Klystron said:
While you rephrase your question as the moderator requests, I can reiterate safety guidelines common to laboratories, data centers and other work areas where electrocution remains a hazard. This list is
not exhaustive:
- Remove all jewelry, rings and watches before entering work areas. Even non-conducting objects such as wristbands can catch on hardware. Remove piercings including earrings.
- Do not bring liquids into a lab. Keep clothing and safety shoes dry.
- Tie back long hair. Tuck loose clothing. Secure lab coats, if worn. Cooling fans can suck in loose items potentially trapping you.
- Wear proper non-conducting eye and ear protective devices as detailed in your lab protocols. Wear safety shoes both to prevent grounding yourself and to protect your feet from crush injuries.
- Stay alert. Keep one hand in a pocket while near active electronics; usually the hand and arm on the side near your heart. Do not ground yourself or touch grounded items.
- Never touch downed wires or fallen workers until power has been turned off.
- Maintain situational awareness. Memorize escape routes. Locate exits, alarms, first aid kits and safety equipment.
- Do not disable cabinet interlocks or other safety equipment.
With 50+ years experience I have seen and read first hand reports of terrible injuries. The worst electrocutions seem to happen to seasoned experienced workers who forgot a safety rule or made a simple mistake such as wearing a watch or prized jewelry. To this day I eschew wearing jewelry and always keep one hand in my pocket working in hazardous environments. Stay alert. Remain safe.
Your right, these are good ideas. But in my experience, working for decades in EE labs with dangerous stuff, people won't do these things. Safety rules need to be realistic or people won't actually do them.
My rules:
1) Don't touch things (i.e. connect equipment) when the power is turned on, unless you absolutely have to.
2) Always know how to shut it off ASAP, and allow access to that switch at all times. One switch, not a procedure. You'll do the orderly shutdown when it's not sparking and on fire.
3) As much as possible don't work in really crowded or messy spaces. When the 5V capacitor explodes, scares you, and you try to get away, you don't want to trip and hit your head on the network analyzer cart. Network analyzers are expensive.
4) Don't work on circuits you don't understand. Don't hire people that don't know what they are doing. Don't tell your technician to do things they don't understand. It's your job to know what you are doing, go back to your desk and study some more. Dunning-Kruger would be the first thing you should study.
5) Think first, every time, before you do anything. How could you (or others) get hurt? Are your assumptions correct? Don't be in a hurry (as much as possible, anyway). You can afford to pause for 10 seconds to think about what you are about to do. Make that a habit, if you can.
6) Don't "float" test equipment at dangerous voltages. There is ALWAYS a better and safer way to make measurements. Use the right equipment, in the right way (you'll also get better data that way).
7) Be especially careful the first time you apply power to a circuit/system. Do it from far away with a broom stick if you can. Expect it to explode.
8) Put signs up to scare people away from your bench when you leave dangerous things running. Don't build booby traps for the guy that wants to borrow your DMM.
9)
Be scared. Always be a little bit scared (sometimes a lot scared). Always. Always.
If you do get hurt, it won't be because you didn't have the right shoes, didn't know where the fire extinguisher or first aid kit is, had a cup of coffee next to your oscilloscope, didn't have someone in the lab with you, or were wearing earrings. It will be because you did something stupid.
So, if you understand and think about the risks, and if you are still a bit scared, you will put on your safety glasses, you will tie your hair back at the drill press, you will take a little extra time to sort out a better way. If the corporate safety guy puts up a poster that says you have to, it won't actually happen very often. The problem with safety rules isn't writing them. It's getting people to actually follow them.
Still, your right. Your lab is safer than mine were. You know, the ones with real people doing real people behaviors.
PS:
10) If you're working on a safe circuit next to dangerous parts, build a guard of some sort to keep you from accidentally touching things you shouldn't. Even cardboard with masking tape will do; the more complicated you make it, the less likely you'll do it next time. Saying, "I'll be careful and not do that" isn't good enough. You'll forget or be careless sooner or later. After all, your attention is on the microprocessor, not the scary bits.
