INNOVATIONS
W orkplace top ing, pen.priority but Implementing accidents safety in manufactur- is always still a pro- hap- the
active Prevention through Design (PtD)
program can be a step to mitigating electrical safety hazards and better protect workers in a plant.
Performing work without turning off
power and verifying that a de-energized
condition exists is a leading cause of electrical injuries. Electrical Safety Foundation
International statistics show that there
were 2,210 nonfatal electrical injuries in
2017, an increase of 35% over 2016. Shocks
accounted for 1,330 nonfatal electrical injuries, while burns accounted for another 900
injuries.
Typically, the response to these accidents is to propose more safety training,
but training alone is not enough. It is crucial to begin with design-first thinking to
improve workplace electrical safety.
Prevention through Design (PtD)
As a principle, Prevention through Design
(PtD) is an achievable solution to improve
worker health and safety. Designing to
reduce hazards before any electrical exposure happens in the workplace should be
a top priority for industry safety professionals. PtD includes all efforts to prevent
injuries by reducing exposure to hazards
primarily through equipment design rather
than administrative controls or personal
protective equipment (PPE). This applies
not only to products and equipment, but
also processes and procedures used in the
workplace.
It is a concept that is firmly taking hold
within the safety and plant engineering
community and efforts are being made to
increase its adoption through inclusion in
standards. Every manufacturing process has
many inherent safety risks, so it’s important
to identify and minimize potential hazards
from the very beginning.
With PtD, new technologies and products reduce human exposure to hazards to
achieve higher levels of safety, and electrical infrastructure is made safer for anyone
entering the facility for the duration of its
lifecycle. Product development by way of
PtD also can simultaneously increase productivity, as it limits worker exposure to
electrical hazards during routine maintenance and work activity while making the
process faster and less complicated.
Prevention through design:
Improve electrical safety NEW PRODUCTS
Search hundreds of
new products and
innovations added
every day.
Click the New
Products tab on the
Plant Engineering
website.
NEW PRODUCTS FOR ENGINEERS
Better equipment design takes a step beyond training
66
www.plantengineering.com PLANT ENGINEERING June 2019 • 63
INSIDE
By Marty Kronz, Panduit
“The plant manager’s
role in the PtD process
is to establish a
motivational force to
promote designing for
safety and protect workers
by implementing PtD
solutions that help reduce
exposure to hazards
throughout the facility.”
Reducing workplace injuries
PtD begins with identifying potential risks within a process or environment with the ultimate goal of eliminating
risks whenever possible. In cases where the elimination of
a risk is impossible or impractical, substitution (replacing the hazard) or engineering controls (isolating people
from the hazard) is the most effective means to reduce
workplace Injuries. Several PtD product innovations have
been developed as a means of replacing or isolating people
from the hazard, such as permanently mounted voltage
indicators, voltage portals, data access ports, infrared
windows for thermal inspection and absence of voltage
testers (AVTs).
The process of de-energizing and verifying equipment
in an electrically safe work condition before beginning
work can help prevent electrical incidents. AVTs are permanently-mounted testing devices specifically designed
with this in mind.
It’s beneficial to examine whether voltage testing can
be optimized using PtD methodology because of how frequently it’s done in the manufacturing workplace. Every
safety manager’s top priority is to provide a workplace
free from serious safety and health hazards and to ensure
the workplace is fully in compliance with all applicable
standards, rules and regulations to maintain safety in his
or her manufacturing facility.
Safety managers today are challenging electrical infrastructure suppliers to create dependable methods of
identifying and verifying de-energized electrical equipment, and new products are improving electrical workers’ ability to safely verify that electrical equipment is
in a de-energized state.
Utilizing an AVT device not only simplifies the voltage
verification test to validate the absence of voltage, but it
also helps meet the standards for electrical safety in the
workplace. With the use of an AVT, qualified personnel
mitigate electrical hazard risks by performing an absence
of voltage test before equipment is accessed. The single
push of a button on an AVT negates the traditional
use of hand-held test equipment for this process. The
AVT not only reduces the risk of exposure to electrical
hazards, but also reduces a time-consuming process to
a reliable, single push-button action.
Improving safety
Worldwide, industry implementation of PtD still has
room for improvement. Administrative controls like
warnings, labels, training, written procedures and PPE
can protect workers from some electrical hazards but
verifying absence of voltage and de-energizing equipment needs to be a clear, reliable and uncomplicated
process.
The plant manager’s role in the PtD process is to
establish a motivational force to promote designing for
safety and protect workers by implementing PtD solutions that help reduce exposure to hazards throughout
the facility. PtD methodology can be applied to existing
tools, equipment and processes, but addressing safety
early in the design process is more economical and
should be the first option explored.
Safety pays when it comes to plants and factories.
Electrical injuries account for one of the highest average
workers’ compensation costs, with sources indicating the
average direct cost of an electrical injury ranges from
$50,000 to $80,000. The indirect costs can even exceed
this by four times because of the ensuing property damage and repair, as well as lost productivity. Considering
a total cost can approach $500,000, companies should
think twice about how effective their safety program,
procedures and tools are.
Thanks to PtD, the safety culture is changing. New
technology like AVTs will continue to play an important
role in electrical hazard reduction strategies for plants
worldwide. PE
Marty Kronz is manager of Prevention through Design – OEM
Business, leading the Panduit OEM Business Development team.
INNOVATIONS
www.plantengineering.com PLANT ENGINEERING June 2019 • 65
“With PtD, new
technologies and products
reduce human exposure
to hazards to achieve
higher levels of safety,
and electrical infrastructure
are made safer for anyone
entering the facility for the
duration of its lifecycle.”
Copyright of Plant Engineering is the property of CFE Media and its content may not be
copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder’s
express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for
individual use.
The post the active Prevention through Design appeared first on My Assignment Online.