Prevention of Injuries Among Electricians Due to Unexpected Re-energization of Power Lines

Nothing can kill or injure a human more rapidly than electricity or charged equipment. There is no time to react after an error is made. Working with electricity requires thorough planning and extreme care. Unintended energization or operation during the service, installation, or maintenance of equipment may result in serious injury or death. An electrician must assure that the power is off and remains off. In the United States, 152 hazardous energy-related fatalities were documented in a program conducted between 1982 and 1997. Among these cases, 82% were due to a failure to remove hazardous energy, 11% resulted from a failure to prevent re-energization, and 7% were due to a failure to verify the de-energization [1].