PPE for Electrical Safety: Essential Gear for Electricians
Wondering what personal protective equipment (PPE) is required for electricians? Electrical safety PPE is essential not only for regulation compliance, but also for necessary protection.
Electricians can face serious hazards on the job, including electrical shock, burns from wires, injuries caused by electrical arcs, and falls from dangerous heights. In this guide, we’ll explore the necessary PPE to keep you safe and identify why it’s important.
PPE for electricians
First things first, what is PPE, and why is it important? The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) defines PPE as the equipment worn to minimize exposure to hazards that cause serious workplace injuries and illnesses.
These injuries and illnesses may result from contact with chemical, radiological, physical, electrical, mechanical, or other workplace hazards. In short, electrical safety PPE includes various items, from gloves to hard hats, as a form of bodily protection.
Some of the top PPE brands
Some top brands for electrical safety PPE include 3M, Brady, F4P, Ideal, Klein Tools, Kong USA, The Master Lock Company, Milwaukee Tool, and Salisbury by Honeywell.
While this is not an exhaustive list, all these brands and more can be found at CES branches across the country as well as online at www.CityElectricSupply.com.
Types of PPE
Gloves
Gloves are your hand’s first defense against harmful substances, chemical or thermal burns, electrical dangers, cuts, and more.
With many options to choose from, it can be overwhelming to determine the best choice. This depends on a few different factors but primarily depends on the type of work you encounter daily. Focus on the area requiring protection, abrasion/resistance requirements, grip requirements, and thermal protection, but be sure to keep in mind size and comfort.
If your gloves become worn out over time, replace them; worn-out gloves will not protect you. Torn, punctured, discolored, or stiff gloves can all be signals for a replacement.
Insulated hand tools
Like many professions require specialized tools, electrical work is no exception. Insulated tools are necessary for electricians because they provide protection from arc flashes, arc blasts, and electrocution. They’re usually more expensive than regular tools, but a good investment in tools is well worth the initial cost.
Most hand tools come equipped with a rubber coating over any handles, but buyer beware — this still doesn’t mean they’re properly insulated! To make sure your tools meet the requirement, look for the international 1,000-volt symbol.
Safety glasses
Keep your eyes on the prize by keeping them protected and unharmed from jobsite hazards. Electricians are exposed to flying debris, chemical splashes, blunt force, and bright light from welding or arc flashes.
If you wear glasses, you’ll need additional eye or face protection over your lenses. Following the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) safety standards and OSHA regulations will have your eyes (and project budget) thanking you.
Earplugs or muffs
Once the damage is done, it’s irreversible — which is why you must protect your hearing! This is especially true if you work in loud places like factories and construction sites.
Exposure to loud noise depends on a few factors, like the decibel level of the area and how long you expose yourself to the noise. Moving between work areas with different noise levels matters too. Earplugs or earmuffs keep your ears safe from damage, with some options that can conveniently fit in your pocket.
If you’re ever unsure about sound levels, the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)released a Sound Level Meter App, which is a free tool available to the public for download.
Hard hats
Use your head! Always wear a hard hat. Hard hats keep your head protected from impact and penetration hazards, as well as from electrical shock and burn hazards. OSHA requires hard hats in areas of exposed pipes or beams, falling objects, and/or accidental head contact with electrical hazards.
Different types of hard hats include Class E (Electrical), Class G (General), and Class C (Conductive) hard hats.
Respirators
Like a breath of fresh air, respirators keep harmful particles from being breathed in. While it will make your breathing more pleasant, it also prevents more serious health issues from occurring, like respiratory illnesses, lung damage, and cancer.
N95 masks are good at filtering out roughly 95 percent — hence the name — of airborne particles. Most are suitable for one-time use, but some can be used multiple times if they are washable and have replaceable filters.
Knee protection
For enhanced comfort during those extended periods of time kneeling, knee protection can also improve productivity and prevent injuries. Kneeling often on hard surfaces can cause discomfort. Failure to use proper padding can result in serious long-term health issues.
Safety vests
Safety vests are an electrical PPE staple. Essentially, they work as personal high-visibility markers on jobsites to signal to others, “Hey, there’s a person working over here!”
They can be especially helpful in high-traffic areas as well. Their bright colors allow for visibility from far away, and they help to promote a safe culture in the workplace.
Full-body suits
Full-body suits, also called arc flash protection kits, are necessary when working on or near electrical equipment that could cause an arc flash.
These flashes are bomb-like blasts that can cause serious injuries like burns and blindness. They act as a supersonic shockwave, damaging any equipment, materials, or people nearby.
Arc flashes can occur for various reasons, including electrical work involving faults or short circuits, which are more frequent at low voltages due to high fault currents. They can also result from carelessness, accidents, improper tools, or poor installation and work methods. Other causes include static electricity, high-voltage cables, and inadequate maintenance of circuit breakers and switches.
Fall protection
Electricians working at heights of 10 feet or more, usually linemen, rely on carabiners, connectors, harnesses, and lanyards for fall protection to ensure their safety on the job. Fall arrestors stop falls in progress, providing crucial protection by minimizing impact forces.
For extra assurance, use shock packs as landing pads that absorb energy during a fall; they help reduce the force that would impact your body. Together, these fall protection tools create peace of mind when working high up.
Lockout/Tagout (LOTO)
Lockout/Tagout, or LOTO, refers to safety signage placed on machinery or equipment indicating it is unsafe and inoperable until repaired.
These practices are necessary to protect workers from hazardous energy releases from equipment. OSHA provides a helpful LOTO fact sheet that goes more in-depth about the specifics.
PPE maintenance
Properly inspecting, cleaning, repairing, and storing PPE when not in use is important. This helps you identify malfunctioning or damaged PPE so you can discard it immediately. Plus, proper care of your PPE can bring longer use to your products.
Consequences of not using PPE
Not complying with safety protocols is a price you don’t want to pay. From serious violations to willful and repeated violations, not following regulations can lead to costly fines.
These are no small numbers either. According to OSHA, fines can jump up to $165,514 per violation! Along with the monetary risk associated with non-compliance, not using PPE puts you in danger!
Where to buy PPE
Ready to stay safe and avoid fines?
Find it all at your local City Electric Supply (CES) branch.
Or visit us online at www.CityElectricSupply.com.