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MIND YOUR SAFETYBy Dave SmithThe“Rule of Rules”As a rule, it seems, people like to make rules, then insistthat their rules are the correct rules. Specifically, I’mtalking about the “Left Hand Rule”. For years, disconnecthandles were located on the right-hand side of switcheswhile the hinges were on the left. So, we learned early tograb the handle with our left hand, position our body wayoff to the right of the switch, look away, hold our breath andclose our eyes before very decisively moving the handle Onor Off. This is the essence of the “Left Hand Rule”.NO MOREOVERHEATINGISSUES!Several years ago, while teaching an electricalcross-training course to a group of instrument technologists,a student told me the “Left Hand Rule”had changed. You weren’t supposed to stand on theright side of the equipment, the student explained,but rather to the left, where you reach across theswitch and operate the handle very decisively withyour right hand.I was stunned, because this “Right Hand Rule”puts your right arm (as well as a good chunk of yourbody) in close contact with the switch. (The rationaleis that, should the switch blow up, the blowndoor will shield you from the flash.) When I heardthis, I immediately went to our instructor group tofind out whether they’ve heard the same thing. Theywere also amazed and, as a group, we completelydisagree with this notion.But this “Right Hand Rule” is still floating aroundout there. I just completed a class where the electricianstold me they’ve had one manufacturer instructthem the old way, and another the new way.It is important to differentiate between facts andopinions masquerading as facts. Fact: the traditionalswitching method puts our bodies out of the blastpath. I have talked to a number of electrical workersover the years who have had doors blow open andnone of them had been burned. I know of two workers,though, who broke bones in their hands andarms because they were in the way of doors beingviolently blown open.Remember, there’s a ton of electrical ‘horsepower’behind that door, just waiting to kick it open in yourface. Many of us have seen the results of electricalexplosions that have ripped metal doors right offtheir hinges when those ‘horses’ got their chance.There are nine electrical instructors in our groupwith over 300 years of combined experience. We aregrey, balding, wrinkled and weathered... and we’veall been kicked. We don’t know everything, buthere’s our two cents: stay to the handle side when thehinges are opposite the handle; when the hinges andhandle are on the same side, then stay on the hingeside. For doors that have an operating handle in themiddle, stay on the hinge side. In all cases, make sureyou’re wearing your PPE!If anyone reading this has bona fide evidence tothe contrary, let me know and I’ll be the first tochange my beliefs as well as my body positioning.Meantime, reaching fully across the front of any typeof switch is just someone’s opinion—an opinion thatcould take your arm. It’s your body and your life, soplan your positioning carefully.Until next time, be ready, be careful and be safe.Dave Smith is president of Canada Training Group and hasbeen providing consulting services to industry since 1980.This story and others can be found at www.canada-traininggroup.ca.Please feel free to use this information to supportyour safety program. Dave can be reached at davesmith@canada-training-group.ca.Ultrasave_EB_Feb08.indd 124 • MARCH 2008 • www. mag.com1/16/08 11:23:14 AM