Electrical Coalition Launches 'Just Don't Ask' Safety Campaign
The Electrical Safety Coalition of Ontario, Canada, along with its partners, unveiled a unique electrical safety campaign aimed at suppressing the demand for "live work" on energized electrical equipment. Organizers say the "Just Don't Ask" campaign represents the first time that major industry partners have joined together in a concerted effort to suppress the demand for such unnecessarily dangerous work.
ESC notes that working with live lines by electricians is responsible for 50 percent of all occupational injuries and deaths due to contact with electrical equipment. Simply put, the campaign was created to encourage clients to "Just Don't Ask" their electrician(s) to work live. The coalition acknowledges that those who work on high voltage power and utility lines must work live and says they do so under the strictest of guidelines and safety measures--measures that are working, given the recent reduction in incident rates. However, the added risk is often not necessary for industrial, commercial, and residential electricians, who are nevertheless routinely asked by clients and operations managers to work live rather than undertaking the service work with a planned shut down, or without lockout/tagout and other protective procedures in place.
ESC's coalition partners include the Electrical Contractors Association of Ontario; Electrical Safety Authority; Electrical & Utilities Safety Association; Industrial Accident Prevention Association (IAPA), and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW). For more information and campaign materials--including posters, a coalition letter, and an authorization form, go to www.electricalsafetycoalition.com.