Electrical Hazards on Construction Sites:  Is Your Team Protected?

In construction sites across the United Kingdom, workers face a significant, but often overlooked health & safety risk: electrical hazards. The shocking truth is that 6% of fatal injuries sustained by construction workers in 2021/22 originated from electrical injuries: injuries that must be prevented due to their devastating consequences. In an expert learning resource from Bryson, we outline the key electrical hazards to look out for on your worksite, and what you can do to protect your team.

The statistics make for some important reading, and we recommend carrying this knowledge with you on your next project. The fact is that only a small number (approximately 7%) of electrocutions are suffered by workers carrying out electrical installations. Surprisingly, construction workers are the most likely people to experience an electrocution incident, accounting for a breathtaking 37% of incidents in the UK.

What do these statistics mean to you as a foreman, team leader or site supervisor? While there are many points to consider, the most important is that not only electricians need protection. Anyone who visits your site - whether that’s contractors, bricklayers or plasters - needs sufficient protection to safeguard them from electrical hazards.

How to Enhance Your Approach to Electrical Safety

While no two worksites are the same, it is essential that your worksite is supported with several means of protection against electrical hazards, from regular inspections and lockout procedures to training, de-energising and more. Taking these steps isn’t just the right thing to do: it’s a legal necessity outlined by key legislation. Let’s get into that in the next section.

Electrical Hazards: Understanding the Law

Protecting all users of your worksite from the dangers of electrocution is legally mandated by 4 key pieces of legislation: the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 (EWR), the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 and Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015. Many of these regulations can be highly complex; so we’ve made your process of understanding easier by breaking down the key takeaways below:

 

1. Electricity at Work Regulations 1989: The EWR mandates that employers must ensure all electrical systems are maintained in a safe condition and that workers are protected from electrical hazards. It emphasises regular inspection and maintenance of electrical equipment and requires that only competent individuals handle electrical installations.
   
   

2. Health and Safety at Work Act 1974: This law places a general duty on employers to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of all employees, including protection from electrical hazards. Employers must assess the risks associated with electricity and implement measures to mitigate those risks.
   
   

3. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999: These regulations require employers to perform risk assessments and implement measures to eliminate or reduce risks, including electrical hazards. It highlights the importance of planning and safe work procedures to prevent electrical injuries.
   
   

4. Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015: CDM 2015 outlines the responsibilities of contractors, designers, and clients to ensure that electrical safety is factored into construction projects. This includes designing out electrical hazards where possible and ensuring that protective equipment is used.

 

While understanding what is required from you from a legal standpoint, it is crucial to remember that this should only form the beginning of your approach to electrical safety. To truly guarantee the highest levels of safety for everyone on your site, you must go beyond basic compliance efforts and take every reasonable precaution. In the next section, we highlight steps for best practice, along with key products that can help you get your approach right.

Mitigating Electrical Hazards: Best Practices

Protecting your workers from electrical hazards requires a combination of efforts, from adequate planning to provision of the correct PPE. Let’s take a closer look at what your approach should look like:

 

• Perform regular electrical inspections: Everyone on your team should be able to verify that power tools and machinery are in good condition, always being on the lookout for exposed wires and frayed cables. As part of a regular inspection rota, you should always ensure that power strips and extension cords are regularly inspected and replaced if damaged.

 

• Use proper PPE: When it comes to protecting your team from electrical hazards, you’ll need more than just helmets and high visibility vests. This protection calls for the right gear, and that should include insulated boots and gloves for handling live wires or electrical equipment. We recommend checking out our Electrical Insulating Gloves that provide protection against electrical currents, keeping workers safe when working with or near live electricity.

 

• Create a lockout procedure: Before carrying out any maintenance or repair tasks, it is essential that all power is turned off. However, this step can be easily forgotten, making a proper lockout procedure on your worksite essential. By implementing a lockout procedure, you can eliminate any accidental re-energisation of circuits. 

 

• Ensure grounding of electrical equipment: Temporary power systems on your site should be used to avoid electrical accidents. By doing this, you can ensure that currents take the safest path to the ground, reducing the risk of electric shock.

 

• Keep equipment dry: It is well known that water and electricity are a deadly combination. This makes keeping electrical equipment dry an absolute essential. Always remember that your team should avoid using power tools in wet conditions. Of course, in many situations this is avoidable - in that case, we recommend waterproof safety boots. 

 

Following the above steps is only one step you should be taking to protect your workers from electrical hazards. To put these steps into action you must use the proper equipment. Keep reading to learn more.

The Best Products for Electrical Safety

Here at Bryson, we specialise in equipping construction sites with the tools and PPE they need to protect their teams from electrical hazards. Below, we’ve listed five essential products that every worksite should have:

 

• Electrical Insulating Gloves: These gloves offer excellent protection against electrical shocks and are essential for workers handling live electrical systems.
  

• Safety Boots: Bryson’s range of electrically insulated safety boots provides protection in situations where there is a risk of stepping on live wires or working in wet environments.
  
  

• Progarm 7480 FR/AS/Arc Hi Vis Coverall: Premium hi vis coverall featuring reflective tape and the lightweight VXS+ Flame Resistant fabric whilst ensuring outstanding Arc Flash protective properties. Designed for the industrial electrics, utilities and petrochemicals industries, this product provides arc flash protection from 4kA short circuits up to arc energy 168kJ.
  
  

• Co2 Fire Extinguisher: Electrical equipment presents its own unique fire safety risks that should be addressed with the right extinguisher, Our Co2 fire extinguisher conforms to BS EN3 and is suitable for both electrical and flammable gas fires.

Electrical hazards on construction sites are a serious threat, but with proper safety measures, training, and the right protective equipment, many of these risks can be significantly mitigated. Our final piece of advice? Always work with a qualified electrical safety professional. For more advice on getting your approach to electrical safety right, speak to a Bryson expert today.