Adding safety to electrical industry

Electrical faults seem to be the major reason for industrial disasters in the country as 56 per cent of incidents are reportedly caused by them. How can we make electrical industry a safer place?
Safety is an undervalued term in India. Whether it is safety at home, on roads or at work, its importance is poorly understood. As shocking as the statement sounds, it is testament to the fact that most Indians have a careless attitude toward safety at the workplace. Most of the time the focus is on correction, rather than prevention which leads to excess costs and wastage of resources.
The electrical industry is at crossroads. The industry is taking a conscious effort to upgrade its processes and material usage to compare with world-class practices and companies. The customers have become increasingly discerning and demanding and are ready to pay more for better quality electrical work. They understand that these extra expenses are paid off in the long run by efficient, uninterrupted electrical performance.
In spite of the growth in the productive output of the electrical industry, there are a number of safety hazards which have led to a loss of lives and properties. Electrical faults seem to be the major reason for industrial disasters in the country as 56 per cent of incidents are reportedly caused by them. Overheating, ageing of the material and use of sub-standard quality of electrical gadgets have been contributing to the increasing electrical fire accidents in industries. The Karnataka Energy Department has admitted that there have been 1,400 deaths in the past 3 years due to electrical accidents alone.According to the National Crime Records Bureau statistics, 8 per cent of all deaths in industry are electrical in origin. A power failure can result in expensive shut downs, and there is more. Besides the production, loss there is a greater danger — fire.
A small electrical problem can have extremely far-reaching consequences. The efficiency of the electrical grid becomes low, so the energy is spent generating heat. If left unchecked, heat can rise to the point where connections start to melt. Not only that, sparks can fly, setting the environment on fire. Insurance companies are now taking this into consideration and require regular thermal inspections. This provides new opportunities for dedicated specialists.
Fire accounts for the 10 per cent of all risks as observed in the India Risk Survey, 2012.The risk of fire has been rated among the top six risks across India. The respondents from outside of India have ranked risk by fire as the No 1 risk. The manufacturing and telecom sectors have also highlighted fire as their No 1 risk. In fact, Mumbai’s fire department indicates that electrical short is one of the most important causes of fire.
What are the main causes of electrical accidents in industry?                                                          While there are multiple causes, there are three common root causes for just about any electrical incident:

 Working on unsafe equipment and installations

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