Construction Site Safety

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Construction Site Safety is a Must for Every Project

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Construction Site Safety
Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters

Using ground fault devices required to protect all workers OSHA requires that employers shall use either ground-fault circuit interrupters or an assured equipment grounding conductor program to protect employees with construction site safety.

Ground-Fault Circuit Interrupters

All 120-volt, single-phase 15- and 20-ampere receptacle outlets on construction sites, which are not part of the permanent wiring of the building or structure and which are in use by employees, shall have approved ground-fault circuit interrupters for personnel protection for construction site safety.

Receptacles on a two-wire, single-phase portable or vehicle-mounted generator rated not more that 5kV, where the circuit conductors of the generator are insulated from the generator frame and all other grounded surfaces, need not be protected with ground-fault circuit interrupters for construction site safety.

Assured Equipment Grounding Conductor Program for construction site safety

The employer shall establish and implement an assured equipment grounding conductor program on construction sites covering  all cord sets, receptacles which are not a part of the building or structure, and equipment connected by cord and plug which are available for use or used by employees.  An assured equipment grounding conductor program for construction site safety shall comply with the following minimum requirements:

A written description of the program, including the specific procedures adopted by the employer.  The description and procedures shall be available at the jobsite for inspection and copying by OSHA and any affected employee.

The employer shall designate one or more competent persons to implement the program.

All cord sets , attachment caps, plug and receptacle of cord sets, and any equipment connected by cord and plug, except cord sets and receptacles which are fixed and not exposed to damage, shall be visually inspected before each day's use for external defects, such as deformed or missing pins or insulation damage, and for indications of possible internal damage.  Equipment found damaged or defective shall not be used until repaired.

The following tests shall be performed on all cord set, receptacles which are not a part of the permanent wiring of the building or structure, and cord-and plug-connected equipment required to be grounded for construction site safety.

All equipment grounding conductors shall be tested for continuity and shall be electrically continuous.

Each receptacle and attachment cap or plug shall be tested for correct attachment of the equipment grounding conductor.  The equipment grounding conductor shall be connected to its proper terminal.

All required tests shall be performed for construction site safety:

1. Before first use.
2. Before equipment is returned to service following any repairs.
3. Before equipment is used after any incident which can be reasonably suspected to have caused damage (for example, when a cord set is run over).
4. At intervals not to exceed 3 months, except that cord sets and receptacles which are fixed and not exposed to damage shall be tested at intervals not exceeding 6 months.

The employer shall not make available or permit the use by employees of any equipment which has not met these four requirements for construction site safety.

To Assure construction site safety:
Tests performed as required in the preceding paragraph shall be recorded. 
This test record shall identify each receptacle, cord set, and cord- and plug-connected equipment that passed the test and shall indicate the last date it was tested or the interval for which it was tested. 
This record shall be kept by means of logs, color coding, or other effective means and shall be maintained until replaced by a more current record. 
The record shall be made available on the jobsite for inspection by OSHA and any affected employee.

OSHA Definition
"Competent person" means one who is capable of identifying existing and predictable hazards in the surroundings or working conditions which are unsanitary, hazardous, or dangerous to employees, and who has authorization to take prompt corrective measures to eliminate them.

Disclaimer:  The information presented on this page is taken from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration  Regulations (Standards - 29 CFR) 1926.404 - Wiring Design and Protection.  The presentation and use of this material is not intended to be an interpretation of those regulations.  Please refer to the Regulations for the full text and interpretation of the Regulations and Standards.