Electrical
You must engage with workers and have effective worker participation practices. This means giving workers a reasonable opportunity to express their views and to raise work health or safety concerns. Consider what workers have to say – for example, when identifying electrical hazards and deciding how to eliminate or minimise risks. Their views can help you to improve work health and safety. What are the risks? Death and serious injury can occur from exposure to electrical hazards on construction sites. Electric shock is the main risk. The harsh conditions on many construction sites can damage electrical equipment and cables, and reduce their lifespan. Eliminate or minimise electrical safety risks The risk of injury from electricity is strongly linked to where and how it is used. You must find out if there are any ways to eliminate or minimise electrical safety (and other) risks. You must first try to eliminate risks that arise from your work, so far as is reasonably practicable. If you can’t eliminate a risk, you must minimise it so far as is reasonably practicable. This means you do what is reasonably able to be done to ensure health and safety in your circumstances – that is, what you know or ought reasonably to know. Just because something is possible to do, doesn’t mean it is always reasonably practicable. You must take into account and weigh up all relevant matters. Cost must only be used as a reason to not do something when that cost is grossly out of proportion to the risk. As part of ensuring health and safety on your site, at the start of every day check for new workers, new risks, new equipment, and any changes to the site layout. You must provide workers with the information, training, instruction and supervision they need to work safely. This includes suitable training on electrical risks on site, so that everyone knows how these risks can be eliminated or minimised. You and other PCBUs on site (eg contractors) must ensure any electrical equipment you use or provide is operated safely and maintained so that it remains safe. You should take into account the nature of the work and the conditions. WorkSafe New Zealand (WorkSafe) recommends that you keep maintenance records.