• • • SAFETY IN ENGINEERING • • •
NEW RESEARCH REVEALS NEED TO IMPROVE ELECTRICAL SAFETY
Results from Fluke’s second annual survey of electricians and electrical workers uncovers a disconnect between the importance of safety and the practice of safety in the workplace
luke has published the results of its second annual electrical safety survey which revealed a disconnect between the importance of safety and the practice of safety in the workplace. The 2021 survey asked 511 electricians and electrical workers to weigh in on the culture of safety and safety practices in their workplace, including the provision of adequate safety training and use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). The goal of the survey was to gain a better understanding of how electricians, and the companies they work for, perceive workplace safety and adopt industry best practices.
F A CULTURE OF SAFETY
The survey revealed that 98 per cent of respondents agree that a strong culture of safety is important to keep workers safe. However only 38 per cent believe that companies have such a culture, highlighting a need for improving electrical safety in the workplace. Last year, 44 per cent of survey respondents agreed that there was a strong culture of safety in most companies, yet 99 per cent believed there was an opportunity to improve electrical safety in the workplace.
Understanding how the workforce was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic was an important factor in this
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year’s survey. Ninety per cent of respondents were considered ‘essential workers’ during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown and most (85 per cent) were able to continue to work. However, only 38 per cent of electricians and electrical workers surveyed believe their companies approach to safety was being taken more seriously.
TRAINING AND RESPONSIBILITY
Only 25 per cent of the surveyed workers felt that companies provided adequate safety training. However, when questioned about the use of PPE, 82 per cent of respondents said electricians often fail to use the right PPE for the job because it is inconvenient. Just over half of the electricians and electrical workers surveyed (52 per cent) felt that someone other than themselves, such as company leadership, safety managers, supervisors or Human Resources, was responsible for workplace safety.
RESOURCES
“It is clear that attitudes toward the safety of workers in the electrical industry could be improved. Workers need to take more personal responsibility for their own safety by following best
practice and using appropriate PPE. However, companies also need to help by fostering a safety- first culture and offering the necessary training,” says Hans-Dieter Schuessele, senior electrical application engineer and standardization manager EMEA at Fluke.
“Customer safety has always been the top priority at Fluke. We provide best-in-class safety standards for our tools and support our customers to develop the right attitude to safety within their own organisations.” Fluke’s Safety Resource Centre is designed to
help companies and workers achieve the highest safety standards on the job. The online information hub features educational and how-to videos, in-depth articles, blogs and training resources which focus on electrical safety. Key resources share insights into the steps to create a strong culture of safety, what safety mistakes are often made and how to prevent them, the importance of safety category ratings and how to use electrical testers safely as well as the benefit of using non-contact tools.
The 2021 Electrical Safety Stats can be viewed at:
https://www.fluke.com/en-
us/learn/blog/safety/electrical-safety-stats
FLUKE
fluke.com
ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING • JULY/AUGUST 2021 19
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