Safe electrical equipment provides legal protection for both workers and facility. People working on it expect to be offered only safe operating devices. This expectation exists worldwide. There are also regulations on the protection of workers across the globe.
All possible hazards and hazardous points can be identified and evaluate by undertaking a risk assessment, formerly also known as a hazard analysis.
Electrical switchgear is a crucial part of a power system, which is used to control, regulate and isolate portion of system. The basic function of electrical switchgear is interruption of overload and short-circuit fault currents while servicing the circuits. Its operation ensures the enhanced system availability and reliability of the power system.
Failures of switchgear assembly is rare. But when it fails, may be catastrophic. Because it deals with flammable and hazardous oil, gas or vacuum. Based on the risk assessment on switchgear, we can take suitable control measures to eliminate or reduce the risk.
Care Labs provide several services for electrical installations all over Mexico. We are offering comprehensive electrical switchgear risk analysis service for all types of buildings.
Importance of Risk Assessment:
A risk assessment is the overall process of thorough look at workplace to identify hazard, situations, processes, risk analysis, and evaluation that may cause harm to people. After hazard identification, you can assess and evaluate severeness and how likely it could occur. And also, we make a decide what mitigation measures that needed to be take in place to eliminate or control the harm effectively from occurring.
Risk analysis provides a basis for assessment, evaluation of risks and decide the risk control measures. It includes risk estimation. This analysis can include historical information, theoretical assessment, informed opinions, and the concerns of working people.
Risk assessment is an integral part of an occupational health and safety management plan. It helps to:
- Identify associated hazards and risks that have the potential harm.
- Assess and evaluate the associated risk with the hazard.
- Determine appropriate measures to eliminate or control the hazard risk when the it cannot be eliminated.
- Prioritize risks and control measures.
- Create awareness of potential hazards and risk.
- Identify the people are at risk.
- Determine any control measure program is required or not.
- Determine the adequacy of existing control measures or if more needs to be done.
- Prevent injuries or illnesses.
- Record the finding
- Review the assessment time to time and revise it if needed
- Meet the applicable legal requirements.
Safety Hazards Look Forward in Electrical Switchgear Risk Assessment:
- Abnormal working condition such as temperature rise, smoking sensation, leakage of oil or other substances, smell of substances or ozone, distortion, etc.
- Changes in its physical state like corrosion, leakage, condition of it and protection equipment, fluid levels.
- Dampness or getting water in it, the condition goes wrong of firefighting equipment.
- Changing the condition of the battery, and control panel, etc.
Approach and Methodology:
Switchgear risk assessment process as follows:
From risk assessment on switchgear, we can able to identify the necessary steps you must adhere, operate the equipment and electrical system safely.
- Determine the scope of using the switchgear assembly and limits;
- Maintenance work on control equipment
- Examining of the hazard risks associated with it
- Examination of risks must consider the history of both the minor and major faults experience on the equipment.
- Subsequent risk evaluation based on the risk assessment matrix considering the severity of harms and their probability of occurrence
- Finally, evaluate the assessment to determine whether the risk tolerable or a risk reduction measure is required.
- Priorities implied on risk reduction.
CATASTROPHIC Death or permanent disability | CRITICAL disability | SERIOUS Serious injury but recoverable | MARGINAL Minor injury | MINOR First aid only | |
FREQUENT Likely to occur repeatedly | HIGH | HIGH | SERIOUS | MEDIUM | LOW |
PROBABLE Likely to occur several times | HIGH | HIGH | SERIOUS | MEDIUM | LOW |
OCCASIONAL Likely to occur | HIGH | SERIOUS | MEDIUM | MEDIUM | LOW |
REMOTE Not likely to occur | SERIOUS | MEDIUM | MEDIUM | LOW | LOW |
IMPROBABLE Very unlikely to occur | MEDIUM | LOW | LOW | LOW | LOW |
Figure.1: Risk Assessment Matrix
Our risk assessment distinct processes will help you identify the safe working range, highlight the potential failures that lead to hazards and the harmful damage, appropriate control measures and reassess the risk to ensure the control measures, assess and prioritize risks.
Contact us to enquire more about electrical switchgear risk assessment or avail our services.
