EPRI's 1995 report Field Operation Power Switching Safety sparked interest across the industry with respect to switching operations. A key result of a survey taken for the report was that the rate of errors in these operations varied widely. The data showed a significant difference of more than a factor of 10 to 1 from one utility to another. This fact illustrated that the best performing utilities could impart important information to their sister companies, and perhaps even the best-performing utilities have room for improvement.

That report led to the first conference in 1997 on switching safety and reliability. The conference is now an annual event that focuses on the exchange of utility practices and on lessons learned from utilities and EPRI research.

For the first time, there exists statistics on error rates for switching, which were collected from more than 150 utilities. One important statistic that has been missing in internal company reports is the report on a close call — an incident that occurred but did not cause damage or injury. Since there is a natural inclination not to report these incidents, it is important to emphasize that these incidents are part of a complete reporting system. Management must establish a pattern of trust and positive reinforcement to ensure complete participation in the reporting program.

To determine best practices as utilities merge operations, it is useful to have some measure to gauge success in the endeavor by comparing practices against a targeted norm. Data analysis may be hampered by the use of different terminology from one system to another, pointing to the need for a common terminology that should be adopted under the supervision of an authority. In this way, confusion may be avoided, especially among people who are learning new procedures.

By studying the frequency of close calls, the body of data relating to rare events may reveal potential areas where future problems may actually occur.

Almost all participants have adopted some new approaches that have been distilled from the EPRI project. Several have adopted the use of the “Six Step Switching Procedure,” which has been used in the training program for field workers. The emphasis is to carefully and conscientiously follow the steps every time there is a switching order. The steps are simple and they enforce extra care in the procedure that carries a high risk for injury or power disruption:

1. Touch and verify the device number in the label box.
2. Touch and verify the device number on the nameplate.
3. Touch and again verify the device number on the label box.
4. Operate the device.
5. Verify the operation.
6. Enter the time operated.

Another utility developed a switching process flow chart, which was implemented into a formalized training program for the system operators. Under the new program, all important aspects of the job are covered, which enhances the trainee's understanding of his responsibilities.
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