Qualifying and Keeping Your Employees Qualified: How Hard Can That Be?

What constitutes a qualified employee? In the Occupational Safety and Health Administration´s (OSHA´s) eyes, will five, ten, or 15 years of experience; licenses; certifications; or a degree make an employee qualified? Licenses, certifications, degrees, and other types of technical experience do not qualify a worker to perform tasks on or near exposed energized circuit parts. Every worker who is expected to work on or near exposed energized circuits must be properly trained to meet OSHA´s requirements. OSHA´s definition of a qualified person includes not only the technical skills and knowledge but also the ability to recognize and avoid electrical hazards and understand the construction, installation, and operation of the equipment involved. In addition, the employee must demonstrate those skills and knowledge. Is there a simple way to comply? This article will explore one method a company used to comply with OSHA´s requirement.