Do you ship or receive any materials considered hazardous by the US DOT (49 CFR 172.101)?  If so, you MUST have a security plan (49 CFR part 172.800) which includes security awareness training to all who load, unload or have some responsibility putting the hazardous materials in commerce.  This might include the person in the office who fills out the shipping papers, or the forklift driver who unloads the truck in your loading bay.  Everyone involved with the process must be trained. 

The DOT has become more active fining companies and organizations for not having a security plan and not doing the training.  Large or small, profit or not-for-profit, it doesn’t matter.  Security awareness training is now considered one of the 5 parts of HAZMAT training.  the 5 parts include: General Awareness, Function-Specific, Safety, Security Awareness, and Security In-Depth (if you need and have a security plan as classified by (49CFR 172.800(b)(1-7). If your hazardous materials fall under this last part, then you must do a full security plan including a assessment and training.  The plan needs to be in writing and available to all who are affected.

The Compliance Resource Center can help you do a security assessment, write a security plan and customize hazmat training specificly for your company.  All of our HAZMAT training is customize for the hazardous materials you ship or receive.  You employees get ALL the training required by the US DOT Pipline and Hazardous Materials Safety Adminsitration.  DOT Hazmat training for ground is required every 3 years and for air and/or ocean every 2 years. 

Here are the last set of answers.  I hope you did well.  Let me know (info@thecrcenter.com or use the comment area below) how useful this quiz was.  How did you use it and would you like more of these.  

Answers to Electrical Safety Quiz Part-2
11.    b./Are capable of being accidently approached nearer than a safe distance.

12.    a./If they are not locked/tagged out

13.    c./Is familiar with the construction and operation of the equipment and the hazards involved

14.    a./Must be done by a qualified person

15.    d./Both a. and b

16.    c./No one is allowed to stand near the grounding location

17.    a./Must be inspected before use on every shift

18.    d./The area contains exposed energized parts

19.    c./Use a non-conductive ladder

20.    b./It must be determined that it would be safe to reenergize the circuit before the circuit breaker can be re-set
 

OK, here you go.  Here are the answers to part 1 or the Electrical Safety Quiz.  Part 2 answers will be posted later this week. 

Answers to Electrical Safety Quiz
1.    a./Exposed

2.    d./Qualified worker

3.    c./10

4.    d./All of the above

5.    a./Remove the ground pin on the plug so the plug matches the two prong receptacle

6.    c./Only in emergencies

7.    c./Use insulated tools

8.    c./Their conductors and parts of the electrical equipment de-energized and locked out and/or tagged out

9.    c./Their conductors and parts of the electrical equipment de-energized and locked out and/or tagged out

10.    d./Either b or c

Recently, Chuck Armstrong, Safety Manager for the City of Chicago, sent me a website to check out.  This short video http://www.hazmatsolutions.net/erg/ explains how to use an Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG).   Click on the quiz at the end of the presentation to test your knowledge.  

This video can also be used a part of a training class if your safety department is involved with hazardous materials.   

Thanks for passing this information to our readers.  If you have anything like this (which is not a commercial) let us know and we will give everyone the information to use.

Here is part 2 of the Electrical Safety Quiz.  The answers will be posted next.

11. Exposed energized parts:
    a. Are enclosed
    b. Are capable of being accidentally approached nearer than a safe distance
    c. Are usually insulated
    d. Are always guarded

12. Exposed parts are considered to be energized:
    a. If they are not locked/tagged out
    b. If they are insulated
    c. If they are locked/tagged out
    d. If you can’t see that they are disconnected

13. A qualified person:
    a. Is automatically considered to be qualified to work on all electrical equipment
    b. Must be a licensed electrician
    c. Is familiar with the construction and operation of the equipment and the hazards involved
    d. All of the above

14. Lockout/tagout:
    a. Must be done by a qualified person
    b. Can be done by an unqualified person
    c. Must be done by a supervisor
    d. Can be done by anyone

15. If you are working under unguarded, energized overhead lines:
    a. The clearance distance is 10 feet for voltages of 50 kv or less to ground
    b. The clearance distance is 10 feet plus 4 inches for every 10 kv greater than 50 kv to ground
    c. The clearance distance is always 10 feet
    d. Both a. and b

16. When a vehicle is intentionally grounded because its elevated parts could possibly come into contact with energized overhead lines:
    a. An employee must stand near the grounding location to warn other people to stay away
    b. A qualified employee must stand near the grounding location to warn other people to stay away
    c. No one is allowed to stand near the grounding location
    d. The grounding location must be locked/tagged out

17. Portable cord- and plug-connected equipment:
    a. Must be inspected before use on every shift
    b. Should be inspected each morning
    c. Must be inspected annually by a licensed electrician
    d. Only needs an inspection if you notice a problem

18. When electrical hazard warning signs are posted and a barricade limits entry into an area:
    a. You must use the buddy system to enter the area
    b. A written entry permit must be posted near the space
    c. Non-qualified persons need special permission before they work in the area
    d. The area contains exposed energized parts

19. If you need to use a ladder while working near electrical parts:
    a. Use a conductive ladder
    b. Use a metal ladder
    c. Use a non-conductive ladder
    d. The ladder must be intentionally grounded

20. If a circuit breaker trips and deenergizes the machine you are using:
    a. You can just manually re-set the circuit breaker and continue to use the machine
    b. It must be determined that it would be safe to reenergize the circuit before the circuit breaker can be re-set
    c. You must immediately lock out the machine
    d. You must install a new circuit breaker

The Compliance Resource Center has an electrical quiz for you to use with your training (or we can do the training).  This is PART 1.  PART 2 will be published next week along with the answers to PART 1 and then the following week we will publish the answers to PART 2.  Confused yet?  Just try an answer the quiz.

ELECTRICAL SAFETY QUIZ – PART 1

1. A live wire without insulation or guarding is:
    a. Exposed
    b. De-energized
    c. Open
    d. Close

2. A worker who knows how to avoid the hazards of working on or near an exposed electrical part is:
    a. Authorized worker
    b. Unqualified worker
    c. Affected worker
    d. Qualified worker

3. Workers who are not qualified should have a clearance distance of _____ feet between energized 50 kv overhead power lines and themselves:
    a. 14
    b. 25
    c. 10
    d. 20

4. A flexible cord should be inspected for the following defects:
    a. Pinched outer jacket
    b. Missing or damaged outer jacket
    c. Damaged insulation
    d. All of the above

5. When using portable electric equipment, you should do all of the following except:
    a. Remove the ground pin on the plug so the plug matches the two prong receptacle
    b. Use adaptors that do not affect the equipment grounding connections
    c. Remove from service equipment that deformed plugs
    d. Use dry hands to plug and unplug equipment

6. Fuses can be used to open or close a lighting circuit.
    a. Never
    b. Always
    c. Only in emergencies
    d. None of the above

7. One safe work practice while working around electrical equipment is:
    a. Wear jewelry
    b. Use conductive ladders
    c. Use insulated tools
    d. Wear keys or keychains on your clothing

8. Exposed deenergized parts are parts that have:
    a. Their energy state at zero
    b. No electrical power source attached
    c. Their conductors and parts of the electrical equipment de-energized and locked out and/or tagged out
    d. None of the above

9. To alert you of exposed energized parts, you might see the following:
    a. A sign warning of shock hazard
    b. A barricades surrounding the electrical hazard area
    c. An attendant to warn you of the hazard
    d. All of the above

10. Flammable materials should be:
    a. Always be stored near electrical equipment that may cause a spark
    b. Not be stored near electrical equipment that may cause a spark
    c. Only stored near electrical equipment when precautions are taken to prevent the development of a hazardous condition
    d. Either b or c
 

In the construction industry, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) requires fall protection there is any risk of a worker falling from an elevation of 6 ft. or more. A personal fall arrest system is a system designed to “arrest” an employee in a fall from a working level. A personal fall arrest system contains three parts: anchorage connector, body wear, and connecting device.

The first part of a personal fall arrest system, the anchorage connector, is used to join the connecting device to an anchorage point, or tie-off point. The anchorage must be capable of supporting 5,000 pounds of force per worker, as required by OSHA, and the anchorage point must be high enough so that the worker will not make contact with the lower level in the event of a fall.

The next part of a personal fall arrest system is the body harness. The body harness is a series of straps which is designed to distribute the fall arrest forces throughout the parts of a falling worker’s body. A body harness is the only acceptable form of body wear to be used as part of a fall arrest system; the use of a body belt for fall arrest was prohibited as of January 1, 1998.

The connecting device, the third and final part of a fall arrest system, is the device which connects the body harness to the anchorage point. Commonly used connecting devices are shock-absorbing lanyards, fall limiters, and self-retracting lifelines. To determine the proper type of connecting device that should be used, the potential fall distance must be calculated. Factors such as the type of work being performed and the work environment should also be taken into consideration when selecting a proper connecting device.

Before a fall arrest system is used, it should be inspected for mildew, wear, damage, and/or other deterioration. Defective components should be removed if the strength or function of the component has been diminished. If a fall has occurred, the fall arrest system should not be used again until it has been inspected.

All workers should be trained to safely and properly use a fall arrest system. Worker training should include proper anchoring techniques, estimation of free-fall and total fall distances, and inspection of the system.

This article was written by Justin Rogers, The Lombardi Law Firm  West Des Moines, Iowa.