Maritime Occupational Health and Safety Regulations

188 (1) An employee must not attach a safety ground to electrical equipment unless they have tested the electrical equipment and have established that it is isolated.

(2) Subsection (1) does not apply in respect of electrical equipment that is grounded by means of a grounding switch that is an integral part of the equipment.

(3) Subject to subsection (4), work may be performed on any electrical equipment, only if the equipment is connected to a common grounding network, in an area in which is located

• (a) a grounding bus;

• (b) a station grounding network;

• (c) a neutral conductor;

• (d) temporary phase grounding; or

• (e) a metal structure.

(4) If, after the connections are made, a safety ground is required to ensure the safety of an employee working on the electrical equipment, the safety ground must be connected to the common grounding network.

(5) Every conducting part of a safety ground on isolated electrical equipment must have sufficient current carrying capacity to conduct the maximum current that is likely to be carried on any part of the equipment for the time that is necessary to permit operation of any device that is installed on the electrical equipment so that, in the event of a short circuit or other electrical current overload, the electrical equipment is automatically disconnected from its source of electrical energy.

(6) A safety ground must not be attached to or disconnected from isolated electrical equipment except in accordance with the following requirements:

• (a) the safety ground must, to the extent that is practicable, be attached to the pole, structure, apparatus or other thing to which the electrical equipment is attached;

• (b) all isolated conductors, neutral conductors and non-insulated surfaces of the electrical equipment must be short-circuited, electrically bonded together and attached by a safety ground to a point of safety grounding in a manner that establishes equal voltage on all surfaces that can be touched by persons who work on the electrical equipment;

• (c) the safety ground must be attached by means of mechanical clamps that are tightened securely and are in direct contact with bare metal;

• (d) the safety ground must be secured so that none of its parts can accidentally make contact with any live electrical equipment;

• (e) the safety ground must be attached and disconnected using insulated protection equipment and tools;

• (f) the safety ground must, before it is attached to isolated electrical equipment, be attached to a point of safety grounding; and

• (g) the safety ground must, before it is disconnected from the point of safety grounding, be removed from the isolated electrical equipment in a manner that the employee avoids contact with all live conductors.

(7) For the purposes of subsection (6), a point of safety grounding means a grounding bus, a station grounding network, a neutral conductor, a metal structure or an aerial ground.