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Human Error: Preventing Electrical Problems Through Proper Training and Job Planning

Tuesday, May 17
1:00 - 2:15 p.m.

Making mistakes has been part of the learning process since the beginning of time. However, when dealing with electrical equipment that is energized, making a mistake can often result in injury or death. This session will explore just how big of an impact human performance can have on keeping employees safe from electrical hazards, what requirements exist around the human performance factor, methods to both account for this and strategies to mitigate and prevent mistakes from happening in the first place. An example of a job planning procedure that aims to identify precursors to human error and strategies for mitigation of these precursors on human performance will also be discussed.

Derek Vigstol, Electrical Safety Consultant, e-Hazard

Derek Vigstol joined e-Hazard in June 2021 as an electrical safety expert responsible for training, course development and consulting. Since 2015 he had been with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) as Senior Electrical Specialist, Electrical Technical Lead, and Senior Electrical Content Specialist. He was responsible for the subject matter expertise in the development of the entire suite of training on the 2020 National Electrical Code and was the technical reviewer for the 2017 NEC and 2018 NFPA 70E training products from NFPA. 

Previously, he was an instructor at Minneapolis Electrical JATC and owned a home inspection business.  A resident of the Boston area, he authors a regular column in IAEI Magazine and the NFPA Journal, and is a regular contributor to other periodicals including EC&M, Electrical Contractor, and IEC Insights.