WHAT TRAINING DOES MY TEAM NEED?
When considering training, it’s important to recognize the two (2) types of employees or contractors working at your facility. Unqualified workers are those who do not engage in any electrical work. For example, someone working on an assembly line at a manufacturing facility. Qualified workers are those who are authorized to perform live electrical work.
UNQUALIFIED WORKERS
For unqualified workers, training generally consists of an hour-long electrical safety awareness course detailing electrical hazards that might be present, electrical safety awareness, and what to do in an emergency. The purpose of this should be learning to recognize, report, and avoid hazards.
QUALIFIED WORKERS
Qualified workers are required to complete training as defined by NFPA 70E standards. Workers become qualified based on the nature of their work and the hazards they might encounter on the job. Generally speaking, that is about a 3 – 5 hour course on a three-year cycle.
Though the NFPA 70E offers standards, there is no regulatory body that certifies electrical safety training. Companies are free to create their training or hire an outside vendor or expert like EPSCO to provide training. EPSCO balances about four hours of classroom time with additional hands-on experience that is pertinent to the client and specific to the type of job the worker will be performing.
Qualified workers must be contact-release certified every year by statute of the NFPA 70E. Contact-release trains workers to know how to respond when a victim is being electrocuted and has crossed the let-go threshold – Meaning muscle contraction is so rapid the victim is incapable of letting go of the equipment they’re in contact with. Additionally, OSHA stipulates that anyone involved in emergency response must be certified in CPR and AED.
Need training for your team? We’ve got you covered! Contact us HERE to get electrical safety training for all of your employees!
