WorldWide Drilling Resource

WorldWide Drilling Resource ® is a proud member of this association. National Drilling Association Tel: 877-632-4748 Fax: 216-803-9900 www.nda4u.com 11 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® JANUARY 2014 Safety Spotlight: Electrical Safety by Scott Cosby The topic for this month’s article will be electrical safety by examining electricity basics, injury types, and pre- vention tips every drill operator and crew member should have knowledge of to keep safe. In our industry, this would include the drill rig motor, any associat- ed electrical components, and support vehicles. This article is a nice compan- ion for the WWDR April 2013 article on battery safety. Basically, electricity forms a path when something is connected to a source. The electricity takes the easiest path from the source to the device being used, and then back to the power source. This creates or completes an electrical circuit. People are injured when they become part of the electrical circuit. Humans are more conductive than the earth. This means if there is no other easy path, electricity will try to flow through our bodies. There are four types of electrical injuries: 1. Electrocution (death from elec- trical shock). 2. Electric shock (nonfatal). 3. Burns (thermal). 4. Falls (after electric shock). Direct contact with electricity inter- feres with the normal electrical signals between the brain and muscles, and can cause the heart to stop beating properly or cause the muscles to go into spasm. Thermal burns include flash burns from heat generated by an electric arc, and flame burns from materials that catch on fire from heating or ignition by elec- trical currents. It should be noted that electrical current can burn internal tis- sues while creating only small injuries on the surface of the skin. The best prevention tips concerning electrical safety include: • Disconnect power to any machin- ery before working on them. • Wear proper clothing along with hand and eye protection. • Do not clean tools or machinery with flammable or toxic solvents. • Do not work on machinery or with tools in wet or damp locations. • Ensure electric power tools are ex- actly grounded or properly insulated. • Test all electric power tools for effective grounding with a continu- ity tester or a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) before use. Electricity is an immediate and essential part of our daily lives, and must be respected and understood. Cosby cont’d on page 14.