Objectives

The objectives of the International Section of the ISSA for Electricity, Gas and Water are the:

• Reduction of the number of electrical accidents
• Improvement of electrical safety standards at work
• Achievement of good safety and health practices in the electricity, gas and water supply industries and in electrical installation workshops.

These are the Section´s principal objectives, which it endeavours to achieve through close cooperation with its members from various European and overseas countries.

The Section´s original objective was restricted to the prevention of occupational risks due to electricity. In later years, its scope was extended to other sources of energy such as gas, water and long-distance heating. A special task within its scope is radiation protection .

The defined objective of the Section is:

• to engage, at the international level, in activities designed to promote safety in the generation and distribution of electricity, gas and long-distance heating, as well as safety at work in public water utilities and in the use of electricity and gas in industry.

What means of action does the Section for Electricity, Gas and Water use to achieve its objectives?

In pursuit of the above stated objective, the Section

• encourages the international exchange of information and experience among its members, organizations and persons interested in the Section´s activities, particularly by
• organization of international meetings
• undertaking surveys and studies in special working groups
• collecting and disseminating information on electrical safety issues and latest findings relevant to safety improvements.

How does the Section for Electricity, Gas and Water respond to new developments and needs?

Due to its expertise, the Section is able to identify new problem areas resulting from new developments and changes in technology in good time. It thus constantly adapts its scope to new requirements and challenges.

Originally, the Section´s activities concentrated mainly on conventional electrical risks such as electric shock and arcing. Then it gradually extended its interest to other fields such as electromagnetic fields and ionising and non-ionising radiation.

Besides the traditional technical problems, organizational and psychological aspects of occupational safety and health have increasingly been included in the Section´s scope, such as:

• occupational safety and health management
• management responsibilities
• management techniques
• basic and advanced training,
• influencing human behaviour
• the role of the human factor in accident prevention etc.

Another important task of the Section is to help developing countries  to improve electrical safety standards by providing advice on efficient prevention strategies and developing training programs tailored to the needs of the countries concerned.

For more information please consult the standing orders of the International Section of the ISSA for Electricity, Gas and Water in English [ 2 - Standing Orders Electricity.pdf 112,11 kB ], French [ 1 - Standing Orders Electricity.pdf 115,57 kB ], Spanish [ 3 - Standing Orders Electricity.pdf 90,05 kB ] or German [ 4 - Standing Orders Electricity.pdf 94,59 kB ].

Structure

The Section is composed of members. Its two executive bodies are the General Assembly  and the Board .

The Board of the Section is elected by the General Assembly . It consists of the Chairperson and two Vice-Chairpersons as well as the of Secretary-General. The Secretary General of the International Social Security Association, Geneva, belongs to the Bureau in a consultative capacity.

The Board of the Section conducts the Section’s regular business and develops its programme of activities.

The General Assembly  consists of the ordinary members of the Section. It is responsible for the Section’s functions and decides on its programme of activities.

Members are entitled to propose subjects they wish to be treated within the scope of the Section´s working programme.

The Secretariat of the Section is based in Cologne, Germany, "Berufsgenossenschaft Energie Textil Elektro Medienerzeugnisse BG ETEM" (Institution for Statutory Accident Insurance and Prevention in the Precision Engineering and Electrical Industry in Germany).

Traditionally the general manager and a senior officer of the "Berufsgenossenschaft" are elected respectively Chairperson and Secretary-General of the Section, as the "Berufsgenossenschaft" provides the personnel and means required for the functioning of the Section's Secretariat.

The Secretariat of the Section coordinates the Section´s activities, acting as the liaison office between members.

Board Members

President:
Olaf Petermann, Berufsgenossenschaft Energie Textil Elektro Medienerzeugnisse, Köln, Germany.

Vice-Presidents:
Dominique Vacher, Electricité de France, Paris, France.
Rafael Torres Tercero, Fraternidad Muprespa, Madrid, Spain.

Member of the Board:
Dr. Klaus Renz, Berufsgenossenschaft Energie Textil Elektro Medienerzeugnisse, Köln, Germany.

Secretary General:
Martina Hesse-Spötter, Berufsgenossenschaft Energie Textil Elektro Medienerzeugnisse, Köln, Germany.

Technical Secretary:
Dr. Jens Jühling, Berufsgenossenschaft Energie Textil Elektro Medienerzeugnisse, Köln, Germany.

Working Groups

The following working groups are functioning at present or have finished their work through the publication of a guideline:

Working-Group "Personal Protective Equipment against the Hazards of an Electric Arc"

In 1999 the board of the Section for Electricity, Gas and Water convened a Working Group on work clothing with reinforced electric arc resistance properties under the chairmanship of Dr.-Ing. Jühling, representative of the "Institution for Statutory Accident Insurance and Prevention in the Precision Engineering and Electrical Industry (BGFE)" in Germany. Together with experts from Austria, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Spain, Sweden, the Czech Republic and the USA the task was to

• compile electric arc intensity parameters on the basis of recorded electrical accidents by taking into account the different system configurations existing in the countries represented on the working group.
• carry out comparable tests of electric arc action on work clothes used in the different countries for the execution of electro-technical work and to evaluate the results.

The final objective was to publish a report including recommendations with regard to the quality of the fabric and other relevant information concerning fabrication requirements.

Working-Group "Competence of Persons involved in Live Working"

In order to counteract possible negative tendencies in the field of live working the board of the Section for Electricity, Gas and Water resolved in April 2001 to convene an international working group dealing with the required competence of live working personnel. The convenor of this working group, Mr Eur.Ing. J.A. McLean, representative of Health & Safety Executive of the United Kingdom, succeeded in gaining other European Live Working experts to participate in this project.

The results of this working group have been published in a guideline. This guideline intents to set out the necessary requirements with regard to competence of those involved in live working.

Working-Group "Characteristics of Electrically Skilled Person"

In European standardization the term 'Electrically Skilled Person' is only laid out by definition. Especially for those countries who want to join the European community comprehensive illustrations and explanatory comments would be helpful in order to adapt their statutory basis to European rules and the aforesaid term. Thus the board of the Section for Electricity, Gas and Water decided to convene a new working-group "Electrically Skilled Person". The convenor of this working group is Mr. Dieter Seibel of the "Institution for Statutory Accident Insurance and Prevention in the Precision Engineering and Electrical Industry (BGFE)". The results of this working group will be published in a guideline in due course.

Working-Group "Films on Occupational Safety and Health"

Composed by experts from Austria, France, Germany, Denmark, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, this working group is charged with

• the preparation and organization of the International Film and Multimedia Festivals on the occasion of the World Congresses on Occupational Safety and Health organized by the ISSA every three years.
• updating the International Catalogue on Occupational Safety and Health Films published by the Section on the occasion of the Festival.