Areas covered in the program include how electricity works, common electrical hazards, fuses, circuit breakers and grounding, using and maintaining electrical equipment, accidents and emergency procedures, and more. The Videotape Program comes with a comprehensive Leader's Guide, reproducible Scheduling & Attendance Form, Employee Quiz, Training Certificate and Training Log. This Videotape Training Program is one of 12 in the “Elements of Safety” Laboratory Safety Training Series.

Electrical Safety In the Lab Video and DVD Excerpt: Electricity is as much a part of today’s lab as you and I. Without it operations would come to a standstill. Our fancy equipment would be gathering dust, and I’d be cranking this centrifuge by hand. Electricity is literally everywhere in our labs. Because it is we need to know how to work with it safely. Accidents and equipment problems can cause electric shock or ignite flammable vapors. Performing equipment maintenance or making adjustments without taking proper precautions can result in serious injuries. And sparks from malfunctioning equipment can even cause explosion. We need to know electricity inside and out. That’s the only way to be safe. Let’s begin by reviewing a few fundamentals. The force carried by the electrical current is measured in volts. Most equipment runs on about 120 volts. Equipment requiring large amounts of electricity often runs on dedicated 240 volt lines. Current is the flow of electricity. The intensity of the current is measures in amperes or amps. The amount of current that an electrical line can safely hold can vary depending on the thickness of the wire. In general most lines in the lab can safely carry 20 amps. You may have heard this before, but it’s worth repeating. It’s the flow of current or amperage, not the voltage, which causes shocks, and it doesn’t take much to cause serious injuries. In fact, exposure to .06 amps, the amount of electricity to power this Christmas tree bulb, can be fatal if it passes through a person’s heart. We need to exercise caution at all times.