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The University of Bamenda National Higher Polytechnic Institute Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering

The document is an assignment on engineering safety and health presented by Awangum Noel Kwa from the University of Bamenda. It contains 4 questions regarding electrical safety incidents, hazards of charging lead-acid batteries, types of controls for electrical hazards, and physical controls for electrical hazards. Specifically, it asks the reader to analyze incident reports, identify hazards and controls, and name different types of electrical hazard controls.

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Awangum Noel
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75 views4 pages

The University of Bamenda National Higher Polytechnic Institute Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering

The document is an assignment on engineering safety and health presented by Awangum Noel Kwa from the University of Bamenda. It contains 4 questions regarding electrical safety incidents, hazards of charging lead-acid batteries, types of controls for electrical hazards, and physical controls for electrical hazards. Specifically, it asks the reader to analyze incident reports, identify hazards and controls, and name different types of electrical hazard controls.

Uploaded by

Awangum Noel
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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THE UNIVERSITY OF BAMENDA

NATIONAL HIGHER DEPARTMENT OF


POLYTECHNIC ELECTRICAL AND
INSTITUTE ELECTRONIC
ENGINEERING

ENGINEERING SAFETY AND HEALTH (EEEE6101)

ASSIGNMENT

PRESENTED BY
AWANGUM NOEL KWA (UBa21EP094)

COURSE INSTRUCTOR
Dr. ALOMBA
Q1 Obtain copies of completed incident reports from companies or delegations. Use data found
in each to complete the first four exercises below.
(a) Identify unsafe acts, unsafe conditions and contributing circumstances in each report.
(b) Identify preventive actions that were possible for the cases. Identify any accident theories or
models that helped identify preventive actions.
(c) Identify possible factors involved in each case using a multiple factor theory, such as the four
Ms.
(d) Select one or two of the cases and list the hazards potentially involved in each. Suggest
which hazard controls might have prevented each case or reduced its severity.

Incident: Worker seriously injured by arc flash in crane control cabinet


Date of incident: January 2020
Notice of incident number: 2020188280001
Employer: Structural concrete forming company
Incident summary
At a highrise apartment building construction site, a crane operator accessed an electrical crane
control cabinet located in the operator’s cab of the crane. He touched and wiggled a wire that
looked out of place. An arc flash occurred, causing several electrical components within the
control cabinet and the worker’s jacket and pants to catch fire. The worker removed himself from
the cab, took off his jacket, and used his hands to extinguish flames on his pant leg. He then
climbed down the crane mast ladder to the ground below. The worker sustained serious injuries.
Investigation conclusions
Cause
Not locking out 480 V power supply. The worker did not lock out the 480 V electrical power
supply coming into the crane cab from the International Electro-technical Commission (IEC)
rotary switch, located in the slewing ring underneath the crane’s cab, before accessing the crane
control cabinet. As a result, although the worker had switched the control cabinet’s electrical
power rotary switch to the OFF position, the control cabinet still had 480 V power within it.
Contributing factors
Worker not qualified to work on energized electrical equipment. The operator was trained and
qualified to work on de-energized electrical components. The control cabinet was still energized
with 480 V power as the IEC rotary switch in the slewing ring was in the ON position.
No weekly inspections. Neither the manufacturer's instructions nor the employer’s weekly
inspection checklist were followed to ensure that electrical connections in the crane control
cabinet were secured. The employer failed to ensure that the crane's weekly inspection checklist
was being completed.

Publication Date: Jan 2022


Source: https://www.worksafebc.com/en/health-safety/create-manage/incident-investigations/
worksafebc-investigations/incident-investigation-reports

a) Identification of unsafe acts, unsafe conditions and contributing circumstances


 Touching and wiggling the wire without proper check was an unsafe act.
 Leaving the 480 V power supply unlocked was an unsafe condition for the worker
 The worker was not qualified to work on energized electrical equipment, which was a
contributing circumstance.
 The employer failed to ensure that the crane’s weekly inspection checklist was been
completed, which was also a contributing circumstance.
b) Identification of preventive actions that were possible
 The worker should have locked the 480 V power supply before accessing the
crane control cabinet.
 The manufacturer’s instructions and the employer’s weekly inspection checklist
should have been followed to ensure that the electrical connections in the crane
control cabinet were secured.
Some accident theories that helped to identify preventive measures are:
 The single event theory
 The chain-of-events theory
 The determinant variable theory
 The branch events chain theory

Q2 What are the hazards in charging lead-acid batteries? What are some controls?
The hazards in charging lead acid batteries are:
1. Explosion
In the process of charging lead-acid batteries, the batteries generate oxygen and hydrogen
gas which is explosive in certain concentrations in air. A source of ignition such as a
flame or spark will often cause mixture of these gases to ignite and explode.
2. Skin burn
The type of acid used in lead-acid batteries is sulphuric acid. This acid is known to be
very corrosive. During the charging of lead-acid batteries, some leakages may occur and
this exposes an individuals or a worker to burns if he or she comes into direct contact
with the acid leaking from the battery.
3. Overcharging lead-acid batteries produces toxic gases such as hydrogen sulphide (H2S).
Some controls are:
 Charge lead-acid batteries in cool and well ventilated areas, away from ignition sources
 When working with lead-acid batteries always wear suitable protective wears such as
gloves, face and eye protective wears, and aprons for protecting you from contact with
sulphuric acid.
 Check battery manufacturer’s specification for recommended maximum charging voltage

Q3. What are the main types of controls for electrical hazards?
The main types of controls for electrical hazards are:
1) Elimination: This involves physically removing the hazards, and it is the most effective
method of electrical hazard control.
2) Substitution: this involves replacing the hazard.
3) Engineering control: this helps in isolating people from the hazard.
4) Administrative control: this involves changing the way people work in a facility.
5) Personal protective equipment: this has to do with protecting workers by making use of
personal protective equipment

Q4. Name five physical controls for electrical hazards


i. Keep water and other liquids away from electrical equipment.
ii. All exposed metallic parts of equipment should be properly grounded.
iii. Do not work on live equipment. Isolation and multi-lock system should be followed.
iv. Install adequate protective devices for every electrical installation
v. Use the correct wire suitable for the operation of an electrical load.

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