Electrical Audit & Consultation Services
A safety audit is a rigorous inspection typically conducted by an independent body of the safety of an organization’s operations. It can be done with the help of our electrical contractors in preparation for a third-party audit. As a company that believes in empowering safer projects, Optimize Electric has specialized in providing industrial and agricultural electrical audit and consulting services. Conducting and facilitating effective safety audits is the embodiment of our commitment to make sure workers get back to their families safely. During electrical audits, our electrical contractors take a consultative approach to correcting electrical safety concerns. We start by assessing the problem, documenting hazards, presenting them to the client, recommending solutions, and closely working with our clients to address identified issues.
Safety audits identify work-related hazards arising from the organization’s operations. It also surveys the protocols, procedures, and programs in place within the organization to mitigate–if not eliminate–the negative effects of the aforementioned hazards as well as the safety training provided to employees. Lastly, safety audits are conducted to guarantee that the organization is compliant with relevant laws and regulations on safety standards.
Agricultural Electrical Audits of Hazard Monitoring (HazMon) Systems
Hazard Monitoring is a system put in place by industrial and agricultural electricians to monitor the performance of machineries such as grain silos, grain elevators, bucket elevators, conveyor belts, and bearings, among others, in order to prevent catastrophic events from happening and keep workers safe from harm. Examples of these events are:
- Dust Ignition Explosions – An explosion caused by excessive dust in the air ignited by a spark that is common in the grain industry.
- Belt Failure – Hazards resulting from operating or failing conveyor belt systems such as: moving parts that can cause entanglement hazards; crushing hazards from moving heavy materials; and falling or ejected objects.
- Arc Flash – A type of electrical explosion created by a current traveling through air from one conductor to another or to the ground.
Hazard Monitoring puts emphasis on an early warning system where devices are used to monitor and detect a potential hazard. Industrial or agricultural electricians install sensors to automate Hazard Monitoring such as those used in bearing temperature monitoring, belt alignment monitoring, tachometers (for monitoring belt speed), speed switches (used to maintain functional speed for belts, fans, and blowers), dust monitoring, among others.
Arc Flash Risk Assessment for Industrial Electrical Audits
Arc Flash Audits are conducted by our registered electrical contractors to help our clients identify and mitigate hazards related to arc flashes. Our Arc Flash assessment consists of the arc flash study and the coordination study.
Arc Flash Study:
The purpose of an Arc Flash Audit is to analyze a specific electrical system’s risk for different Arc Flash hazards and to introduce specific safety measures to mitigate them. We will identify which areas are highly susceptible to arc flashes, label them as such, and providing a detailed report that advises staff on the proper type of PPE needed to be worn by personnel operating in said areas, as well as what additional safety measures should be implemented.
Coordination Study:
We provide a Coordination Study which analyzes the various components connected within an electrical system in order to determine how they “coordinate” and what, if any, changes should be implemented.
Arc Flash audits, in combination with other audits that Optimize Electric specializes in, can be used to determine an organization’s compliance with the safety standards established by OSHA.
Infrared Imaging Audit for Electrical Wiring
An Infrared Imaging Audit is a type of audit utilizing imaging to detect differences in temperature registers through the use of a thermal imaging camera. The camera uses infrared energy to measure the temperature of an object to produce a thermal image where warmer objects appear as yellow-orange hues while colder objects appear as blue or purple.
Electrical contractors favor Infrared Imaging Audits because they are non-invasive and a relatively low-cost way of conducting energy audits. It is non-invasive because it relies on imaging to measure temperature. Some procedures require circuit covers be opened, but there is no need to tear down walls for electrical wiring audits. Operations can also continue while the audit is being done; in fact, some procedures require a typical load to run through the system to check how the system performs during normal operations.
Thermal imaging can easily identify problem areas that are registering abnormal temperatures, which may be due to overloading or an imbalance in the system. Connections with poor surface contact have a high resistance that will also register as hot spots in the imaging that can be used for electrical wiring audit.
It is cost-effective because organizations can just hire our electrical contractors without having to shell out for the thermal imaging equipment. Our electrical contractors can do the test for you and walk you through how to best address them.
Ensure the Safety of Your Workers Through Regular Safety Audits
Providing a safe working environment for your employees that is free from electrical hazards can be achieved with Optimize Electric’s comprehensive 3-part annual audit discussed above. We are a Houston-based company that has clients all over the country, which speaks to the quality of our services. As an electrical contractor with the combined experience of 25 years working on industrial, agricultural, and commercial facilities, we have developed a consultative approach with our clients in addressing electrical safety concerns by investigating thoroughly and giving personalized recommendations. As established experts in electrical safety, we conduct consultation services to assist companies with their OSHA compliance audits. Call us now and optimize your safety.