October 13, 2025
7 Perspectives on Electrical Safety: The most common mistakes
In this article series, I explore seven different perspectives on how electrical safety appears in everyday operations, and why it plays a crucial role in ensuring production continuity. Electrical safety is often seen merely as a legal requirement, when in reality, it is much more than that. A well-managed electrical safety culture improves efficiency, keeps costs under control, and above all, supports people’s wellbeing.
– Marko Salokannel, Electrical Safety Manager, Quant Finland
#2 Perspective: The most common mistakes in companies
When production stops, the cause is not always a major fault. More often, it is a small but critical error. One of the most common issues is outdated documentation. When something goes wrong, no one can say for sure what has been connected or modified, and even minor disruptions can take unnecessarily long time to resolve. In the worst case, unclear documentation leads to incorrect fixes and longer downtime.
Another frequent pitfall is unclear responsibilities. If it is not clear whether maintenance or production is responsible for the electrical systems, problems tend to linger. The same applies to the roles of the electrical work manager and the operations manager; when responsibilities are not clearly defined, risks remain hidden.
A third issue arises from haste. Protective equipment may be bypassed “just for a moment”, or the nearest tool may be used instead of the right one – actions that may seem small but can lead to serious consequences. The same happens when maintenance tasks are postponed or skipped altogether. Electrical equipment exposed to dust, moisture, or vibration can easily fail. Sometimes, a single dusty switchboard is enough to shut down an entire plant. Simple preventive measures, such as maintaining slight overpressure in electrical rooms, can eliminate many of these issues before they arise.
It is important to remember that these mistakes rarely come from negligence. More often, it is about time pressure, limited resources, or lack of knowledge. When decision-makers do not fully understand the electrical domain, safety easily becomes just a number on paper, and preventive maintenance or long-term improvements are left undone.
In the end, it all comes down to company culture. If safety is seen as extra work, mistakes will inevitably pile up. But when it becomes a natural part of everyday operations, risks decrease, and production keeps running without unnecessary interruptions.
How about your organization? Are your resources for electrical safety and maintenance sufficient, or are time pressure and cost constraints driving you to do only the bare minimum?
