Clear Safety Language Starts with Clear Standards
An electrical safety instruction has to do more than sound precise. The person using it needs to understand the hazard, the action expected, and the limits of that action. When a familiar phrase produces different explanations from different people, the wording deserves a closer look.
In his upcoming presentation, Say What You Mean, Andrew Olsen will explore the gap between terminology that is familiar to experienced safety professionals and terminology that a newly trained worker can readily apply. The question is practical: does the wording help someone make the intended decision, or does it require an explanation that the program never supplies?
One useful review exercise is to ask workers to explain a requirement in their own words. Then compare those explanations with the actual requirement and the employer’s procedure. Different answers can reveal where examples, definitions, or better training are needed.
The paper explores not only unclear terminology but also practices that can be misinterpreted. Examples include “Limited Approach Boundary,” “Restricted Approach Boundary,” “Moveable Conductor,” “Avoid Contact,” and “Qualified Person.” It also examines how workers and employers interpret practices such as escorting people across electrical safety boundaries, applying energized electrical work permit exemptions, and managing voltage-rated glove testing and rotation. These examples show how the words used in a standard can shape decisions in the field—and where more clear explanations could improve understanding and application.
The goal is to make safety language easier to understand without weakening the protections behind it. A useful place to begin is one sentence in your own program that repeatedly needs clarification. What question do workers ask about it, and what explanation actually helps?
Andrew Olsen will deliver the forty-five-minute presentation Say What You Mean at the 2027 IEEE IAS Electrical Safety Workshop, March 22–26, 2027, at the Peppermill Resort in Reno, Nevada. He will also lead the tutorial Five Frustrating DC Power System Safety Practices, covering DC energy challenges involving electric vehicles, solar PV, energy storage, power conversion, and data centers supporting AI. Join the workshop to continue these discussions with the electrical safety community. ElecTrain will also participate in the vendor exhibition. Stop by the ElecTrain booth to say hello and pick up some free giveaways.