Following multiple incidents where employees have received electric shocks when handling electrical leads and plugs connected to electrically powered mobile equipment across healthcare, aged care and similar work environments, WorkSafe has issued a Safety Alert reminding employers about controlling the risks associated with electrically powered mobile equipment in hospital and healthcare settings.
Frequently moved electrical hospital equipment is higher risk than static equipment and need to be treated as more high risk than static equipment, with inspection, maintenance and design controls that reflect that increased risk. This includes equipment that is regularly wheeled, pushed, plugged in and unplugged by employees, such as hospital beds and patient trolleys.
Investigations into recent incidents identified the following safety issues:
- Flexible electrical leads were abraded, pinched, pulled or partially detached from plugs.
- Damage commonly occurred when leads were caught in wheels, frames or moving parts during daily relocation.
- Damage often developed between scheduled preventative maintenance inspection and test and tag intervals.
- Damaged electrical leads were not identified, removed from service or reported during employee pre use inspections.
- Employees received electric shocks while plugging in, unplugging or repositioning equipment, rather than during static operation.
- Residual Current Devices (RCDs) were present in most instances but did not prevent initial contact with exposed live wires.
To reduce the risk of electric shock from damaged leads on mobile hospital equipment, employers and duty holders should:
- Set inspection and testing schedules that match how often the equipment is moved and unplugged. Inspection and testing intervals should reflect the level of risk.
- Ensure inspections and testing are recorded and carried out by a person who is suitably competent in inspecting and testing electrical hospital equipment.
- Ensure mobile hospital equipment has effective electrical lead management that is simple for employees to use and keeps leads away from wheels, moving parts and mechanical pinch points when equipment is being relocated.
- Fixed lead anchoring points on the equipment frame to prevent leads from hanging freely or dragging on the floor. Provide a clear system of work to isolate, tag out and report damaged equipment so it is not used.
- Ensure employees understand and are trained on how to identify and tag out damaged equipment, how and who to report damaged equipment to, the risks of handling faulty or damaged equipment.
Read more: Electric shocks from damaged electrical leads on hospital equipment | WorkSafe Victoria