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The Running Man – Work Safe Australia

The Running Man

Effective January 2016, Standards Australia has implemented new building regulations for emergency exit lightning. On the new regulation it is a requirement to include installation of a new test switch when an existing emergency/exit light is being repaired by an electrician, this is in accordance to AS2293.1

AS 2293 Emergency Lightning for Buildings

Part 1: System design, Installation and Operation

Part 2: Inspection and Maintenance

Part 3: Emergency escape luminaries and exit signs

 

The objective of this series of Standards is to provide all those associated with the design, construction, installation, certification and maintenance of all the individual components of an emergency escape lightning. The principal reason for this edition 2293.1 is to specify installation requirements for exit signs employing internationally accepted pictographs instead of the previously used word “EXIT”.

Installation of the pictographs are now implemented in corporate office and other business buildings, compliance to this new standard is observed and audited by the government.

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The importance of Emergency/Exit Lights

In situation of Fire, do you know where to go? Emergency/Exit Lights have a very vital role in all business establishment. Standards Australia and Work safe Australia printed mandates for any business establishment to fulfill the WHS rules and regulations with the fitting of emergency exit lighting in every bounded space.

Standards Australia’s update on Emergency Exit lights that the previously used word “EXIT”, should be replaced with pictographs. This is for new and redecorated buildings, fitting and maintenance of emergency exit lighting is a obligation on getting your WHS compliance certificate.

The number of Emergency/Exit Lights should be, as a rule of thumb is two in every floor, but this is dependent on the size of the building, size of the floor and how many employees are working on each floor, it may require more. Each emergency exit should be free from any obstruction and have a clear path to the exit streets at all times. This is a must!

Emergency Exit Signs should illuminated at all times, obviously glaring in the dimness as in a movie theatre. This is in compliance with AS 2293.

Making your building safe and ensuring your employee’s safety, making them feel they are safe is one security that they can depend in case of emergency, building safety culture in your workplace is a good conscious effort for business owners. Ensuring workers they will go home safe to their loved-ones, is a part of being a good employer.

If you feel you need to check your workplace for emergency exit lighting compliance, it is best to call for a certified Electrical Services Contractor to take a look and help you make sure your workplace is in compliance and your workers are safe. It can save lives and your business!

 

Ross Peters     – 0450 318 199

How Important Emergency/Exit Lights are?

Emergency/Exit Lights and signs are a essential for commercial buildings, big and small. Positively there are financial factors that come into play when businesses choose how to best implement emergency lighting and signs.

As stated, a lot of this is obligatory. OSHA polices things like emergency illumination in commercial buildings. For example, the exit signs must be placed in an area which highlights an unhindered exit from the building.

We should all know why we all need emergency lighting. It jumps with safety. If power outage occurs, stairs still need to stay passable, if conceivable. Emergency illumination in stairs and hallways can quiet nerves during a power outage. More prominently, emergency illumination should brighten those areas during a real emergency. Making it calmer for people to abandon the building. This is an additional reason emergency exit signs should be inside or outwardly illuminated. The latter means the sign’s light source is limited outside of the device. It’s often radiant or florescent lighting. Internal lighting means the sign’s lighting limits inside the actual sign.

 

Emergency/Exit Lights:

Emergency lighting is also valued to fire teams and search & rescue teams called to the scene during an emergency such as a fire.

If you are in business and have a places or space that staff or associates of the public use frequently.  Australian law states that you must have flawless emergency and exit lighting and signage showed at all times. And, if you have ever been in an emergency condition where time is of the essence. Then you will perhaps know how helpful those signs can be!

These emergency exit signs are mainly significant for great events in places that people are habitually visiting for the first time and merely won’t be familiar with the exits and withdrawal points.

Though, as with any electrical appliance, things can and do go incorrect with emergency and exit signage units… wires quarrel, light bulbs indistinct, a water leak might disturb the lighting unit and so on.

As portion of our emergency exit light service, our squad conducts over 59,000 minutes of emergency illumination and exit sign inspection each year. So our clients remain compliant and, above all, safe. If you have any apprehensions with the quality of the Emergency/Exit Lights and signage at your business buildings. If you have not had your emergency and exit illumination units tested every six months in agreement with Australian law, it’s time to do it now!

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Electrical Safety at Work

Machines and other equipment’s run by electricity can be hazardous if not properly maintained. Electrical hazards can cause electrical burns and shocks might also be a cause of death. Electrical Safety at Work is very important for any company for everyone’s safety. You have to be proactive in managing all electrical risks on your workplace by keeping a safe electrical environment for your workers as a commitment and as a part of the Electrical Standards Compliance. It is a commitment of business owners to make sure that all electrical equipment and installations in the workplace are without risks to health and safety of any person.

What are electrical risks?

(Source: safeworkaustralia)

Electricity is both beneficial and risky for us, the injuries caused by electric shocks can even lead us to death. everyone should overcome these risk by specific precautionary measures.

  • Electric shock causing injury or death. The electric shock can be received by straight or unintended contact, chasing through or across a medium, or by arcing.
  • Arcing, explosion or fire causing burns. The damages are often suffered because arcing or burst or both occur when high fault currents are present
  • Electric shock from ‘step-and-touch’ potentials
  • Toxic gases causing illness or death. Burning caused by electrical equipment may release various gases and contaminants
  • Fire resulting from an electrical fault.

 

Handling this electrical risks is significant not just for workers but for the complete safety of the business. Electrical Safety at Work is a compulsory and you should be a compliant for you to be able to conduct or function business.

QLD Compliance Solutions provides a comprehensive electrical testing service, which includes visual testing and a detailed Electrical Test on all the appliances on your workplace. We are your one point of contact for all your WH+S compliance needs. For more details visit our website.

“Ensuring Workplace Compliance for your Business”

Electrical Safety at Work

Safety is an imperative subject everywhere, and the workplace is no different. The following tips will benefit you stay safe around electricity at work.

  • Any work done, no matter how slight or brief, should be done according to all appropriate codes and standards.
  • Before a job is starts, check electric strings for wear. Never pull, bend or twist strings, and store them loosely twisted in a dry place.
  • Never carry a tool by its string. And make sure to keep all tools, work areas and storage spaces clean and dry.
  • Personal defensive apparatus is an important in the resistance against shock or electrical burns. Make sure to keep boots, gloves and other equipment in good condition.
  • Do not overwork an outlet. Don’t use an extension string as a permanent wiring solution.
  • Don’t run a string under a mat or furniture. It may get damage or get overheat.
  • If a piece of gear gives off a slight shock, infrequent heat or odd smells, don’t use it.
  • Unwind an extension string fully before use. Make sure the amperage is suitable.
  • Protect supple strings and cables from physical damage.
  • Keep slack in supple strings to avoid tension on electrical terminals.
  • When a fuse functions or circuit breaker trips, conclude the reason before exchanging or resetting.

Electricity is a really an important part of our life, but electricity can kill too. that is why Electrical Safety at Work is very important.

Electrical injuries

Injuries occurred by electric shocks can be triggered by an extensive range of voltages but the danger of injury is normally greater with higher voltages and is reliant on upon individual conditions. Torch batteries can ignite combustible substances.

Alternating current (AC) and Direct Current (DC) electrical supplies can root a range of injuries including:

  • Electric shock
  • Electrical burns
  • Loss of muscle control
  • Thermal burns

Electric shock

A voltage as low as 50 volts given between two parts of the human body causes a current to flow that can lump the electrical signals between the brain and the muscles. This may have a number of special effects including:

  • Stopping the heart beating correctly
  • Stopping the person from breathing
  • Initiating muscle spasms

 

The precise effect is dependent upon a large number of things counting the size of the voltage, which parts of the body are convoluted, how wet the person is, and the length of time the current flows. Electrical Safety at Work is a must thing for any company as no lives can be compromised.

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Electrical Safety Tips

Electricity is an integral part of our lives, which many of us today could not imagine living without. Electrical Safety Tips and guides should also be kept in mind while using electricity.

Powering our appliances and providing our lighting, heating and cooling, electricity is so important in our daily lives that it’s easy to forget that if we use incorrectly, it has the potential to injure or kill. This page provides a range of electrical safety tips for both inside and outside the home and looks at ways you can make your home or office a safer place around electricity.

Electrical Safety Tips:

INDOORS

Our homes depend on electricity to provide us with light, food, heating, cooling and entertainment. Many electrical accidents occur in the home and the following are the main areas of concern.

 

APPLIANCES

We love our appliances and our homes are full with them, from toasters and heaters to televisions and microwaves. But there are certain precautions relating to appliances that need to be taken care of to avoid the risk of electrocution.

  • Examine appliances frequently for defective or damaged plugs, switches and cords and substitute them or have them fixed immediately.
  • If you do throw them away, make sure they can’t be used by anyone else.
  • Switch off and unplug appliances before cleaning them.
  • Never poke anything into an appliance such as a toaster.
  • Never touch an appliance with wet hands.
  • Turn off appliances like air conditioners, heaters and ovens if leaving your home.
  • Make sure appliances like televisions and computer monitors that generate heat have several inches of clearance all around for good air circulation.
  • Never fold an electric blanket up to store it, as the wires may bend or break.

 

CORDS

Cords are how we connect our appliances to the power supply and we need to handle them too with care. Safety tips for electrical cords include the following:

  • Extension strings should only be used as a momentary solution and should be placed around walls to avoid tripping, and never under mats or carpet.
  • Always remove a cord from the wall at the plug, as pulling on the cord itself is unsafe.
  • Simply use extension strings outside that are valued for outdoor use and make sure the connections are safe from the weather.
  • Fully unwind cords before use to prevent overheating.

POWER BOARDS AND ADAPTERS

We use so many appliances in our daily lives that a single power outlet is often not enough, but use caution when employing double adapters or power boards.

  • Always use power boards with in-built safety devices such as overload switches.
  • Check power boards regularly for signs of scorching or discolouration and replace immediately if discovered.
  • Ensure power boards have adequate ventilation to prevent overheating.
  • Always turn power boards off at the wall outlet if not in use for any length of time.

LIGHTS

Lights may seem benign, but they are also capable of causing electrocution. we should observe the following tips when handling lights of any kind:

  • Always turn the light switch off before replacing a light bulb.
  • Never replace a light bulb or touch a light switch with wet hands.
  • Always use a light bulb with the correct wattage to prevent overheating.
  • If painting a ceiling, do not remove the plate around the light, but mask it instead.
  • If tiling around light fittings or switches, have the plates removed by a licensed electrician.

WET AREAS

Water and electricity do not mix and special precautions should be observed in wet areas. These include the following Electrical Safety Tips:

  • Wear rubber-soled footwear when working in wet areas like the laundry.
  • Keep stereos well away from swimming pools and spas to prevent splashing.
  • Never use portable electric heaters in a bathroom.
  • In the bathroom, always unplug and safely store hair dryers and electric shavers when not in use.
  • Do not use extension cords in wet areas unless specifically designed for such use.

OUTDOORS

Electricity can be a threat outside the home as well as indoors. The main areas of concern include:

POWER LINES

  • Before raising a ladder, putting up a boat mast or installing an antenna, look up and ensure there are no overhead power lines in the vicinity.
  • Have trees professionally trimmed near power lines and preferably plant low-growing vegetation in such locations.
  • Make sure your children know not to fly kites or climb trees near overhead power lines.
  • If you are on your roof for any reason, stay away from the power lines connecting your home to the grid.

CONCEALED WIRES

An even greater threat than overhead power lines are wires that you can’t see at all. we should keep the following Electrical Safety Tips in mind in these circumstances:

  • Call 1100 before digging any kind of hole or trench in your backyard, as there may be underground power cables.
  • Before piercing into walls, find out where the electrical cables are, mainly around power points and light switches.

PREVENTION

As with most dangers, the best form of protection is prevention and you can drastically reduce the risk of electrical accidents by observing these few simple rules:

  • Never attempt DIY electrical work. It is illegal and can lead to electrocution or fires. Always use a licensed electrician.
  • Replace old ceramic wire-type fuses with switch-type circuit breakers.
  • Test safety switches every three months to ensure they are in good working order.
  • Have safety switches or RCDs (Residual Current Devices) installed. In an emergency, they will cut power flow in one thousandth of a second, preventing electrocution.

While electricity does have the potential to kill, there is no reason why we can’t live safely around it. As long as we exercise common sense and teach our kids to do the same, electricity can continue to be a powerful ally in every aspect of our lives.

IN THE EVENT OF CONTACT WITH LIVE ELECTRICITY, ALWAYS SEE YOUR DOCTOR WITHIN 24 HOURS AND ALSO KEEP IN MIND ALL THE ELECTRICAL SAFETY TIPS.

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