High-voltage safety -- what you don't know may shock you

High-voltage safety -- what you don't know may shock you

By Todd Christensen

What is a safe distance to stand from someone working on an electrical circuit containing one cubic inch of copper?

If you fail to come up with the right answer to that question while working onboard a vessel, it may be the last mistake you ever make. The answer to this question, and many others involving high-voltage safety in the marine environment can be found in a new course being offered at RTM STAR Center.

The three-day High-Voltage Safety course is taught by an instructor from the Cadick Corporation with a lifetime of knowledge of and experience with high-voltage systems. The scope and the details of the information presented are simply amazing. And, so far, the officers who have taken the course have been most amazed by what they didn't know about high-voltage safety going into the course, and what they have learned coming out of it.

Among the comments submitted by students attending the course so far are:

Two years at one academy, three years at another and 20 years sailing--this radically heightened my safety awareness

It made me realize how lucky I have been

Course will really make you think next time you are working around electricity--it is a must to take

While it's safe to say that American mariners are not seeking more regulation than we already work under, and we don't want to have to attend more courses than we already do, taking this particular class could very well save your life on a ship.

I strongly encourage every officer I talk with to take the High-Voltage Safety course at STAR Center. I particularly encourage deck officers to enroll. Even if you will not be working directly on electrical systems, it is absolutely vital for senior and junior deck officers to be aware of the safety practices that should be followed by all personnel working onboard a ship or smaller vessel.

The information and procedures taught in STAR Center's High-Voltage Safety course are not readily available to maritime officers elsewhere in the industry--not through word of mouth, not through shipboard training and not at the maritime academies.

A few of the questions addressed by this course include:

Shock is one of three hazards associated with electricity. What are the other two?

Three-phase power systems can cause fatal burns from distances in excess of how many feet?

What are two methods of protection from an electrical arc?

What range of milli-amps has been determined to frequently cause a fatality?

A chief engineer and academy graduate who recently took the STAR Center course remarked to me that the High-Voltage Safety course is as important for officers as fire fighting training.

STAR Center has offered the course three times, and the next class is scheduled to begin March 24. I took the second course offered here as a student and have sat in on the other two, both to review the course as it is conducted and to pick up additional details about electrical system safety and regulation as they are being taught. I have learned something new every time.

I want to remind all AMO officers interested in coming to Dania Beach to take High-Voltage Safety that the AMO Safety & Education Plan now provides up to $200 in reimbursement for travel costs to attend training at either STAR Center site.

If you have any questions or would like more information about High-Voltage Safety training at STAR Center, please give me a call at (800) 942-3220 ext. 7830 or contact me by e-mail at tchristensen@star-center.com.

Class size is limited and courses have been filling up fast, so please register early. I hope to see you on the roster for the next course.

Todd Christensen is an engineering instructor at RTM STAR Center in Dania Beach, Fla.

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