ESP 1 - Electrical Safety Program

Question 1

What is the Electrical Safety Program (ESP)?

Answer 1

The Electrical Safety Program (ESP) is a template of rules and procedures to help formalise a safe system of work and manage risks on a WTG.

Question 1

What will the ESP establish on the WTG?

Answer 1

• General Safety
• Safety from the System

Question 2

Explain the 3 “Shall’s”.

Answer 2

• Shall - This indicates a mandatory requirement with no discretion permitted and no judgement made.
• Shall, Where Practicable - A slightly less standard is imposed. Where possible to achieve in the light of current knowledge and invention but bearing in mind the hazards associated with the work. No exceptions are allowed to be made on the grounds of difficulty, inconvenience or cost.
• Shall, Where Reasonably Practicable - Where a judgement as to what is reasonable shall be made, taking into account the magnitude of risk on one hand against cost, time and trouble or effort on the other hand.

Question 3

General Safety is defined as…

Answer 3

The provision of safe access to and from the place of work, a safe place of work, safe methods of work and the use of correct work equipment and personal protective equipment.

General Safety shall be ‘Established and Maintained, by the Person Leading the Working Party, whether the work is under an AWP or a ROP.

All persons working in the team have the duty to maintain General Safety.

Question 4

What are the key elements for ensuring General Safety being applied and maintained?

Answer 4

1. Safe Access and Egress - At all times there must be accessible entry and exit points.
2. Safe Place of Work - Working area must be clean, tidy and free of obstacles and danger.
3. Safe Methods of Work - Work procedures have been developed using RAMS and described in the AWP. The ESP rules will also provide supporting procedures and management instructions.
4. Safe Use of Equipment - Equipment is safe to use, tested, calibrated and the user is trained in its use.
5. Personal Protective Equipment - Technicians are supplied with the correct PPE for the task and trained in the use of the PPE.

Question 5

Safety from the System is achieved when?…

Answer 5

The worker can work freely from danger and is achieved through the hierarchy of control.

Question 6

Explain what is meant by the hierarchy of control?

Answer 6

1. Elimination - Removal of a hazard and therefore the risk.
2. Substitution - Use of less hazardous/lower risk material, equipment or process.
3. Isolations/Controls of hazardous energy - Controlling the hazard/reducing risk through separation from the persons using barriers or demarcated areas.
4. Safeguards - Fitting guards, interlocks or similar engineering solutions to tools/equipment.
5. Procedural Methods - Safer ways to do something.
6. PPE - Personal protective equipment and clothing used as a last resort.

Question 7

What is a Safe System of Work?

Answer 7

The method of carrying out a task with the elimination of identified hazards, control of others and plans to achieve controlled task completion with minimum risk.

Question 8

What are the 6 aspects of a Safe System of Work?

Answer 8

1. Risk Control - Using ESP and RAMS to control risk from inherent dangers.
2. Isolation - The provision of SSoW by correct application of isolations and additional written safety precautions (AWPs).
3. People - Individuals understanding their roles and responsibilities and carrying them out correctly and fully.
4. Tools and Equipment - Using the correct, approved and fit for purpose tooling/equipment.
5. Work Control - Correct agreement between OC and AT to carry out work through the transfer of control procedure.
6. Communication - Documented/recorded communication between AT and OC, relaying limitation, restriction and exception information.

Question 9

When working on OFW ESP there are 3 terms used, state these terms and their meaning.

Answer 9

Shall
Indicates a mandatory requirement with no discretion permitted and no judgement to be made.

Shall, Where Practicable
A slightly less strict standard is imposed. Where possible to achieve in the light of current knowledge and invention, but bearing in mind the hazards associated with the work to be undertaken, then the requirement must be met. One is not allowed to avoid the requirements on the grounds of difficulty, inconvenience or cost.

Shall, Where Reasonably Practicable
When ‘shall where reasonably practicable’ is used to qualify a requirement then a judgement must be made as to what is reasonable, taking into account the magnitude of the risk on the one hand and the cost, time and trouble, or effort necessary for averting the risk on the other hand.

Question 10

Under OFW ESP, How is general safety established?

Answer 10

General Safety shall be established and maintained by the person leading the working party when working under an AWP or ROP.

The provision of safe access to and from the place of work. – safe access/egress.

Provision of a safe place of work.

Safe methods of work.

The correct use of correct work equipment (tools etc). Tools to be test, calibrated and approved for use.

The correct use of personal protective equipment.