Workplace Safety on Electrical Sites
Safety on an electrical site rests on the hierarchy of control: eliminate the hazard, then substitute, engineer, administrate, and only then rely on personal protective equipment. For electricians the most important engineering control is de-energisation and isolation, followed by lock-out/tag-out, proving dead with a tester you have proven on a known live source before and after the test, and applying earths where required.
Candidates must know the common hazards: arc flash and blast, electric shock, falls from ladders and scaffolds, confined spaces, asbestos in older switchboards, silica dust, and manual handling of cable drums. Understand the difference between a hazard and a risk, and that a risk assessment is a living document reviewed when conditions change.
Traps in exam questions include confusing isolation with switching off (isolation requires a physical lock and tag and often a visible break), assuming low voltage is safe (230 V kills), and forgetting that a tester must be proved before and after use. Another trap is treating PPE as the first control rather than the last.
Worked rule of thumb: before touching any conductor, run the mental checklist I-P-P-E: Isolate and lock, Prove the tester, Prove the circuit dead, Earth or otherwise secure. If any step cannot be completed, stop and escalate.
Also know emergency response: raising the alarm, not touching a casualty still in contact with live parts, first aid and CPR, and reporting under WHS law.