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FEATURE DETERMINING THE LEVEL OF MY
ELECTRICIAN’S QUALIFICATIONS

PLEASE CONSIDER THIS QUESTION:
Do we have a process that accurately measures
the real qualifications of each of my electricians?

Knowing the true qualifications of our electricians can empower them and
our businesses to flourish – enhancing productivity, electrician confidence
and safety, and have an overall positive impact on customer satisfaction and
our businesses. Knowing their qualifications can also enable us to develop
plans that can give each electrician opportunities to grow and learn to be
qualified in other capacities.

• Do my electricians actually recognize the real hazards?
• Do they understand the risks?
• Do they know how to apply the most effective means to eliminate
each hazard?
• Can they correctly select the proper tools and testers for the job,
and, when needed, the appropriate PPE?
• Do they understand what to look for and how to examine tools,
testers, and PPE before use?
• Can they properly perform simple and complex lockout/
tagout procedures?

Some key items that an Electrical Safety impact of the work environment and An effective Electrical Safety Program
plan should include: human factors on electrician safety and that includes Electrical Safety-related
• Hazard elimination as the priority. productivity – for example: weather Work Practices is really about protecting
influences; the work of other trades; the value of people… That’s what truly
• Hazard awareness and recognition.
• Risk assessment procedures for the the pressures and stresses relative to matters, and it is personal!
the urgency of the work; fatigue; the
hazards identified. electrician’s actual qualifications, etc.
• Training and documented procedures to Ned Johns serves as the training manager
mitigate the risks. Implementing a process to confirm the for Ideal Industries, Inc., a 104-year-old
• Emphasis on the importance of real qualifications of each electrician is American company that manufactures
exercising self-discipline to choose vital, especially those who do service premium electrical products, tools, and
testers for the electrical industry. He is
electrical safety-related work practices. work or must work on or near energized a journeyman and technical instructor
electrical equipment (such as in hospitals
Without training and experience, how can or facilities backed up with emergency in two different trades. He maintains
his journeyman electrician certification,
an electrician properly identify each type power systems). It’s critical to know, and a California State CTE teaching
of hazard and know how to assess the not assume, the qualifications of the credential, and holds an NFPA CESCP
risks they might be taking? electricians who will perform electrical certification. In 2017, Ideal Industries
tests – for example, those who will hired Ned specifically to provide technical
Once a hazard is identified, a process be verifying the absence or presence and instructional support to IDEAL’s
needs to include risk controls to eliminate of voltage during lockout/tagout or electrical industry training partners
the hazard – such as the implementation troubleshooting. This will help ensure and customers within the U.S.A.
of an effective lockout/tagout procedure. our electricians, safety, increase their
confidence, competency, and productivity –
Also, an effective safety program should while reducing and eliminating electrical
always recognize and address the safety related incidents.

12 Insights Magazine | May/June 2021 | www.ieci.org