PLH GROUP NEWS
Electrical and Burn Injuries PREVENT(ed)
Date: February 2, 2021
From electrical injuries to frostbite, burn hazards are an adverse risk in work performed by in our industry.
PLH Group protects employees from burn hazards and electrical injury, as well as other risks to employee health and safety, through vigorous training and robust safety programs, including the basis for the organization’s industry-leading health and safety program — PREVENT.
National Burn Awareness Week, an American Burn Association observance, is scheduled for February 7-13.
The theme of the 2021 American Burn Association National Burn Awareness Week is Electrical Injury and Burn Prevention.
According to Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the three types of electrical injuries that cause burns are:
- Electrical Burns – Body tissue damaged after heat generated by the flow of electric current circulates through the body.
- High Temperature Burns – Burns to body caused by high temperatures produced by an electric arc or explosion.
- Thermal Contact Burns – Electrical incidents overheat electric equipment or ignite clothing that then comes into contact with skin.
As an industry leader of electrical power construction solutions, PLH Group employees understand the present risk of electrical injury and how it applies to each task they perform.
From distribution and substation construction and maintenance to helicopter airborne emergency response and power line services, PLH Group employees are thoroughly trained on electrical and burn safety, including topics ranging from proper personal protective equipment (PPE) and controlling hazardous energy to fire extinguisher safety and wildfire safety and response.
As the centerpiece of PLH Group’s robust safety program, PREVENT is a collection of tools designed to integrate safe work practices into every step of the task by utilizing elements of behavioral and performance based systems.
PREVENT encourages a questioning attitude and allows employees to provide functional solutions to situations encountered during task execution.
Other additions of the safety program include hazard identification, Stop Work Authority, coordinated toolbox talks, Safety POSSE, Random Acts of Safety, Good Catch, Safety Excellence Program, and pre-job briefs.
“Our primary objective each day is the safety and health of all of our employees, as well as all of those on or near our job sites. It is the core of our decision-making and responsibility of all employees,” said Elsie Bentley, vice president of Safety, Health, and Environmental at PLH Group. “Throughout all 11 of our entities providing energy solutions spanning North America, we follow the same health and safety program. This not only unites our organization, but ensures that all PLH Group employees are continuously prioritizing the health of safety of each other.”
Safety is an ethic and value at PLH Group. Employees are trained to identify risks — including those related to electrical and burn injuries — and are given the necessary training and resources to mitigate each risk, ensuring the safety of all those on each PLH Group job site.
