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The shortcut that's actually safer
99 times out of 100, taking shortcuts in any industrial maintenance procedure is risky. Where electricity is involved, it’s downright dangerous. But what if there was a shortcut that could save 20 minutes on electrical maintenance work? And that was also safer and more reliable than the longer, slower way of doing things? Isn’t it safe to say you’d want to know more about it?
Opening up an electrical cabinet for maintenance or repair is one of the most dangerous things an electrician or engineer can do. There’s the ever-present risk of electrocution, and also of arc flash. In environments where dusts, chemicals, gases or oils are present, there is also the added danger of the arc flash igniting these flammable substances, with catastrophic consequences.
Of course there are procedures and systems in place to protect against these risks.
A warning lamp on the outside of the cabinet is one valuable safety measure – unless the lamp has failed so doesn’t illuminate as it should. Also anyone opening up an electrical cabinet or working on an electrical panel should wear appropriate PPE. And workers must comply with safety regulations, which require a voltage verification test to confirm there is no voltage present.
Unfortunately, donning PPE and carrying out manual testing all takes time. If a production line is out of action while this preparation is taking place, even the most experienced electrician is going to feel under pressure to work faster. And if that doesn’t lead to cutting corners, it could still lead to potentially dangerous mistakes.
So how can workers comply with safety regulations, protect themselves from danger, and at the same time minimise the impact on productivity? By simplifying and automating the voltage verification process, with the VeriSafe™ Absence of Voltage Tester.
Safety on the button
Designed-in to the cabinet or easily retrofitted, the VeriSafe™ Absence of Voltage Tester incorporates a push-button and indicator. All a worker has to do to check the safety of a cabinet is push the button and check the battery-powered indicator.
How long does testing take? About as long as it took you to read the paragraph above: roughly 10 seconds.
Understanding the test result is simple:
- A red light means don’t enter, hazardous voltage is present.
- No light illuminated means voltage is not detected, but does not guarantee voltage is absent. In this case, the ‘TEST’ button should be pressed to initiate a voltage test.
- A flashing amber light indicates caution. Residueal current may still be discharging.
- A green light means the test is completed and the absence of voltage is verified. It is safe to open the cabinet and access the panel.
Compared with using hand-held portable test instruments, that’s a saving of around 20 minutes per cabinet.
The VeriSafe tester can also be used to support compliance as part of the Lock Out / Tag Out process – verifying that power has been isolated in advance of locking and tagging.
Twice as safe
There are two versions of the VeriSafe Absence of Voltage Tester to choose from, both of which meet the requirements of SIL 3.
VeriSafe 1 is for testing circuits up to 600V – covering most small-to-medium electrical panels. The new VeriSafe 2 is for cabinets with circuits of up to 1000V AC and DC.
VeriSafe 2 also offers the option of a second remote indicator in addition to the cabinet-mounted light. This could be located outside a safety barrier around the cabinet, for example, or in another room entirely. A network card enables output to a PC, where the testing result can be viewed alongside other data if required.
Fail-safe and reliable, the VeriSafe Absence of Voltage Tester lets you minimise downtime without compromising safety. So why just be safe, when you can be VeriSafe™?
Partners in safety
ERIKS’ Zero = Hero safety campaign promotes ERIKS’ vision of zero work-related accidents – whether at our own sites or our customers’. It means zero harm, zero injuries, and zero compromise.
The Panduit VeriSafe is just one example of products from ERIKS partner suppliers that make industry work better – and safer.
For more information on Safety solutions, please contact your local ERIKS Service Centre, who will be happy to discuss your options.
#Panduit #ERIKS #LetsMakeIndustryWorkBetter #PanduitVerisafe #Verisafe #Voltage #VoltageSafety #VoltageVerifying #ElectricalSafety
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