SAFE WORKING PRACTICES

COMPETENCIES:

 State the importance of safety in the workplace.

 Identify safety hazards common to electrical and electronics laboratory.
 Interpret signs and symbols for safety.
 Identify common personal protective equipment (PPE) needed or suited
to the work to be done in the workplace.
 Recognize the importance of safety when dealing the electrical and
electronics circuits.

THEORIES/PRINCIPLES

Importance of Safety

Workplace safety is very important for each worker because all the workers desire is to
work in a safe and protected atmosphere. Safety is everyone’s responsibility. Everybody must
cooperate in creating the safest possible working condition. Where your personal life and good
health is concerned, safety becomes your responsibility.

The prevention of accidents in the work areas is imperative to all the workers. You must
learn how to work without hurting yourself or endangering your fellow workers. Your own
effort in keeping your workplace safe and reporting possible causes of injury are important.
By using common sense and obeying general safety rules and practices you can save
yourself from being hurt.

The Work Area

A clean well-arranged and tidy area is safer than untidy work area. As a worker it is your
responsibility to maintain a safe working environment.

Practice good housekeeping in your work area by keeping the area clean, ordered, and
tidy.

 Keep all passageways, aisles and exits clear of obstructions.

 Remove immediately any oils, paints, greases, and other fluids that have been spilt on
the floor.
 Keep your immediate work area clean and tidy and do not allow junk or scrap materials
to accumulate.
 Do not leave tools and materials scattered on the workplace.
 Return to the tool keeper all tools you are not using.
- Returning tools is not only being safe, it is also being considerate to your co-workers
who also need the tools.
 Stack materials so that they do not fall and so that they do not project dangerously.
- It is particularly dangerous to have round stacks lying on the floor. A person stepping
on it may easily lose balance and seriously injure him or herself in a fall.

Common Causes of Injuries in the workplace

 Individual unsafe practices.

 Poor design of equipment and work areas
 Poor management and organizational practices.

Examples of individual unsafe practices.

  Using tools and equipment incorrectly.
 Fooling around and playing about.
 Hurrying and taking dangerous short cuts through the workplace.
 Distracting others from their work or allowing yourself to be distracted.
 Failure to use personal protective equipment (PPE) when it is provided for use.

Examples of poor designed of equipment and work area

 Unguarded machines.
 Poor seeing conditions.
 No proper ventilation.
 No fire exits

Consider these examples of poor management and poor organizational practices.

 Lack of instruction to workers about safe methods and practices.

 Failure to provide PPE personal protective equipment (PPE), such as goggles, when
necessary.
 Allowing workers to use equipment without prior training.

Working with Electricity

Electricity is unseen danger. It is essential to understand the potential hazards of

working with electricity. All electrical workers must always be alert to the potential danger of
suffering from electric shock or other injuries when working with electricity. Also, electrical
workers must guard against causing electrical shock to their co-workers.

Severity of Electric Shock

The severity of electric shock can be ranged from a slight tingling sensation to
electrocution and death, depending on the conditions that are present. In addition to
electrocution, electricity can cause serious and deep-seated burns and can also be the cause of
consequential injuries such as falling.

Factors that affect the severity of an electric shock include:

 The voltage
- This will have a large bearing on the amount of current passing or conducted
through the body.
 The path of the current through the body.
- A shock through an arm, across the chest and out the other arm or feet will allow
the current to pass through the chest and heart, causing the chest muscles to cramp
(suffocation) and the heart to go into the spasm (fibrillation).
 The length of the contact.
- The longer the contact, the more extensive the burns suffered.
 The frequency of the current
- Alternating current (ac) has the tendency to cause muscles to spasm and stay in
contact with the source.
- Direct current (dc) has the tendency to jolt or throw.

Precautions
 Steps to be taken to avoid electric shock:

 Never work on “live” equipment, but when it is necessary never work alone and take
necessary precautions, moreover:
- Make sure the equipment is earthed.
- Wear adequate footwear, like safety shoes with rubber soles.
- Work on rubber or insulating mats to more effectively isolate the body from
which should be assumed to be earthed.
 Work with one hand in a pocket so as not to form a circuit across the chest if live joints
are contacted.
 Remove all metallic jewelries and watches that may come into contact with equipment.
 Be aware of:
- Worn or frayed leads.
- Broken plugs.
- Excessive sparks; and
- High voltages

Take notice of all warning signs displayed on or near electronics equipment, and warning signs
in the work area.

Common Safety Warning Signs Posted in the Workplace

Safe Procedures for Electronics

Trades persons and technicians must fully aware of all the hazards that exist in and around
electronic equipment.

 You should develop the habit of checking all aspects of safety when stepping up or
before commencing electronic work.
 You should thoroughly familiarize yourself with electronic equipment before operating
or servicing it.
 All manuals and circuit diagrams (schematic) should be readily available, complete and
up to date, any modifications to equipment should be approved by the manufacturer
and the manuals and schematics suitably amended.
Working with Chemicals

Thousands of chemicals are used in industry for a great variety of purposes and each
year many new chemicals are introduced. Many have toxic, corrosive, irritant, flammable or
other dangerous properties. Solids, dusts, liquids, gases, vapors, mists, and fumes can be
dangerous. With proper care and knowledge, chemicals can be handled safely, and the risks
minimized.

Your body’s exposure to chemicals can occur by these routes:

 Inhalation (breathing into the lungs).

 Skin absorption (after spillage or immersion); and
 Ingestion (after swallowing).

Personal Protective Equipment:

Work clothes and specially designed protective equipment are designed for your
protection. Wear the correct clothing and equipment to protect you from the possible serious
injury. Do not interfere with or misuse it for your health and safety.

 Wear plain, tough clothes that are close-fitting and keep them buttoned up.
- Loose sleeves, unbuttoned or torn shirts or sweaters, ties or loose belts can
easily become caught in revolving machinery.
- Your work clothes should be cleaned regularly.
 Wear cuff less trousers.
- Trouser cuffs may cause you to trip or they may catch sparks or harmful
substances.
 Wear suitable footwear and keep it in good repair.
- Wear safety shoes or boots with insulated sole for electrical work.
- Good uppers protect against burning from hot turning, drops of molten metal,
etc. Safety shoes and boots have reinforced toecaps to protect against heavy
falling objects.
 Keep long hair under a tight-fitting cap or net, as required by regulations.
- It is your employer’s duty to ensure that machines have guards to protect
employee who work closely to machine. Even so, if your hair is long, it could be
easily caught in machinery., such as a drilling machine. Many people have been
scalped in this type of accident.
 Do not wear rings or wrist watches on the job.
- Because such item can be caught in moving machinery. It is extremely
dangerous to wear them in certain types of work. You could lose fingers.
 Do not wear earrings, neck chains, pendants, and bracelets.
- All items or personal jewelry worn at work have the potential to cause an
accident or aggravate an injury sustained in an accident.
 Wear personal protective equipment (PPE) suited to the work to be done.
- Learn the purpose of each item in the wide range of protective devices available.
 Common Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in the workplace

LABORATORY SAFETY RULES AND PRACTICES

1. Avoid horseplay during laboratory and practical work period, it will save your limbs and
your life.
2. Work on instruments/machines when allowed or required by the instructor only.
3. Carefully read the instructions or procedure before starting your work.
4. Be sure that nobody is working in any circuit before switching on the power main
supply.
5. Have your instructor check your wiring circuit installation before connecting it to the
power source.
6. All laboratory equipment, electronics and electrical measuring instruments are
expensive and delicate. Read all instructions and safety precautions before using them.
When in doubt, consult your instructor.
7. Work on electrical apparatus or wiring installation with dry hands or clothing.
8. Before working on electrical/electronic equipment on high voltage, see to it that no
metal buttons, zippers or other metallic fasteners of your clothes are exposed.
9. Avoid wearing loose or flapping clothes.
10. Wear rubber gloves if you are likely to come in contact live conductors, current carrying
parts or where the voltage exceeds 50 volts.
11. Inspect personal protective equipment (PPE) for defects. Defective equipment should be
marked for repair or replace them when necessary.
12. Beware of danger sign. They are posted on doors, entrance, or rails where one is likely
to meet exposed of current carrying wires or where the voltage is very high.
13. Testing voltage with the fingers is strictly forbidden. It is a dangerous practice. On high
voltage circuits always use a voltmeter to determine whether the circuit is live or not.
14. If not sure with the voltage, consider any electrical line as one carrying the highest
voltage. Always maintain a safe distance from it.
 15. Must be constantly alert on danger of accidents, ground, and short circuits. Report
immediately any dangerous conditions that need to be corrected before any further
work is done in the area.

DEFINITION OF TERMS

Safety- is an act of preventing the occurrence of an accident by removing the presence of

hazards.
Cumulative Injury- injury that is built up over time by a variety of actions which may stress the
skeletal assembly of the body.
Electrocution- death causes from electric shock.
Workplace- an area of workstation to which a worker is usually assigned to perform his/her job.

Direction:
Answer the following questions:

1. Define safety in your own idea.

2. Explain in your own words the importance of safety.
3. What are the common hazards and safe working practices in the workplace?
4. List common personal protective equipment necessary in the workplace and give their
importance.
5. Give example of safety warning signs that are posted in the workplace and explain its
necessity.

Activity: Making Job plate no. 1

Title: Different Types of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Materials/Tools Needed: Long bond paper, Inkpen, Pencil, eraser & Ruler/triangle
Instruction: Draw at least 15 pcs. of different types of Personal protective equipment
needed for the head, eyes, ears, lungs, hands, and feet that are suitable for
different jobs and specially for electrical installation job.

References:

Electronics Technology, Learning Element

By the Curriculum Development Division, BTVE
Interior and Exterior Wiring & Trouble Shooting Book
By. Feliciano C. Agpaoa
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