Top 10 Electrical Safety Tips to Keep Your Techs and Customers Safe

Prepare for extreme weather

• Practice cold-weather safety

• Know extreme weather warning signs

During the summer and winter months, customers are more likely to face power outages and problems with electrical devices, prompting them to call your electrical company for emergency service.

While extreme hot or cold weather may contribute to dangerous electrical conditions, it also presents hazardous conditions for electricians who must work in hot or colder weather. Here's some weather-related tips to ensure your technicians remain safe:

Winter weather safety tips:

• Dress properly with insulated coats, hats, boots, gloves (and store dry backups in the truck).

• Stay hydrated.

• Take extra precautions to ensure ladders remain secure on wet or icy ground.

• Know the signs of cold stress.

• Perform winter electrical van maintenance to minimize break-downs.

• Follow winter driving safety, especially on ice and in snowfall.

Summer weather safety tips:

• Drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration.

• Take appropriate breaks to prevent heat stroke. 

• Monitor interior truck temperatures. 

• Dress for the heat, but still wear protective equipment.

Plan before the job

• Communicate with customers

• Identify potential hazards

To stay safe on the job, electricians should know what the job entails prior to arrival. Preparing proactively acquaints techs with the problem beforehand, so they bring the proper tools and understand potential hazards.

Some electrical companies, like CW Electrical Services in Pittsburgh, launched a virtual technician service to address customer concerns during the COVID pandemic. The company offers free estimates and consultations via Facetime and Skype to provide virtual estimates or diagnose electrical issues.

Virtual services also provide added communication, giving techs valuable knowledge if customers choose your company for service. Techs likely will know how to fix the electrical issue before they arrive at the job.

Advance preparation allows for research of proper electrical codes or other safety measures.

With ServiceTitan’s cloud-based software solution, techs can easily access information through the mobile app on the jobsite, improving safety, communication, and customer service.

Use proper tools

• Manage tool inventory

• Stock and organize vehicles

Electrical safety begins with utilizing the proper tools and equipment. 

In electrical work, insulated tools and handling equipment provide an important measure of protection against electric shock. 

Techs should take inventory and maintain tools regularly to ensure they stay in proper working order and do not deteriorate. Remove defective tools from service and mark them so other workers don’t use them.

Techs also need to keep vans properly stocked and organized, so they can complete the job efficiently and safely—and avoid accidental injury by tripping over ladders and tools. It's also important for techs to understand what the condition of their van says about your company.

"I think what really changed our technicians' mindset is the idea that their truck is a marketing tool," says Dominic Durbin of Tiger Plumbing, Heating, Air Conditioning & Electrical Services. "When they're working on a job, and a lot of people are walking their dog or walking by and see a truck full of trash, that's not a good image for the company."

Some companies, such as Nice Heating & Air, award points to techs for clean and well-stocked trucks, which the techs can exchange for rewards. Your company could also award bonus compensation for the cleanest or most improved work van.

Wear personal protective equipment

• Protect from injuries

• Reduce electrical hazards

Personal protective equipment (PPE) goes a long way toward reducing the risk of electrical hazards, including electrical shock, burns, falls from electrical energy contact, and electrocution. 

The arc thermal performance value (ATPV) of the protective equipment needs to be matched with the potential workplace exposure, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

Electrical personal protective equipment includes:

• Hard hats and hoods.

• Face shields or safety glasses.

• Rubber insulated gloves and protector gloves.

• Rubber insulated sleeves for high voltage.

• Flame-retardant clothing.

• Electrical-safety shoes.

• Ear plugs for noise protection.

Other electrical safety equipment may be needed, such as insulated matting and insulated ladders, and rescue rods and poles. In addition, electrician apps assist with calculations and measurement references to give immediate answers to urgent problems electricians may face on the job.

Practice safety precautions

• Implement best practice procedures

• Eliminate jobsite injury

Electrical work presents a particular set of hazards to the licensed electrician. Injuries could be the result of direct contact from electricity or from an electric arc, which happens when an electric current flows between two conductors.

Safety procedures—and an electrical worker's common sense—go a long way toward safety on the jobsite. Basic electrical safety procedures ensure techs stay safe while working on power sources by:

• De-energizing electrical equipment.

• Use lockout and tag procedures.

• Use equipment such as voltage testers.

• Maintain a safe distance from energized parts.

• Connect electrical equipment to a Ground-Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI).

• Ensure tools are properly grounded.

It may come as a surprise, but ergonomic injuries are the top electrical worker injury, resulting in the most workers’ compensation claims than any other hazard, according to data from Independent Electrical Contractors. As with other jobs in the trades, electricians face injuries from repetitive motions, poor lifting and handling practices, and falls.

Qualified electricians play a key role in ensuring safety of a home's electrical system, as they may be the first to alert a homeowner to a fire hazard regarding their electrical panels, electrical outlets, circuit breakers, or improper use of electrical cords or extension cords.

Home fires and electrical accidents typically increase during the winter season, according to the Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI). Consider a holiday season electrical safety awareness campaign, so customers know how to safely power holiday lights and how to properly use electric blankets, heating pads, or space heaters.

When a winter storm knocks out power, it's important that homeowners follow winter electrical safety tips relating to the proper use of portable generators to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning, and to install carbon monoxide alarms.

Prioritize safe driving

• Optimize scheduling and dispatch

• Communicate with customers about arrivals

Electricians can possess the best tools and organizing system, and follow every safety protocol. But all that means nothing if a tech doesn't arrive at the job safely.

Daily driving becomes a mundane reality for most electrical technicians. Driving with care positively reflects on your company, promoting a positive image, and saves lives on the road.

To stay safe on the road, your electrical company can:

• Optimize scheduling, so techs don't rush from one job to the next.

• Avoid weather-related road closures, traffic delays, and other last-minute hiccups with electrical dispatch software.

• Use electrical customer experience software, so customers know exactly when techs will arrive.

Implement training

• Practice safety rules

• Provide continued education 

Prioritize workplace safety by investing in electrical safety training.

Techs should be familiar with the National Electrical Code (NEC) and best practice electrical safety rules. Consider obtaining feedback from your team on electrical safety topics, so everyone stays on the same page.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health offers several resources for workplace safety through publications and professional associations. Through continued education and on-site work experience, employees can increase their knowledge and know the company values their work.

Employees who feel valued work harder, says Tom Howard, ServiceTitan’s Vice President of Customer Experience and owner of multiple home service businesses. He thinks electrical companies need to spend as much time attracting and retaining employees as they do trying to sell electrical services to new or existing customers.

Dispatch the right tech

• Increase efficiency with cloud-based electrical software

• Match tech skill to job

Use ServiceTitan cloud-based dispatch software to match the right tech to the job.

Drag-and-drop scheduling software allows your company to assign jobs based on tech skills, so you can match highly experienced techs to the most profitable jobs.

Detailed scheduling oversight allows for increased efficiency, so you can schedule jobs based on location, minimizing unnecessary drive time on hazardous roads. When techs possess the right knowledge and skills for the job at hand, it ensures safety and efficient work.

Protect with insurance

• Protect your business

• Provide coverage for the unknown

While you can attempt to mitigate as many hazards as possible, electrician insurance protects your company in unforeseen circumstances.

Many states require workers' compensation insurance, which ensures your injured employees get medical care and compensation for lost wages if they are injured on the job. It also usually protects a company from lawsuits, and extends the same protection to your customers.

General liability insurance protects your business, if your work causes property damage or bodily injury to customers. Commercial vehicle insurance covers auto accidents while coming to or from a job and theft from work vans, while property insurance covers the office and everything stored in it.

Track business success

• Analyze KPIs

• Adjust for growth

An integrated software platform enables you to track the progress of your company, so you can position your company for growth.

After switching to ServiceTitan, Mel Carr Electric in Albany, N.Y., says the software provides real-time business performance data, including updates from the field.

“It’s so user-friendly. So intuitive. (The software) just knows your next step,” Carr says. “It took care of things we never even realized we needed.”

ServiceTitan field reporting software allows you to keep tabs on technician performance, including how quickly they finish a job or if it took them repeat visits to fix a problem, which could indicate safety risks. Through technician scorecards, you can track jobs, revenue, and conversions to measure their productivity. 

Real-time data allows you to monitor your workforce and the financial current of your company, enabling you to gauge progress and make adjustments for optimal growth.