Importance of Health and Safety in Electronics Roles

Electronics could cause serious harm or injury and even kill people. It can also cause damage to properties. Hundreds of accidents occur at work every year resulting from electric shock and other electricity-related incidences. Thus, people working in the field of electronics or anyone working near electricity or those using any electrical equipment should exercise precautions to significantly reduce their risk at work. 

Here's the importance of Health and Safety in Electronics roles.

What is Electrical Health and Safety? 

Under the UK Law on Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, the employer is mainly responsible for ensuring their employees' health and safety, including electrical safety. The law aims to reduce the number of electrical-related accidents by offering advice on good working practices and developing guidance to respond to the technical changes in working methods and equipment. 

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has provided guidelines on Electricity at Work Regulations. It applies to all aspects of electrical use in the workplace and requires that companies design and build electrical systems in such a way that it prevents danger. Furthermore, the employers are responsible for maintaining the electrical systems as necessary to avoid danger. The maintenance includes a five-year fixed installation inspection. A competent person with the required knowledge and skills in electrical safety should carry out repairs and any electrical work. 

Companies should make the necessary arrangements for the regular inspection and testing of fixed wiring installations, such as the circuits from the meter, wired-in equipment, sockets, etc. They must regularly conduct an inspection to minimise any risk of deterioration that could lead to danger. Again, the task must be carried out only by a highly competent person or a professional electrician.

Identifying Risks 

Risk assessment is one of the most important aspects of Electrical health and safety. It's a procedure that requires companies to assess risks, identify workplace hazards, and implement risk controls in the workplace. During the risk assessment, companies should consider the likelihood of an electrical occurrence and the severity of a potential injury. It's also important to have the employees undergo health and safety training.

Part of conducting a risk assessment is evaluating the likelihood of occurrence. Usually, this will vary depending on the type of work performed. For instance, there is a higher possibility of an electrical event when conducting voltage testing on energised conductors than when working with a circuit breaker. The condition of the electronic device is another factor that could affect the likelihood of an electrical occurrence, especially if the device is not correctly rated and has not gone through proper maintenance.  

When conducting risk assessment, they must also consider the severity of a potential injury. The severity will depend upon the type of electrical occurrence. Shock hazards are easy to determine, and the severity of an injury will depend on the voltage and the path of the current as it travels through the body.

Complying with Legislation 

Companies must comply with the health and safety in electronics regulations. By complying with these regulations, injuries and even death resulting from working with electrical systems in the workplace can be greatly minimised and even eliminated. 

Electrical safety is important since hazards like arc flash and shock could result in death once an employee is exposed to them. Although there is a very low possibility that these situations could occur, companies must take the necessary steps to prevent these accidents. 

Companies must also be aware that non-compliance with health and safety regulations, including health and safety in Electronics, is considered a criminal offence. Companies are mainly responsible for ensuring that their work environment is safe for employees. Otherwise, they could face legal consequences, including hefty fines and imprisonment.

Protects Employees 

Companies at high risk of electronics-related accidents are those involved in the electronics business. One way to minimise these accidents is to hire highly competent employees familiar with electronics health and safety. If you're in the process of hiring for specific electronic engineer jobs, it might be better that you go through a recruitment agency that specialises in electronics engineers recruitment. 

The roles of electronics engineers are at a higher risk; thus, they must be fully aware of the Laws on health and safety in electronics so they will be protected from any potential harm. Sometimes, having a safe work environment is not enough to control the potential hazards of working with electrical systems. 

Electronic engineers must be very cautious at work and adhere to the Health and Safety at Work Laws that could protect them from the risk of injury or death resulting from workplace hazards. They must avoid all forms of contact with live electrical circuits. They must first disconnect the power source if they need to repair or service electric-powered equipment.

Allows for the Job to Be Carried out Properly

Ensuring that employees are trained sufficiently regarding electrical safety is the employer's responsibility and must be considered a top priority. While you may need to spend some money on health & safety courses for your employees, it is nothing compared to what you will pay for incident-related costs. But aside from keeping your employees safe, another benefit is that it allows your employees to perform their respective jobs properly. 

If employees are aware of the laws on health and safety at work, they can perform their roles to the best standard without risking themselves at work. 

These employees know the steps they need to comply with when working with electronics. For instance, they will ensure enough sockets are available, and the outlets are not overloaded. They will also check that there are no trailing cables around that could cause other employees to fall or trip. Also, they knew they needed to turn off and unplug any electronic devices before cleaning or fixing them.

Aside from making sure that employees are aware of the health and safety of Electronics, employers must also make sure that they hire anyone with sufficient skills and experience in handling electronics. It's a job that, when done wrong, could have fatal consequences. Even incorrectly wiring a plug could be dangerous and lead to fires that could cause serious injuries and deaths.

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