When planning a shutdown, you want it to be as short as possible. After all, management wants to minimize lost electrical generation revenue.
At Ericson Manufacturing, we understand the pressure you are under, and we want to help by reminding you how important it is to plan for a safe shutdown. We recommend you have proper equipment available to your maintenance personnel so they can efficiently and safely perform the required work. The last thing you want is an accident resulting in an injured employee, lost work time and greater lost revenue.
The first rule for planning a safe shutdown is to protect your personnel from the dark, damp and dangerous:
- Dark: Equip your personnel with the relevant types of lighting equipment and the sufficient amount of each type necessary to perform their work.
- Damp: Protect your personnel from electric shock or worse – electrocution – by providing equipment rated for use in both wet and outdoor locations. Also ensure that water cannot enter any connections and wiring. Test all wiring to be used in order to ensure the grounding connections are intact. Furthermore, either provide low-voltage power for equipment or plan to have groundfault circuit interrupter (GFCI) protection for the equipment.
- Dangerous: Identify areas where potentially combustible vapors and dusts are or will be present. Protect your personnel by choosing equipment rated for hazardous locations. The equipment will typically be classified as "explosion proof."
Will your personnel be doing work where they will only have access to power that is 480VAC? What will you do if your personnel need 120VAC or 240VAC? Our solution is an Ericson e-Cart® portable power transformer unit. We have models with power ratings from 15-300 kVA. Available models include a wide range of receptacles, circuit protection ratings and National Electrical Manufacturers Association ratings. If you do not see an e-Cart that meets your exact requirements, contact us and we will build a system to meet your needs. Ericson e-Carts are approved by a nationally recognized testing lab so you can be confident in their safety.
Give your personnel the power they need with the comfort of knowing they're using a power unit that complies with all safety standards.
When any of your personnel has to work inside a vessel or confined space, supply each worker with a hand-held lamp. More likely than not, they will need it at some point during their maintenance work.
For general, broad illumination, use string lights or wide area lights. When you use LED technology in your lighting, the lights will handle the harsh environments for years, decreasing energy costs while protecting workers. Most importantly, be safe by using explosion-proof lighting in hazardous locations such as sources of potential gas leaks.
Don't let the simplest thing be your weak link. Extension cords take a beating. They often get run over by equipment and vehicles, can be subject to excess tension from numerous sources and have insulation that can get cut through contact with sharp objects. OSHA requires implementing an Assured Equipment Grounding Conductor Program to ensure exposed cords are in good condition before use.
When installed on an extension cord, Ericson's SmartMonitor® visual diagnostic wiring devices provide a visual indication of the extension cord's ground-conductor status each time the cord is used, instead of relying on OSHA's 90-day test intervals requirement. This increases safety and is quicker than manual testing with a meter.
Once the power cords have been tested, ensure personnel are protected by GFCIs in any available 120VAC 15- and 20-amp power sources. If the local power is not GFCIprotected, connect an inline GFCI to protect your employees from equipment failures or from becoming a conductive path to the ground due to a wet environment.
You can rely on Ericson for complete electrical safety solutions to ensure your shutdown proceeds safely. If you forget something, count on Ericson and its distributor network to get you what you need quickly. Lastly, remember to take advantage of Ericson's engineered solutions when you have unique requirements.
Our primary objective is keeping your personnel safe.
For more information, visit www.ericson.com or call (800) ERICSON [374-2766].
