Check Off These Electrical Safety Do’s and Don’ts

Key provisions of OSHA’s general industry electrical standard for employee safety are contained in the safety-related work practices sections (29 CFR 1910.331-335). These sections give you specific requirements for:

• Employee training (both for “qualified” and “unqualified workers”)


• Selection and use of safe work practices


• Use of equipment


• Safeguards for personal protection

Electrical Safety Do’s and Don’ts

For most employees, who OSHA classifies as “unqualified” (not specially trained to work on electrical circuit parts and equipment), electrical safety boils down to a checklist of simple, sensible do’s and don’ts, courtesy of BLR’s Safety Audit Checklists.

Employees should:

• Check cords and wires to make sure insulation is in good condition


• Check electrical connections to make sure they are tight


• Read and follow manufacturer’s instructions for safe use of electrical equipment


• Follow workplace rules concerning use of electricity and electrical equipment


• Obey warnings to stay away from electrical circuits and locked-out equipment


• Leave work on energized equipment to qualified workers


• Keep machines and other electrical equipment clean and well lubricated


• Use extension cords only when authorized—and of the right capacity


• Inspect electrical equipment before each use


• Report and electrical problems immediately

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Checklists keep your workplace and your workers safe. See how with the award-winning Safety Audit Checklists program from BLR. Try it at no cost and no risk. Get the full story.

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Employees should not:

• Overload motors, circuits, or outlets


• Run cords along the floor


• Use temporary wiring


• Put anything but a plug into an electrical outlet


• Touch anything electric with wet hands


• Leave machinery or electrical equipment running unattended after working hours


• Let cords get twisted or tangled


• Get closer than 10 feet to power lines


• Reach blindly into a space that may contain energized equipment


• Wear metal jewelry when working with electrical equipment


• Use a machine or power tool that smokes, sparks, smells, or shocks

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Examine the best-selling Safety Audit Checklists program for 30 days at no cost … not even for return shipping. Get the details.

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Ready-Made Checklists

This is only a small sample of the materials Safety Audit Checklists provides in its section on general electrical safety. In addition to the do’s and don’t checklist for employees, you also get a 66-point compliance checklist for safety management personnel highlighting key provisions of OSHA’s electrical standard. Then you get yet another checklist with important electrical safety information that can be circulated to supervisors and posted for employees.

All told, this best-selling program provides you with more than 300 separate safety checklists keyed to three main criteria:

• OSHA compliance checklists, built right from the government standards in such key areas as HazCom, lockout/tagout, electrical safety, and many more.


• “Plaintiff attorney” checklists, built around those non-OSHA issues that often attract lawsuits.


• Safety management checklists that monitor the administrative procedures you need to have for topics such as OSHA 300 Log maintenance, training program scheduling and recording, and OSHA-required employee notifications.

Make as many copies as you need for all your supervisors and managers, and distribute. What’s more, the entire program is updated annually. And the cost averages only about $1 per checklist.

If this method of ensuring a safer, more OSHA-compliant workplace interests you, we’ll be happy to make Safety Audit Checklists available for a no-cost, no-obligation, 30-day evaluation in your office. Just let us know, and we’ll be pleased to arrange it.

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