How often should electrical safety training be offered?

Providing electrical safety training to your employees is a proven way to minimize the risks of shock, fire, arc flashes, and other dangers. This type of training can cover general information about the hazards of electricity, how to work with it, and specific information about how your facility is to operate.

The problem can be that after the training is provided, many people will begin to forget what they are taught if it isn’t something that they are exposed to on a regular basis. With this in mind, facilities need to make sure to offer this type of training on a regular basis to keep people up to speed. This will also give opportunities to update people with new information as it changes.

Annual Training

A good starting point for electrical safety training is to provide an annual refresher course for employees. This can be a formal training course where everyone has to attend, or more often, each department can put together their own electrical safety training programs. This can allow each department to complete their annual refresher training at times when it is convenient for them and will minimize any workflow disruption.

Training with Major Changes

If there are any major changes to the facility it is important to provide training to any employees who will be impacted. This would occur when there is an installation of new high-voltage equipment, if new electrical systems are installed, or if people are working in different environments. Taking the time to ensure everyone in an area is up to date with the latest systems will help them to avoid any type of electrical shock or other related injury.

Constant Reminders

While scheduled electrical safety training is important, it is also a good idea to constantly remind people of how they can stay safe while working with electrical equipment. This can be done by ensuring you have all high-voltage systems properly labeled with important information. In addition, putting up electrical safety signs that tell employees what to do around certain systems can be very helpful. This constant exposure to tips and reminders about electrical safety in the workplace can really help to improve the ability for employees to remember how to avoid injuries.