employees and consumers while making sure all standard industry requirements are adequately fulfilled. The training includes basics of electricity, safety standards guidelines, workstation setup, equipment functionality and maintenance, personal Protective Equipment, etc. Through our training, your employee will have a better understanding of electrical safety and stay updated with workplace safety.
When returning to normal, manufacturers need to be prepared to create a safer, happier, and more productive workplace. Ikonix offers total solutions including a completed electrical safety tester product line, PPE, and application consulting. If you have any questions about preventing workplace electrical hazards or want to learn more about Ikonix total solutions, please contact us.
Resources:
- https://www.propertycasualty360.com/2023/02/10/more-than-half-of-employees-see-1-or-more-workplace-hazards-each-week/?slreturn=20230120205406
- https://www.ansell.com/-/media/projects/ansell/website/pdf/industrial/inteliforz/ansell-2023-workplace-safety-report.ashx?rev=a20d578e89f74de994a72c9ef9216979&hash=FFB44F14AD0808B49ED4BECBC52D6813
