Electrical Safety in Industrial Construction: An Analysis of 10 Years of Incidents in the Global Engineering, Procurement, and Construction Industry

Abstract

Within the engineering and construction industry, there continues to be an increasing emphasis placed on electrical safety in the workplace. National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 70E [1] Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace provides practices for protecting employees from electrical hazards. In addition to electrical dangers, workers are exposed to other threats. This article reviews and analyzes 10 years of safety incidents experienced by electrical and nonelectrical workers at a company in the global engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) industry. It categorizes the incidents into distinct electrical and nonelectrical categories and then focuses on steps that have been taken to mitigate the risk of future incidents, provides observations of general practices to reduce occurrences, and provides recommendations for better reporting.