Commitment to Safety in 2014

The books on 2013 have closed.  Overall, it was a very good year.  I did a lot of traveling, worked on some very interesting and challenging projects, and I had some great students in my electrical and product safety training classes (NFPA 70, NFPA 70E, and NFPA 79).  Unfortunately this resulted in a fewer number of blog postings than what I had planned.

One project that was challenging was the development of the Design for Safety (D4S) software application.  The first application (Day One Safety Checklist) is intended for people who are or will be working at a new or unfamiliar facility.  This allows people to answer various questions related to safety at the facility.  At the end of the questionnaire, you can print out a report for personal use or send it to your corporate safety coordinator.  I received great support on the concept, the program development, and testing of the software application.

The D4S Day One Safety Checklist is FREE to anyone who sends me their contact information.  I will then provide a user name and temporary password.  Follow this link (D4S Day One Safety Checklist) for more information on the D4S software application.

Predictions is hard, especially when it is about the future (thanks Neils Bohr!), but all indications are that 2014 is going to be as busy as 2013.  This year the list of topics for the Electrical and Product Safety blog will be:

• Switchgear
• Switchboards
• Panelboards
• Circuit breakers
• Fuses

The first blog posting about switchgear will be coming in a couple of weeks.  The topic will cover basic information on what is switchgear and what you need to consider before installing the equipment.

So, as you eagerly await the posting, I would like to ask everyone to commit to working safe this year and designing equipment or machines that do more than meet the requirements of the appropriate standard.  Instead, look at the intended and unintended use of the equipment or machine and use the most appropriate technology that not only meets the performance requirements, but choose a technology that allows those who install, operate, maintain, and test the equipment or machine to work in a safe manner.

Be Safe and Happy New Year!