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Supervising With Due Diligence for Electrical Safety
Irozenell Pruitt, CESCP
Senior Member, IEEE
E.I. DuPont
P.O. Box 347
LaPorte, TX 77572
USA
Irozenell.pruitt@dupont.com
Maurice Nolan
Electrician
E.I DuPont
P.O. Box 347
LaPorte, TX 77572
USA
Maurice-earl.nolan@dupont.com
Abstract - A companycan achieve an effective Electrical
Safety Program when all components ofthe safety
program meetor exceeds the Occupational Health and
Safety Act’s and National Fire Protection Association
70E’s requirements. As part of the requirements,
employees mustreceive safety training and demonstrate
those safety skills for the tasks they are expected to
perform. This requirementapplies to everyone including
supervisors. Supervisors,acting as agents oftheir
company,play a critical role in the success oftheir
company’s electrical safetyprogram. Electrical
supervisors mustknow and understand the hazards their
employees mayface and the proper safety procedures to
employfor the protection of the employees. Supervisors
mustpossess this knowledge and skills in order to
supervise with due diligence for electrical safety. This
paper will explore the safety tasks and offer suggested
skills and/or competencies thatshould be performed by
supervisors for due diligence supervision and safety
success.
I. INTRODUCTION
Effectively managing and supervising people are
crucial tasks for the success ofany organization. Many
times employees are promoted to supervision because
they’re good at their jobs and they’ve shown leadership.
But that doesn’tmean theyhave all the skills to supervise.
According to the National Labor Relations Act, the
term “supervisor” includes:anyindividual having authority
and responsibilityto direct employees [1]. Under
supervision,the Webster’s Dictionarydefines it,in part, as
“a critical watching and directing (as of activities or a
course of action)” [2]. However, effective supervision
involves much more than that. Supervisors mustbe
trained for the jobs they will be doing in order to do it
effectively and with due diligence.
Although some companies mayprovide a supervisor-
training program for their supervisors,manyof these
training programs vary from excellent to horrible. Sadly,
many companies relyon the “sink or swim” method of
supervisor training,where supervisors are leftto figure it
out on their own, and leaving acquiring “effective”
supervising skills up to chance. For example, some
supervisors mayget the necessaryadministrative training
(e.g. time keeping,discipline procedures,performance
appraisals,etc.) from their boss or another supervisor,but
they may be totally unaware or do not know where to
acquire the proper skills to perform their role and
requirements as the primaryenforcer of the employer’s
safety and health policies.
II. RESPONSIBILITIES
Occupational Health and Safety Act (OSHA) holds all
employers accountable for establishing a safetyprogram
that will provide a workplace free from recognized hazards
for their employees. In turn, employers hold their
employees accountable for working safelyand following
safety rules. Supervisors,acting as agents for their
company,have an especiallycritical role in the success of
their company’s safetyprogram. Therefore,supervisors
need the skills and training to diligentlyand successfully
“Supervise for Safety.”
Safety supervision is an integral partof any
company’s safetyprogram,justlike a gear of a machine,
working in unison with the other gears to accomplish a
common task (Fig 1). Having a skilled and competent
supervisor on the job is a key part to reducing injuries.

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Gears of Safety Fig. 1
For supervisors who supervise electrical workers,this may
require extensive training to meettheir critical obligations
under the principles of“Due Diligence.” Electricians often
work on or near energized electrical equipment, which
creates a very dangerous environmentfor the worker.
Electrical hazards have a potential for serious harm or
death, therefore,the supervisor musthave a solid
understanding ofthe work process and the hazards
associated with electrical energy.
When applied to occupational health and safety, “Due
Diligence” legallyrefers to the duty to take reasonably
practicable actions to avoid harm and protect the well-
being of others [3]. In terms of electrical safety, due
diligence requires thatanyone with responsibilityfor
electrical safety take every precaution to avoid a work
related electrical accidentor injury. A mistaken beliefthat
due diligence is merely“CYA” may distract a supervisor
from meeting the critical legal obligations to ensure the
health and safety of the workers [4]
In the “Safety and Health Program Management
Guidelines;Issuance ofVoluntary Guidelines,” OSHA
recognizes the importance of “supervise for safety” skills
needed for supervisors. OSHA recommends training that
will help supervisors understand the key role they play in
job site safety and to enable them to carry out their safety
and health responsibilities effectively [5].
Before putting a new electrical supervisor on the shop
floor, there are importantquestions thatneed to be
answered. For example:Will the supervisor understand
the hazards or potential hazards that he or she may be
sending their workers outto face? Will the supervisor be
able to identify the proper safety measures thatshould be
taken for the protection of the employees? Will the
supervisor be able to provide “Due Diligence” for his or her
employees? Any of these questions,leftunanswered,has
the potential of setting a newly assigned supervisor up for
“Supervise for Safety” failure as well as putting employees
and the companyat risk.
Everyone starts out, at some point,with little or no
experience. Therefore,managers mustminimize this gap
and ensure their electrical supervisors are equipped with
the skills and knowledge to successfullysupervise with
due diligence for electrical safety. An active, motivated,
and knowledgeable supervisor,performing due diligence
for electrical safety, should possess the following
knowledge and skills for success:
III. KNOWLEDGE
Any business should wantto ensure thattheir
electrical supervisors know and understand the goals and
objectives of their safety program and also know that it is
truly a business priority. OSHA 1910.332 requires
supervisors to receive the same safetytraining and
knowledge as their employees,as itapplies to the
electrical safety requirements ofthat section [6].
Therefore, electrical supervisors mustreceive customized
training as it pertains to their responsibilities. Included
with their knowledge,the supervisor should know:
 Safety regulations,procedures,and guidelines
that apply to the various tasks.
 The hazards of the equipment or task, the work
process, how the worker will be exposed to the
hazards,and protective measures for the
hazards.
 How to detect hazards that may develop as a
byproduct of a job.
 And be thoroughly familiar with the electricians’
duties and responsibilities.
 The skill level needed to perform certain jobs to
ensure thatthe right employee receives the
assignment. Supervising with due diligence
requires assigning work according to ability.
 The skill level of each individual worker in order
to assure the proper training and/or support is
provided.
 Pre-job and Pre-task planning procedures in
order to assist or review this task.
 Be able to identify unsafe acts and bring the
safety rule violations to a worker’s attention
before the acts becomes habits.
IV. SKILLS
A. Communication
Few people would disagree thateffective
communication skills (e.g.verbal, written, listening,body

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language) are essential for any supervisor. For the
electrical supervisor this skill is used to:
 Ask the right questions,pertinentto the task,in
order to keep safety on the minds oftheir
workers. (This also helps the supervisor focus
on ways to improve safety going forward).
 Lead by example.
 Provide feedback,demonstrations,and training.
 Deliver tool box safety discussions and answer
employee safety questions.
 Pass on information and promote other means
of communications with workers to ensure
awareness ofplantsafety.
 Provide flow back on safety issues to senior
management.
 Acknowledge outstanding performance.
 Clearly define expectations,rules,company
policies,standards and procedures.
 Deliver disciplinaryaction,corrective discussion,
or pointing outareas for improvement to
employees.
B. Relational and Caring
Dale Carnegie Training said itis importantfor
supervisors and managers to make their employees feel
valued and to demonstrate an interestin their personal
lives, health and well-being [7]. Electrical supervisors
should demonstrate care for employees and build positive
relationships with them by:
 Being aware of their physical condition and
being on the lookoutfor problems like fatigue,
illness,anger,or “mind not on task” (showing
genuine concern for the employees’ wellbeing).
 Changing an employee’s job assignmenteither
temporarilyor permanentlywhen he or she is
incapable ofperforming itsafely.
 Watching for changing attitudes, and doing
whatever it takes to change unsafe behavior
and attitudes into positive safety performance.
 Watch for complacencyamong workers.
(People tend to lose focus on the hazards when
work becomes routine). Help employees to be
continuallyaware of their surroundings and
remain “in the moment.”
 Act promptlyto correct hazards, fix safety
problems and try to create an even safer
situation. (If the supervisor doesn’tfix safety
problems rightaway,employees will think that
he or she doesn’tcare and neither will they).
 Provide approval and recognition when
employees make safetysuggestions or follow
safe work practices.
C. Create a Positive Safety Culture
A positive safety culture improves employee
morale,workplace productivity, and causes employees to
do the safe thing not because they have to, but because
it’s the right thing to do to avoid injuries and staysafe.
Electrical supervisors should be diligentin creating,
supporting,and maintaining a positive safetyculture by:
 Setting a positive example and exhibiting a
good safety attitude (giving positive
reinforcement).
 Maintaining an “open door” policy and being
accessible to employees.
 Being visible on the shop floor and in the work
areas,auditing safe work practices, identifying
all potential hazards,and talking with
employees to see if anybody’s having any
problems.
 Enforcing safety standards uniformlyand
consistently.
 Helping employees see the value in making
the safe decisions.
 Presenting safetyas a continuous process of
improvement.
 Encouraging workers to make suggestions,
getting them involved in the process to solve
safety problems.
 Conducting careful investigations and root
cause analysis after an incident.Inviting
workers to participate and help look for
indicators ofa series ofconnected events that
led to the incident.
D. Serve
Electrical supervisors should take the position that
they are there to serve and not to be served. Part of their
job is to:
 Remove all obstacles thathinder their
employees to safelyperform their tasks.
 Give the employees the skills and
information they need to work safely.
 Ensure that all materials,tools and PPE are
available for safely performing the jobs.
 Make sure communication flows both ways.
 Assistemployees in identifying all hazards of
a job.
 Provide mentoring and coaching.

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E. Record-keeping
Record-keeping is essential in the electrical business.
Along with the standard administrative records thatare
required by corporate, business units,and department
managers, electrical supervisors mustmaintain accurate
records,as setforth by OSHA for:
 Employee training,refresher training,skills
demonstration and qualifications.
 On-the-job safety audits or inspections,
including worker performance and any
corrective actions taken.
 Reporting any noticeable deficiencies in the
electrical safety program or procedures.
 Accident investigations.
 Equipmentmaintenance schedules.
 Crew safety meetings.
F. Safety Enhancement
Highly trained,competent,knowledgeable,and
engaged electrical supervisors will enhance their
company’s “Hierarchyof Safety Controls” (Fig. 2) [8].
Hierarchy of Safety Controls Fig. 2 [8]
 Elimination - An electrical supervisor maynot always
be able to help the worker eliminate an electrical
hazard through a planned outage,but he or she may
eliminate a hazardous task by identifing a different
method of doing the job to remove the employee from
the hazard.
 Substitution - The supervisor mayprocure additional
safety equipment(e.g.remote racking devices) that
will remove the employee away from the hazard.
 Engineering Controls - The supervisor could work with
engineering to help identify additional safetyfeatures
that can be engineered into equipment.
 Awareness - The supervisor will look for and ensure
the replacementof any missing safetywarning signs,
keep employees updated on new safety information,
and talk safety at every opportunity.
 Administrative Controls - The supervisor will ensure
that all employees receives necessarysafety training,
actively assistin keeping procedures updated,
thoroughlyexplain all rules and regulations,enforce
safety rules, and answer employees’ questions about
safety procedures.
 Personal Protective Equipment(PPE) - The
supervisor will ensure thatall required PPE are
available and used.
V. CONCLUSION
As the key interface between line employees and
management,supervisors are invaluable. The bestsafety
programs can fail withoutthe attention and supportfrom
these key individuals. Managers mustnotassume thata
person,promoted to electrical supervision,has all the
skills needed to supervise for safety. Managers must
ensure their electrical supervisors are equipped with the
skills and knowledge to successfullysupervise with due
diligence for electrical safety.
The Supervisor’s knowledge should include an
understanding oftheir organization’s safetymanagement
system and their responsibilities within thatsystem.
Supervising with “Due Diligence” for electrical safety
means to operate effectively within the organization’s
safety management system,taking reasonable and
practicable actions to avoid electrical related and other
harm. Employees will look to their supervisors for safety
leadership and guidance. Withoutthe due diligence of
supervisors,employees could perform work in any manner
they choose,which maybe unsafe while putting
themselves and their companyat risk. Finally, well equip
electrical supervisors,supervising with “Due Diligence’ for
electrical safety, will assisttheir organization’s compliance
to OSHA regulations.
VI. REFERENCES
[1] National Labor Relations Act -
http://www.nlrb.gov/resources/national-labor-relations-act
retrieved March 7, 2015.
[2] A Merriam-Webster,Webster’s New Collegiate
Dictionary. G & C Merriam, United States 1979.
[3] OH&S Legislation in Canada - Due Diligence,OH&S
Legislation in Canada - Due Diligence
http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/legisl/diligence.html
retrieved March 7, 2015.

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[4] Work Safe BC; Managing Safety from the Supervisor’s
Perspective,Understanding the Four Cornerstones ofDue
Diligence,4/2008.
[5] OSHA Notice 54; 3904-3916;Safety and Health
Program ManagementGuidelines;Issuance ofVoluntary
Guidelines Safetyand Health Program Management
Guidelines,
www.osha.gov/dsg/topics/safetyhealth/index.html.1/26/198
9 retrieved December 10,2014.
[6] OSHA 1910.332(c) Table S-4, OSHA. www.osha.gov,
retrieved December 10,2014.
[7] Dale Carnegie Training;WhatDrives Employee
Engagementand Why it Matters, Dale Carnegie &
Associates,Inc.2012, www.dalecarnegie.com/engaging-
employees.
[8] NFPA 70E 110.1(G) Informational Note No. 1, 2015
NFPA 70E Standards.
VIII. VITA
Irozenell Pruitt received her Electrical Journeyman’s
License,from the State of Michigan, in 1986. She
graduated from Central Michigan University in 2008 with a
MSA degree and a PMBA degree. She works as a Power
Distribution Specialist for the E. I. DuPont LaPorte plantof
Houston TX and Electrical Safety Leader/Professional for
the E. I. DuPontLaPorte and Bayport plants ofHouston
TX. Irozenell earned a Certificate of Educational
Achievement for NFPA 70E – 2012 NFPA and a Certified
Electrical Safety Compliance Professional certification in
2014. She is a 1st
and 2nd
party Electrical Safety Auditor
and Lead Auditor for the E.I. DuPontCompany. She holds
an appointmentto the NFPA National Electrical Code
“Code-Making Panel 7.” Irozenell is a senior member of
IEEE and chairs the Products and Services sub-committee
for the IEEE IAS Electrical Safety Workshop.
Maurice Nolan graduated from Lee College in 2014
with an A.A.S. in Electrical Technology and a certificate of
completion in Wiring Installation.He earned his NCCER
Industrial Journeyman Electrician certification in 2002.He
earned his Texas Journeyman Electrician License in 2005.
He has been an Electrical and InstrumentTechnician with
the DuPont, LaPorte plantof Houston,TX since 2010.He
has been a member ofthe DuPont LaPorte Electrical
Safety Team since 2012.He has nineteen years of
experience as an Industrial Electrician.