AWEA's October Safety Campaign Aims to 'Stop the Shock'
According to AWEA, there are a record number of wind workers on the job and a record amount of wind power capacity under construction in the United States, making workplace safety awareness for wind workers more vital than ever.
The American Wind Energy Association's October 2018 Safety Campaign, "Stop the Shock: Stay Current and Avoid the Current," begins this week. The campaign focuses on raising electrical safety awareness for wind energy workers and educating them on how to work safely and efficiently.
According to AWEA, there are a record number of wind workers on the job and a record amount of wind power capacity under construction in the United States, making workplace safety awareness for wind workers more vital than ever.
According to OSHA, the most frequent causes of electrical injuries in the workplace are as follows:
- Contact with power lines
- Lack of ground-fault protection
- Path to ground missing or discontinuous
- Equipment not used in manner prescribed
- Improper use of extension and flexible cords
AWEA offers many resources on its Stop the Shock website to raise awareness of electrical safety during its campaign, including a handout and poster of 10 Questions for Electrical Safety, a handout outlining the top changes in the 2018 NFPA 70E standard that are relevant to the wind industry, and a PowerPoint presentation on choosing the correct PPE.
Previous AWEA safety campaign topics have included dropped object prevention, driving and vehicle safety, and soft tissue injury prevention.