Page 10 - Q2_2020_Newsletter

The shock I felt from the makeshift cord may have
CONTINUED EDUCATION
CONTINUED EDUCATION
WORKFORCE WITH
WORKFORCE WITH
PROTECTING OUR
PROTECTING OUR
By Eric Latona | Corporate Field Trainer
When I started in the electrical trade, it was a standard practice
for electricians to conduct Energized Electrical Work (EEW).
Companies who had written procedures leading the Electrician to
avoid EEW work whenever possible still had it happen. Some of
these procedures included escalating requests for EEW to upper
management. I honestly believe that most Electricians didn't
understand what was considered EEW. Being raised in a household
with tradesmen, construction work, let alone electrical work was
normal to me. I was raised with an "electrified pacifier."
''
I learned at a young age that
electricity wasn't something to be
taken for granted. I couldn't have
been older than 10 when I felt my first
electrical shock while plugging in a
makeshift extension cord for a whiffle
ball pitching machine. I didn't make it
to the big leagues, but I did pursue a
''
career in the electrical construction
field along with my brother.
10 The Feeder | Issue 2, 2020
been small, but one I still remember to this day.
It would be wonderful if being shocked was a single used on our job sites. The initial roll-out of the training
occurrence, but the stories could continue, from trusting modules were catered to the internal MOP approvers. These
a co-worker saying that "everything is de-energized and approvers had limited to no formal electrical theory training
locked-off" to working with unfamiliar test equipment. or field experience in identifying possible electrical hazards
or knew how to read a complex redundant power system.
Working as an Electrician in the micro-economy of Silicon Some of the mission-critical projects we have worked on
Valley allowed me to see and install a diverse group of have as many as 12 sources of energy that could back feed
electrical systems and meet other Electricians from all over onto the system. In addition, there are often very high
our great country. In general, what I found was no matter levels of fault current, making Arc Flash protection and
what corner of our country you were from, Electricians understanding very different.
believed doing energized electrical work was part of the
job. When I say energized electrical work, I don't mean Another key focus of the training was to ensure that
measuring voltage. I'm referring to the installation of everyone working on any large mission-critical facilities
Overcurrent Protection Devices (OCPDs) and associated fully understood the single-line drawings. Through an in-
hardware to energized switchboards or similar work class training, individuals would learn how to navigate the
activities. I would talk to my electrician family members drawings to make informed decisions on how to control
about why EEW was acceptable in the trade, and their electric energy to keep themselves and others safe in the
responses weren't much different from the reactions I've Lock-Out Tag-Out (LOTO) process. Initially, we created the
witnessed from colleagues. I knew that something needed course for our Safety Teams, but soon after presenting
to change and that I could be an avenue to making sure the material, it became clear that there was a real need
that new and future apprentices were educated about to include our Electricians. Given the size of Rosendin, we
electrical hazards involved in the electrical trade. modified the training for on-line and instructor-led formats,
where the content is created from the project's specific
A couple of years after I received my IBEW Journeymen single lines. Soon after, training requests came in from
License, I joined the Electrical Training Alliance, where I our customers, including the General Contractor's Field
would eventually educate nearly a thousand apprentices Superintendents, Owner Representatives, our customer's
on electrical theory and, more importantly, electrical safety Maintenance Electricians, and other sub-contractors. The
in the workplace. Educating myself and others about the most significant benefit that our projects received from
importance to adopt and practice NFPA 70E, OSHA, and the the training was astronomical improvements in affected
contractor's safety procedures is a significant component employees following the LOTO process and procedure
in helping Electricians understand that an "old school" set forth by the company, eliminating near misses. More
mentality is not the direction of the industry's future. importantly, more individuals became knowledgeable
Winston Churchill once said, "There is nothing wrong with about the electrical system for their site and overall general
change if it is in the right direction." knowledge of electrical systems for all future projects.
Our Training Team at Rosendin developed a job-specific
national electrical contractor), and many other owners
One of the processes my now employer, Rosendin (a The Program
require before the energization of newly installed electrical one-line electrical power drawing course catered to
systems is a method-of-procedure (MOP). The MOP
the needs of current electrical construction projects.
process takes all parties through an approval process where Through this, employees learn how to identify symbols,
Safety Professionals, Project Managers, Stake Holders, and abbreviations, and the safety procedures that accompany
Superintendents must add/delete/edit/accept or reject single line electrical work. The course uses single-line
the procedure. Even with the MOP process implemented, drawings from current project(s), and attendees study the
there would be reports of things gone wrong. Rosendin one-lines system by system, providing an understanding of
took an approach much similar to the medical profession current job site needs. Having the class navigate through
with near misses, educating employees with the goal to the entire electrical one-line of the site is imperative to
understand complex electrical systems, isolating potential the training program. When I begin the course, I start with
energy sources, differences amongst electrical equipment, utility and work my way through the project. In the initial
and an exposure to the testing equipment and procedures program roll-out, we were building an adjacent Utility
Issue 2, 2020 | The Feeder 11