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SAFETY MOMENT, JANUARY 21

Use GFCI protection on site

See today's safety momentHow to give a safety moment

Safety moment, January 21

Use GFCI protection on site

A live wire looks exactly like a dead one, and your body can become part of the circuit. Electrical contact can cause shock, burns and electrocution, and even a small shock can make you fall from a ladder. How badly you are hurt depends on how much current flows, the path it takes through your body and how long the contact lasts.

SAFETY MOMENT

January 21

The hazard

A live wire looks exactly like a dead one, and your body can become part of the circuit. Electrical contact can cause shock, burns and electrocution, and even a small shock can make you fall from a ladder. How badly you are hurt depends on how much current flows, the path it takes through your body and how long the contact lasts.

The action

On construction sites, the employer must protect workers with ground-fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs) or an assured equipment grounding conductor program. A GFCI cuts the power fast when current leaks to ground, including through a person. Test GFCIs before use, and if one keeps tripping, find out why instead of bypassing it. (29 CFR 1926.404(b)(1)(i))

ASK THE CREW

Who on this crew is qualified to work on electrical equipment, and who do we call when something needs repair?

From the talk: Electrical safety. Read it in full, free, with the questions and the sign-in sheet.

HOW TO USE IT

How to give a safety moment

  1. Gather the crew where they work, before the shift or the meeting starts. Read the hazard out loud.
  2. Ask the question and let two or three people answer. What they say about their own work counts for more than what you read.
  3. Name the action and point to one place on today's job where it applies, so everyone knows what to do differently.
  4. Write the date and the names on a sign-in sheet.

A safety moment is short and does not replace the full talk. When you want to go through a topic with the crew, pick a free toolbox talk.

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