POWER GENERATION INDUSTRY HAZARDS
Infographic Transcription
Though many things in North America may feel modern, it is the power plants, wind farms, and solar parks scattered throughout the continent and the backbone of modern life. Without the power generated by legacy facilities like coal and natural gas, or more modern renewable energy sources like wind or hydroelectric, the entire continent would quickly revert to all lamps and kerosene-driven transportation.
No industry is more tied to modern, everyday life than the Power Generation Industry.
FLOWS OF POWER
In 2015, America’s electrical power came from the following sources:
- Natural Gas: 35.8%
- Coal: 21.8%
- Nuclear: 18.3%
- Renewables: 10.1%
- Hydropower: 6.2%
- Other: 7.7%
Electricity consumption in the United States was about
3.99 TRILLION KILOWATT-HOURS (kWh) in 2015
End-use by sector:
- Residential: 38%
- Commercial: 36%
- Industrial: 25%
- Transportation: 0.2% (mostly by public transit systems)
ABOUT 218 BILLION kWh (or 5% of total electricity consumed in 2014) was used for lighting, 80% by residential and commercial sources.
INDUSTRIAL POWER CONSUMPTION (including Manufacturing) CONSUMES ABOUT 82% of all POWER CONSUMED.
The bulk chemical industry (the largest industrial consumer of energy), the mining industry, and the refining industry together account for about 58% of total U.S. industrial sector energy consumption.
INJURIES & FATALITIES
Power generation industry fatalities (trade, transportation, and utilities)
- 2015: 39
- 2016: 47
- 2017: 47
- 2018: 44
There was a record low number of 1,560 non-fatal electrical injuries in 2014.
- 2014: 1,850
- 2015: 2,480
- 2016: 1,640
- 2017: 1,684
TIME & MONEY LOST
The Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution industry has received
104 CITATIONS → COSTING $570,925
between October 2016 and September 2017
OSHA estimated as the net societal benefits of compliance with all power generation regulations to
$130 million annually
CALCULATED BY COMBINING:
- lost hours of work
- cost of medical treatment
- cost of repairs
REGULATING BODIES
Both Power Generation facilities must legally comply with regulations from two specific entities.
North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC)
All bulk power system owners, operators, and users must comply with NERC-approved Reliability Standards. These standards deal primarily with reliability and system security.
A Bulk Power Generation facility is defined as:
“An electricity generating facility with at least one megawatt (or 1,000 kilowatts) of total electricity generating capacity”
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
OSHA’s rules for the broad industry apply broadly, but CFR 29 1910.269 is the specific OSHA rule applied by the power generation industry. It includes in the regulation specific requirements for Lockout/Tagout, Arc Flash, Fall Protection, and Confined Space marking.
While OSHA’s broad regulations for electrical work apply across the United States, the power generation industry receives additional guidance in §1910.269, which touches on the following industry-specific hazards:
LOCKOUT/TAGOUT
LO/TO violations accounted for
11% of all US fatalities in 2018
OSHA estimates that electrical-related injury standard 1910.269 for LO/TO has caused
120 deaths and 50,000 injuries per year.
Power Generation Specific Requirements
- Tags must be highly capable, able to withstand harsh weather, chemicals, and wear over time
- They must be consistent in size, color, or shape to limit and minimize style effects to consistent across the facility
- They must identify the employee who placed them
- When working with high voltage (or) in collaboration with another team, LO/TO procedures need to be overseen by a single employee who works to keep everyone safe
Workers are likely to encounter LO/TO hazards anytime they interact with transmission lines or other machinery in the power generation industry, particularly if they perform maintenance or repair work.
Want more information on LO/TO best practices?
Download a FREE Guide:
DuraLabel.info/LOTOGuide
SOLUTIONS
Need custom LO/TO tags specific to your facility? Use DuraLabel industrial label printers to print LO/TO tags, equipment procedure labels, custom safety signs, and more.
DuraLabel industrial Printers and Supplies
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ARC FLASH
§1910.269
Addresses protecting employees from flames and electric arcs in paragraph (l)(8).
In addition to the general arc flash requirements that all employers must follow, the nature of available hazard energy from electric arcs means Power Generation industry employers are further required to:
- Supply heat resistant (arc rated) protective equipment (PPE) that will not melt or ignite and conform to ASTM when exposed to the high short-circuit heat energy that can be experienced from high powered electric arcs
- Ensure that employees wear the required PPE, and that the PPE has an arc rating of greater than or equal to the maximum available fault energy
SOLUTIONS
The most comprehensive way to indicate an Arc Flash hazard to an employee is with a highly visible Arc Flash label, combined with DuraLabel steel marking tape to mark safe approach distances. DuraLabel floor tape boxes will resist weather and is durable, anti-skid, washable, and effective way to help workers see the danger and avoid Arc Flash injuries.
DuraLabel Industrial Printers and Supplies
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DuraLabel Floor Marking
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FALL PROTECTION
A lack of proper fall protection was the number one most cited standard in 2018
29 CFR 1926.501 applies broadly and lays out specific guidelines for fall protection standards, but an additional addendum applies for the power generation industry.
Falling deaths in the Power Generation industry are often caused by electrical dangers. OSHA offers specific safety regulations for Power Generation workers operating at a high altitude.
29 CFR 1910.269(l)(2)(i)(A)
The employee:
- Cannot be allowed to fall more than 2 feet before their safety equipment locks in
- Should not be able to fall and encounter a lower level
- Must be tethered securely if they are more than 4 feet off the ground
The fall protection used by an employee must be:
- Flame resistant
- Able to withstand a high amount of force in a drop test (carrying a 4,000 lb weight)
FACTS for workers in the Power Generation industry:
- Heat from electrical currents can be equivalent to lightning bolt heat
- Average lightning bolt is hotter than the sun’s surface
- Electrical currents have enough energy to melt through traditional materials
SOLUTIONS
Labels and signs can be used to identify the location of fall protection equipment, secure tie off points, and known environmental hazards to employees working at height.
DuraLabel Industrial Printers and Supplies
DuraLabel.info/PrintersSupplies
CONFINED SPACES
The confined space regulations found in §1910.269(o) that apply to the Power Generation industry are similar to the general industry standard that applies to all employers.
- According to OSHA, if a worker in the electrical industry receives the confined space protections in the permit-required requirements of §1910.146, they are considered in compliance with paragraph (o) of the Power Generation industry-specific section as well.
§1910.146 gives an example of the marking that could be used to mark a permit-required confined space.
In addition to this or similar tags, the sign should follow the ANSI Z535 standards for a danger tag.
Workers often enter confined spaces in the Power Generation industry when performing maintenance, and very frequently do not realize that pulling their head through an opening poses a life-threatening hazard such as poor air quality. Correctly identifying a confined space in a pipe and providing steps to help workers perform their work safely, as well as noticing to enter a dangerous space is significantly improved to keeping fatalities low and lowering the injury risk.
Want more information on Confined Spaces best practices?
Download a FREE Guide:
DuraLabel.info/ConfinedSpaces
SOLUTIONS
Rely on durable pre-made Confined Space Labels by Graphic Products to warn your employees of dangers posed by confined spaces. Choose pre-made label messages, data, and reorder or customize your own.
Premade Labels and Signs
DuraLabel.info/PremadeSigns
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