Workplace Safety, Tools and Occupational Practices
The Workplace Safety, Tools and Occupational Practices domain tests hazard control, PPE, fire response, tool use and housekeeping in electronics workshops. Questions are practical: what to do first, which extinguisher to use and how to avoid injury.
Core rules and concepts
- Follow the hierarchy of control: eliminate, substitute, engineer, administrate, then PPE. Use lockout/tagout (LOTO) before electrical maintenance and verify dead with a tester.
- PPE for electronics: safety glasses, insulated tools, ESD strap, appropriate footwear; avoid metal jewellery near live circuits.
- Fire classes: A solids, B flammable liquids, C gases, D metals, K cooking oils. CO2 or dry powder is used on live electrical fires; never water.
- Tool discipline: use the correct screwdriver size, never use pliers as a hammer, keep blades sharp, inspect insulation, and return tools to their place. 5S (sort, set, shine, standardise, sustain) supports safety and efficiency.
- Good housekeeping includes cable management, clear walkways, fume extraction for soldering and segregated e-waste.
Worked example
A bench power supply starts smoking and flames appear at the socket. Do not throw water. Isolate the supply at the distribution board if safe, raise the alarm, and use a CO2 extinguisher aimed at the base of the fire. Treat anyone with burns using clean water and seek medical help. After the incident, tag the equipment out of service and report it.
Traps that cost marks
Using water on an electrical fire; working alone on live equipment; disabling an interlock; wearing a wrist strap without a grounded connection; carrying a soldering iron by its cable; blocking the emergency switch.