There are environmental hazards like lead solder in every jobsite. The association of electricians however has already made employed solutions to these pressing problems while at work. One of the most common and deadly environmental hazards is the exposure to cancer-causing asbestos materials. There was a time when it was common for electricians to work with dangerous asbestos piping without wearing any protective gears. Today electricians who are exposed to these kind of harm are required to use respirators and it is encourages that those who were once exposed to asbestos undergo a routine check up in order to ensure that their lungs are clear. In the past years, asbestos is the primary problem faced by electricians which contributes to most cancer and lung related diseases. Today however, people know how to handle it properly and with the effort of removing these poisonous materials in the last decade, there are only recorded a few encounters with this hazardous material.
Tips on safely working with electricity
So how should licensed electrician Toronto deal with their daily task of handling electrical powers? Here are some tips to follow in order to be safe while working with electricity.
- Before you start working or repairing electrical appliances or equipments, make sure that the power source is turned off. This may be common sense but reports coming from the Electronic Library of Construction confirm that people doing installation or reparation of electrical equipments often forget to turn off the power source before beginning their work and ends up into a tragic accident. If the power is not shut down, you may get a short circuit if ever a wrench, metallic screwdriver, fish tape of other machine touches a grounded conductor or metal.
- Before working on your electrical wiring, turn off the circuit breaker or the switch. If ever a cover is not closed when a switching operation is underway, you may be severely burned from the tiny metal particles and hot gases which occur during a flash.
- Keep in mind that your body is able to conduct electrical current and that if you experience an electric shock of 120 volts it can certainly be as deadly as being struck with 600 volts.
- When working with systems that are being shut down, use tag out or lockout procedures to ensure that you can protect yourself.
- Wear protective gears. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration will require electricians to wear safety gear like ear protection, steel-toed work shoes, hard hat and safety glasses when working on all job sites. You should also have high voltage gloves, testers and sticks, with leather on the outside and rubber in its inside. This will keep you insulated from dangerous electric current.
- Have all of your equipments inspected regularly. This will ensure that the equipments you are working with are in great condition.