Your working environment should have deck-insulating material (more commonly called rubber matting) to protect you and your shipmates from electric shock. It must be installed wherever work is done on energized electrical and electronic equipment. This includes electronic repair shops that have workbenches for working on electronic equipment.

The rubber matting should be rated for use in areas where the maximum voltage will not exceed 3,000 volts. It must be installed in one continuous run, at least 36 inches wide, and must extend at least 24 inches past each end of the workbench.

If you must work on energized equipment in an area where rubber matting is not installed, protect yourself from electric shock by using a 6-foot piece of rubber matting as a portable safety deck. When you are done, roll it up and store it for the next job.

Rubber matting does a great job of protecting you from electric shock, but it will not protect you for long if you do not take care of it.

The following tips will help keep the insulating properties of rubber matting intact:

Keep rubber matting clean and free of any excess dirt, oil, or oil-based products. When you clean it, do NOT use abrasive cleaners or electric buffers; they will ruin its insulating effectiveness.

Inspect the rubber matting for cuts, cracks, or excessive wear periodically. If you notice any of these conditions, replace it entirely.

QI0. Naive four types of personal protective equipment associated with working with electricity.

SUMMARY

Throughout your training you have been taught about electrical and electronic safety. This chapter has attempted to give you an overview of this area of safety. However, one of the greatest dangers in this area is not your lack of knowledge but the complacency you may develop from hearing the same message over and over. You know these safety standards; they have been drilled into your thinking. You may have even taught this material to someone at some time in your career. DO NOT ALLOW A COMPLACENT ATTITUDE TO KILL YOU! Although voltage is normally mentioned in talks about electrical shock, you must remember that current is what will kill you. As little as one-tenth of one ampere (0.1 ampere) of current can be fatal. The majority of shock fatalities are related to voltages less than 120 volts. Even lesser voltages can be fatal because of the relative current flow. Treat all voltages as life threatening.

In view of the potential harm of electrical shock, the tag-out system was implemented for your safety. Do not take anything for granted when tagging out equipment. Make sure everything is done by the book and that you and your fellow FC' s are safe. Do not be in such a hurry that you use short cuts in tagging equipment out or in using protective equipment. Do not adopt the attitude that it's "the other guy" who gets killed or injured when using "short cuts." Read, study, and know what your command requirements are for tagging out equipment and checking out protective gear.

Take the knowledge offered in this chapter and apply it to your everyday job.

Remember, SAFETY FIRST!

ANSWERS TO CHAPTER QUESTIONS

Al.      The amount of body resistance you have to the current flow, the path the current takes through your body, and the length of time the current flows through your body.

A2.     Isolate, insulate, and ground.

A3. ALWAYS notify and obtain permission from your commanding officer (afloat) or your supervisor (ashore) to work on energized equipment. (Some commands require you to complete a checklist before doing this.)

A4.     When your measuring a voltage above 300 volts, you must NOT hold the test probe while the equipment is energized. Instead, you must attach the test probes while the equipment is de-energized.

A5.     Electrostatic discharge (ESD).

A6.     A microwave oven. RF injuries result from the tissue being "cooked" in a manner similar to the way food is cooked in a microwave oven.

A7.     Working aloft or over the side, doing corrective or preventive maintenance.

A8.     Ensure that personnel are qualified to do the work they are about to do, maintain tag-out logs, signing and issuing tags and tag-out record sheets, clear the record sheets from the tag-out logs, and destroying the tags when the work is completed.

A9. Tag-out logs, CAUTION Tags (NAVSHIPS 989015), DANGER Tags (NAVSHIPS 989018), OUT-OF-CALIBRATION Labels (NAVSEA 921016), and OUT-OF-COMMISSION Labels (NAVSHIPS 989017).

A10. Safety shoes, rubber gloves, safety shorting probes, eye protection, hearing protection, respiratory protection, and deck-insulating material.