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715 Electrical Safety for Technicians and Supervisors
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Inspecting Equipment

To make sure electrical protective equipment actually performs as designed, it must be inspected for damage at the following times:

Inspect equipment for holes, tears, cuts, and other defects.
  1. before each day's use, and
  2. immediately following any incident that can reasonably be suspected of having caused damage.

Insulating gloves must be given an air test, along with the inspection.

Defects

Insulating equipment must not be used if any of the following defects are detected:

  • a hole, tear, puncture, or cut;
  • ozone cutting or ozone checking (the cutting action produced by ozone on rubber under mechanical stress into a series of interlacing cracks);
  • an embedded foreign object;
  • changes in the texture including, swelling, softening, hardening, or becoming sticky or inelastic; or
  • any other defect that damages the insulating properties.

Insulating equipment found to have other defects that might affect its insulating properties must be removed from service and returned for testing. It must be cleaned as needed to remove foreign substances. It must be stored in such a location and in such a manner to protect it from:

  • light;
  • temperature extremes;
  • excessive humidity;
  • ozone; and
  • other injurious substances and conditions.

Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.

10-4. To make sure electrical protective equipment actually performs as designed, it must be inspected for damage _____.