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Take the time to learn more about sound levels, duration limits, and steps you can take to protect your hearing.

Occupational safety and health professionals use the Hierarchy of Control to determine how to implement feasible and effective controls. This approach groups actions by their likely effectiveness in reducing or removing the noise hazard.

Elimination or Substitution: In most cases, the preferred approach is to eliminate the source of hazardous noise. When elimination is not possible, substitution of the loud equipment for quieter equipment may be the next best alternative to protect workers from hazardous noise.

Engineering and Administrative Controls: To the extent feasible, engineering controls, administrative controls, and work practices shall be used to ensure that workers are not exposed to noise at or above 85 dBA as an 8-hour Time Weighted Average (TWA). Engineering controls require physical changes to the workplace such as redesigning equipment to eliminate noise sources and constructing barriers that prevent noise from reaching a worker. If engineering controls are not feasible, employers an explore potential administrative controls, such as scheduling that will minimize exposure, providing quiet and convenient lunch and break areas.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): When all options for eliminating or reducing the noise at the source are exhausted, hearing protection devices such as earplugs or earmuffs should be made available to workers, at no cost, to sufficiently attenuate noise so that their “real-world” exposure is below 85 dBA as an 8-hour TWA.

 Sound level and duration are important to consider when protecting your hearing from damage.

Sound Pressure Level

• Pressure wave traveling in air or water
• Expressed in decibels (dB) – It is the perceived loudness
• Analogy: surface wave made when you throw a stone into a calm pool of water
• Logarithmic scale
• Small dB increase represents large increase in sound energy.
• 3 dB increase is a doubling of sound energy
• 10 dB increase represents a 10-fold increase
• 20 dB increase represents a 100-fold increase

Signs of Hearing Loss Include:

• Frequently asking people to repeat themselves.
• Turning an ear in the direction of sound in order to hear it better.
• Understanding conversation better when you look directly at the person. Seeing their facial expression and lips movements can help a someone understand another better is there is a hearing problem.
• Being unable to hear all parts of a group conversation.
• Experiencing pain or ringing in the ears (tinnitus).
• Listening to the TV or radio at volume levels higher than other people normally listen to.

If any of these signs are displayed, a person can take action by visiting an audiologist for a hearing test. An audiologist is a health professional who specializes in diagnosing and treating people with hearing problems.

PROTECT YOUR HEARING! From ALLY SAFETY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehV9d7gabfc [8:01]

Hearing Safety Part 1 – CopperPoint Insurance Companies

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjkS2HlaZ0c [8:07]

Sources: https://www.elcosh.org/document/1666/d000573/OSHA%2527s+Approach+to+noise+exposure+in+construction.html

https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/noise/reducenoiseexposure/noisecontrols.html

Understanding common electrical hazards can help you identify areas for improvement in your surroundings and prevent future injury. Here are several examples:

• Poorly installed, faulty and/or ill-maintained electrical equipment.
• Faulty wiring.
• Overloaded or overheated outlets.
• Use of flexible leads and extension cables.
• Incorrect use of replacement fuses.
• Use of electrical equipment with wet hands or near the source of water.
• Working near overhead power lines.

Tips to prevent workplace electrical incidents

Electricity can become dangerous if not handled properly. Electricity flowing through a conductor contained in its insulated circuit is necessary for normal daily work activities and mechanical equipment.

It is important to follow these safety tips for preventing workplace injuries:

• Unplug or switch off electrical appliances when not in use or while cleaning, repairing or servicing.
• Ensure that all electrical appliances are turned off at the end of the day.
• Don’t forcefully plug into an outlet if it doesn’t fit.
• Refrain from running electrical cords across doorways, under the carpets, or in high foot traffic areas.
• Maintain a clearance of at least 3 feet from all electrical panels.
• Use only equipment that is double-insulated and properly grounded.
• Don’t overload the electrical outlets.
• Ensure that two extension cords are not plugged together.
• Only use electrical equipment that is approved by a national testing laboratory.
• Pay attention to the warning signs when operating equipment. Equipment may heat up, spark, smoke or make weird noise; identify the signs and immediately take it out of service.

• Regularly check for defects in cords and equipment. Report immediately if any and take out of service.
• While unplugging, grip the plug and pull. Don’t pull the cord from a distance.
• Do not use electrical equipment or appliances with wet hands or near water and wet surfaces.
• Inspect the outside work areas for overhead power lines before erecting ladders outside, keep at least 10 feet away from power lines.
• Follow the warnings posted on signs near potential electrical hazards, such as electrical panels, and high voltage areas.

Please read these three case studies on how electrocutions can happen.

FACE Report: Worker electrocuted while replacing light fixture

December 20, 2020

Case report: #2018OR40
Issued by: Oregon State Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Program
Date of incident: Sept. 26, 2018

A 28-year-old lighting technician, employed three weeks with a staffing agency and with no electrical trade experience, was electrocuted while working on an energized lighting fixture. He was part of a crew of subcontracted technicians replacing lights at a large retail store chain during a night shift while the lighting circuits were energized. Workplace hazards at the store were not identified, and a trained competent person was not onsite. The foreman believed the lights were on a 208/120-volt single-phase panel, but they were on an energized 480/277-volt three-phase panel. At the time of the incident, the victim was working on a fixture without a quick disconnect. Around 3:30 a.m., co-workers saw the victim slumped over a scaffold, not moving. CPR was initiated and co-workers called 911. Emergency medical services arrived and pronounced the victim dead at the scene. After the victim was removed and law enforcement left, the foreman and remaining crew continued to work, completing the disconnect installation the victim was working on, exposing themselves to similar – and potentially fatal – hazards.

To help prevent similar incidents, employers should:

• Employers should provide written procedures and training to ensure workers are able to safely perform potentially hazardous tasks.
• Have a competent person onsite to identify and mitigate safety hazards, and to stop work when an injury occurs.
• Require that workers de-energize circuits and use lockout/tagout procedures before performing work.

FACE Report: Field technician electrocuted after contacting downed power line

November 28, 2021

Case report: #20KY065
Issued by: Kentucky State Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Program
Date of incident: Nov. 4, 2020

A 31-year-old field technician was part of a two-person engineering crew tasked with surveying power lines in a residential area with homes located on each side of a two-lane highway. The technicians worked their way from pole to pole, collecting data such as pole height, distance between poles and each pole’s proximity to the highway. During the course of their duties, the technicians encountered a downed power line, likely the result of a recent windstorm. The downed power line was entangled in a nearby tree that stood about 8 feet from the utility pole. After the victim located the downed line, he worked to free it from the tree. Although the line was not initially energized, it became energized at some point during the untangling process and delivered an electric shock to the victim, killing him instantly. The cause of death was listed as high-voltage electrocution.

To help prevent similar occurrences, employers should:

• Consider developing policies and procedures that specify the standard operating procedures for employees who encounter a downed power line.
• Perform a job hazard analysis.
• Provide hazard awareness training to employees annually.

FACE Report: Father and son painters killed when ladder contacts power line

February 20, 2022

Case report: #71-210-2021
Issued by: Washington State Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Program
Date of report: Nov. 7, 2020

A 55-year-old painting contractor and his 27-year-old son were electrocuted when the aluminum extension ladder they were moving contacted an overhead power line. On the day of the incident, the wind was blowing 15-30 mph, with gusts up to 40 mph. The crew had finished painting for the day and was cleaning up the site. The contractor and his son were moving the ladder, which was at its full extension of 48 feet. The two were holding the ladder in a vertical position as the son attempted to retract the ladder’s extension. A gust of wind blew the ladder into a 14,460-volt overhead power line, and an electrical current traveled from the power line through the ladder and through both workers. The contractor died at the scene. His son died nearly a month later.

To prevent similar occurrences, employers should:

• Identify the location of overhead power lines as part of an initial worksite survey for jobs involving the use of ladders. Note power line heights and distances from work areas on site diagrams.
• Perform a job hazard analysis of the worksite.
• Use non-conductive ladders around power lines.
• Lower extension ladders and transport them horizontally.
• Be aware of windy conditions while moving a ladder near power lines.

Sources:

https://safety-culture-training.com/uploads/pdfs/Week18safetytopics-ElectricalSafety.pdf;

Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Program – https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/face/default.html

Most workplaces are literally surrounded by a maze of electrical circuits. Cables, conduits and extension cords deliver electricity to plant, equipment appliances and lights.

Electricity is a convenient, cost effective and surprisingly safe source of energy in every workplace. We should however not become complacent about the potential hazards associated with electricity. Even though there are relatively few accidents associated with electricity, many of the accidents that do happen have serious or devastating results.

The Three Basic Rules That Apply to Electricity

            Rule #1 – Electricity will only travel in a circuit (continuous path from its source to the appliance or piece of equipment and back to its source via a different path).

            Rule #2 – Electricity will always travel in the path of least resistance.
            Rule #3 – Electricity will always try to travel to the ground.

Basic facts – definitions and explanations of basic electrical terms.

Voltage analogy is similar to water in a hose with the nozzle turned off, we have water pressure but no movement. A good analogy of current is like the flow of water through a hose.

We can measure the flow of electricity or current using Amperes.

Effects of Electrical Current on the Human Body

Electric current is able to create severe burns in the body. The reason is hidden in the power dissipation across the body’s electrical resistance.

The contact with electric current can have various effects on the human body such as pain, burns or even death. There are many factors which effect the way the body interacts with current, such as skin resistance, the voltage, the length of time of contact, the amount of electric current and its intensity.

The body is extremely sensitive to the effects of electric current, that’s why this scenario can lead to a variety of outcomes. The real measure of electrocution intensity is directly related to the amount of current (Ohms law), in amperes, that passes through the body depending on the body resistance, wet (500Ω) or dry (1000Ω) and point of contacts we have very different effects for the same current.

Contact with an electrical current disrupts normal operation of our nervous and muscular systems, and when this current passes through your body, it is transformed into thermal energy. This can cause serious burns, both inside your body and on your skin.

The longer the current continues to pass through you, the worse it gets. More heat is generated and the damage to your body increases, so the inability to let go can cause some serious problems.

Effects of Electrical Current Contact for 1 Second (Electrocution or Electric Shock)

Below 1 mA – Not perceptible

1 mA – Threshold of feeling, tingling

5 mA – Slight shock. Not painful. Average individual can let go. Involuntary reaction can lead to indirect injuries.

6-25 mA (women) – Painful shocks. Loss of muscle control.

6-30 mA (men) – Freezing current, “can’t let go”. The person may be thrown away from the power source. Individual cannot let go. Strong involuntary reaction can lead to involuntary injuries.

50 to 150 mA – Extreme pain. Respiratory arrest. Muscle reactions. Possible death. Currents above 100 mA are almost always fatal unless immediate medical attention is provided.

1-4.3 A – Fibrillation of the heart. Muscle contraction and nerve damage occur. Likely death.

10 A – Cardiac arrest, severe burns. Death is probable. (most common size for circuit breakers for switches and outlets)

Cardiac effects are among the most serious and among the most common electrical injuries. The heart is more commonly affected because the electric current usually follows the path of least resistance in the body along blood vessels and nerves, directing the current towards the heart.

Sources: Physiological effect of electric current. WikiLectures.eu, Safetyhub Electrical Safety Short.