IDI Going to GFCI Protection - No More Assured Equipment Grounding Conductor Program

Good morning to all IDI employees, 

As of 7/1/24, we will no longer be following the Assured Equipment Grounding Conductor Program (AEGCP).  We will now be requiring all electrical cords/power tools to be plugged into a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI). Why are are we doing this? GFCI's provide for better protection for our employees from electrical hazards than an AEGCP does. What is a GFCI?  A GFCI is a fast-acting circuit breaker that senses small imbalances in the circuit caused by current leakage to ground and, in a fraction of a second, shuts off the electricity. The GFCI continually matches the amount of current going to an electrical device against the amount of current returning form the device along the electrical path. If the amount of current "going" differs from the amount "returning" by approximately 5 milliamps, the GFCI interrupts the electrical power within as little as 1/40 of a second and shuts the electricity down that is running through the power cord/extension cord. 

Below are some examples of what GFCI protection looks like. 

Most job sites will have GFCI protection built into the electrical receptacle outlet and sometimes built into the electrical circuit panel. Temporary power almost always has GFCI protection built into it. There are times when you are plugging into permanant power and your outlet does not have GFCI protection. If there is GFCI protection on the outlet, the outlet should have GFCI test and reset buttons on it (like in the 1st picture above). Your outlet might look like the one below with no GFCI test and reset buttons. If your outlet looks like the one below and you know there is no GFCI protection, this is when you would need to request a GFCI pigtail, also called a GFCI whip, which is shown in the last photo above. We have the GFCI pigtails stocked in our warehouse. Notify your Superintendent if you need one.  

Before plugging into GFCI, always test the GFCI to ensure it is operating buy pushing in the test button on the receptacle outlet or on your GFCI pigtail. You should hear a little click or popping noise meaning the GFCI triggered off. Then hit the reset button to turn the GFCI back on. 

A couple of other things. On or around 7/1/24 and when you are plugging into GFCI, remove the previous quarter's colored electrical tape from the ends of your extension cords and power tools as we are no longer following the Assured Equipment Grounding Conductor Program. Moving forward, this means we will no longer be having to distribute the colored electrical tape each quarter to our PCL's (lead field supervisors) to test and color-code our electrical cords. This new "GFCI Only Program" will make it much easier for every body. We do however still need to follow some basic safety procedures of always inspecting our extension cords and power tool cords before use for visible defects such as tears in the outer insualtion sleeves, any exposed wires, missing ground prongs, etc. If your cords are defective, immediately remove from service, report it to your supervisor and coordinate returning the defective cord or power tool to our warehouse.  

If you aren't positive that you have GFCI protection at your job site to plug into, discuss with your lead field supervisor, one of our PCL's, your Superintendent or call our Director of Safety & Quality, Peter Graham at (847) 417-1689, as we can help to verify. 

Have a Safe Day!