Electrical Safety Training for Trades Workers

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Awareness, education and training are important components of BC Hydro's commitment to manage risks to public safety. As part of this commitment, BC Hydro is offering Electrical Safety Training for trades workers who work around overhead or underground power lines. Last year, BC Hydro supported delivery of over 150 presentations to more than 2,900 trades workers.

This two-hour workshop teaches trades workers about electricity, how to recognize electrical hazards, and what to do if they or their colleagues make contact with electrical infrastructure or need to escape from an energized area. In addition, electrical safety signage [PDF, 312 Kb] and equipment stickers are available at the workshop.

Education and training are vital to ensuring everyone makes it home safely every day," says Robert Penrose, Manager of Public Safety at BC Hydro. "By adhering to the Three Keys of Electrical Safety, workers can reduce the risk of electrical contact incidents."

According to an article [PDF] published in the September/October 2009 edition of WorkSafe Magazine, "Between 2004 and 2008, workers submitted 18 claims related to contact with overhead power lines, including short-term, long-term and fatality claims. As worker education improves, those numbers are decreasing, with seven claims reported in 2004, six in 2005, two in 2006, one in 2007, and two in 2008."

Workers who would benefit from this training include asphalt paving and laydown technicians, truck operators (e.g. dump, boom, concrete, pumper), carpenters, construction formwork technicians, crane operators, drainage contractors, excavator operators, jack hammer operators, painters, roofers, scaffolder builders, arborists, and window-washers.

The electrical safety workshops can be conducted at workplaces or at the Electrical Industry Training Institute (EITI) in Surrey , B.C., upon request. To register, contact EITI at 604 590 8911 or 1 866 590 8911, or by email.