What’s wrong with this picture?

Problem: The round male prongs don’t fit into the female outlet. Solution: Drive in a pair of nails that do. Then, since the nails conduct electricity, they can be hooked up with the prongs to establish the circuit.

While it may rate an A for ingenuity, this arrangement gets an F for safety given that the charged nails represent an electrocution hazard of the first order.

The Moral: Workers may go to all kinds of lengths to engineer their way around problems. Unfortunately, these makeshift solutions may lead to serious injury and even death especially when they involve something as dangerous as electrical circuits.

WHAT’S AT STAKE: 3 Reasons to Pay Attention

1. Each year, more than 7,000 U.S. workers get hurt on the job as a result of coming into contact with electricity

2. 3,600 of these injuries leave the worker disabled and unable to return to work

3. Approximately one worker gets killed at work each day as a result of electrocution

5 Electrical Dangers to Watch Out for

1. Using electrical tools or equipment in damp or wet locations

 

2. Frayed electrical wiring or extension cords

 

3. Splices or taps in flexible cords and cables

 

4. Disconnecting switches and circuit breakers without labels describing their use or the equipment they serve

 

5. Unguarded electrical equipment

 

8 Electrical Dos and Don’ts

• DO report electrical dangers to your supervisor immediately
• DON’T use electrical equipment until after you’ve inspected it to ensure it’s safe to use
• DON’T use portable electrical tools and equipment that isn’t grounded or of the double insulation type
• DO use the appropriate electrical PPE when working with or near electrical equipment
• DO remove extension cords from receptacles by pulling on the plugs, not the cords
• DON’T use multiple plug adaptors
• DO be aware of and follow all of the company’s electrical safety policies and procedures
• DON’T freelance or try to engineer your own electrical solutions—like the one in the photo above