Construction Safety:

1
Construction Safety

• Extension Cords

2
Overview

• Consumer Product Safety Commission
• Construction Safety
• Underwriters Laboratories Inc.(UL)
• Polarized Plugs
• Safe Use on the Jobsite
• OSHA Standards

3
Consumer Product Safety Commission

• Extension Cord Facts
• The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
  (CPSO) estimates that each year, about 4,000
  injuries associated with electric extension cords
  are treated in hospital emergency rooms.
• About half the injuries involve fractures,
  lacerations, contusions, or sprains from people
  tripping over extension cords.
• CPSC also estimates that about 3,300 residential
  fires originate in extension cords each year,
  killing 50 people and injuring about 270 others.

4
Construction Safety

• The most frequent causes of such fires are short
  circuits, overloading, damage, and/or misuse of
  extension cords.

5
Underwriters Laboratories Inc.(UL)

• Underwriters Laboratories Inc.(UL), now require
  that general use extension cords have safety
  closures, warning labels, and rating information
  about the electrical current.

6
Underwriters Laboratories Inc.(UL)

• In addition, UL-listed extension cords now must
  be constructed with 16 gauge or larger wire, or
  be equipped with integral fuses.
• The 16 gauge wire is rated to carry 13 amperes
  (up to 1560 watts), as compared to the
  formerly-used 18 gauge cords that were rated
  for 10 amperes (up to 1200 watts).

7
Polarized Plugs

• The National Electrical Code says that many
  cord-connected appliances should be equipped with
  polarized grounding type plugs.
• Polarized plugs have one blade slightly wider
  than the other and can only be inserted one way
  into the outlet.

8
Safe Use on the Jobsite

• Make sure cords do not dangle from the counter or
  table tops where they can be pulled down or
  tripped over.
• Replace cracked or worn extension cords with new.
  When disconnecting cords, pull the plug rather
  than the cord itself.

9
The Do Nots!

• Check the plug and the body of the extension cord
  while the cord is in use.
• Noticeable warming of these plastic parts is
  expected when cords are being used at their
  maximum rating.
• If the cord feels hot or if there is a softening
  of the plastic, the extension cord should be
  discarded and replaced.
• Never use an extension cord while it is coiled or
  looped.

10
Be Smart About It!
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Pay Attention to What You Plug In!

• Don't use staples or nails to attach extension
  cords to a baseboard or to another surface. This
  could damage the cord and present a shock or fire
  hazard.
• Use special, heavy duty extension cords for high
  wattage appliances such as air conditioners,
  portable electric heaters, and freezers.

12
OSHA Standards

• Electrical problems are among the most commonly
  cited OSHA violations.
• What this means to you is that if an inspector
  can look at a piece of electric equipment and
  with common sense tell you that it is unsafe,
  then you can receive a COSTLY citation.

13
Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters

• The GFCI is a fast acting device that senses
  small current leakages to ground. 
• Within 1/40 of a second it shuts off the
  electricity and "interrupts" the current flow.
• GFCI's are required for use on all construction
  sites and projects. 
• GFCI's are also required when work is conducted
  in wet or damp locations.

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If It Doesnt Look Safe, It Isnt!
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The OSHA standard 1910.305

• The OSHA Construction standard says
• 1926.404(b)(1)(ii) Ground-fault circuit
  interrupters.
• All 120-volt, single-phase 15- and 20-ampere
  receptacle outlets on construction sites, which
  are not a part of the permanent wiring of the
  building or structure and which are in use by
  employees, shall have approved ground-fault
  circuit interrupters for personnel protection

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The Anatomy of an Electrical Shock
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OSHA

• The OSHA regulations prohibit the following uses
  of flexible cords (and extension cords)
• as a substitute for fixed wiring when run through
  holes in walls, ceilings, or floors
• when run through doorways or windows
• when attached to building surfaces
• when concealed by walls, ceiling, or floors