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CSA Z462 puts the squeeze on small electrical contractors
Thursday, 26 March 2009
By Dave Smith
CSA Z462, the new Canadian Workplace Electrical Safety standard that supersedes NFPA 70E, is going to be a struggle to implement for small electrical contractors. It’s a huge change for all electrical workers, but not all companies are the same. Most electrical contractors start out as a one-person shop or, perhaps, as several friends or relatives. With luck, good business sense and a good market, they thrive and grow. It
is well known that 80% of new businesses close their doors within the
first five years of operation. Some time ago, a Royal Bank study
confirmed this before revealing that, of the survivors, 80% close their
doors within the next five years.
This is
a 96% attrition rate for small businesses in the first 10 years of
operation. Granted, numerous factor play a hand in this conclusion, but
a lousy marketplace is a killer—even for established companies—and we
are at the beginning of a royal mess. Someone is going to disappear.
And now the ante is huge on the health and safety table.
Bill
C-45 amended the Criminal Code of Canada several years ago to put
health and safety in the crosshairs of the local police. Should they
determine that an accident warrants it, they will press charges with no
discussion with the Ministry. Once the Ministry becomes engaged, you’ll
be fighting two parallel investigations. Just watch your bank account
drain now!
CSA Z462
is not legally written in stone but every province has a General Duty
Clause: “You shall protect your workers against recognized hazards”.
After 28 years of trying to convince people that electricity really is
dangerous, I can tell you that electrocution, arc flash and blast—and
all the ancillary nasties—have never enjoyed such a high profile.
A small
contractor with an irregular work force has a real chore ahead of him,
trying to change the human behaviour of a gypsy; even a contractor with
a seasoned crew will be challenged when trying to change the habits
ingrained after a century of no PPE (personal protective equipment).
The complaints will be constant; the gloves are hot, sticky and clammy
within minutes of putting them on; a face shield has lots of
annoyances; hot, claustrophobic, hard to see through, they fog up, etc.
When you
have a recalcitrant workforce that grudgingly wears PPE when they are
being observed, but go back to old habits when they are alone, your
business and, by extension, all of your hard-earned assets are
seriously at risk.
Surviving
tough times calls for pork and beans and corn flakes all around, and
battening down the financial hatches: if it’s an expense, forgo it; if
it’s risk, get it under control.
Uncontrollable
electrical workers that do not adopt and follow the safe work practices
of CSA Z462 are a risk that you cannot afford. You don’t allow open
fires in your shops, do you? Well, not following Z462 is like a bonfire
waiting to burst.
Should
one of your workers get electrocuted, you will have no defence for not
fulfilling your responsibility under the law. Legal retainers run about
$10,000, and you won’t get change back. Going to court will cost you
another ten grand, and you still won’t be finished. You’ll also quickly
discover that—outside of your family and close friends—no one really
cares.
I have
had some terrible times in running my own business. This will be the
fourth ugly downturn I have experienced, but I have my survival
planned. Whether this is your first or fourth downturn, you don’t want
to go under because of an injury that could have been prevented with
safe work practices and PPE.
Z462 is
a great shield for defending yourself against accidents and stupidity.
To get it moving, you need to get yourself and your crews trained,
develop a safety program and hold safety meetings that engage your
workers. You cannot avoid spending money on equipment and PPE, so
there’s no point in griping about it. You’re already the leader, so
become a safety leader, too, and become a champion for the standard.
When
someone crosses the line, make sure they understand where that line is
and the consequences. If they do it again and again, fire them; they’re
lighting matches in your living room, and they just don’t care.
Until next time, be ready, be careful and be safe.
Dave Smith is president of CANADA TRAINING GROUP and has been providing consulting services to industry since 1980.
