Workplace deaths in the industrial and utility sectors have decreased significantly since the early 1990s, national reports show. Over the past decade, however, the fatality rate has plateaued, with a worker being killed every two to three days because of electrical shock or electrical arc flash. This is a disturbing trend. Electrical fatalities can result in losses running into millions of dollars, protracted outages and loss of revenue, in addition to the pain and suffering of those left behind.
Literature on electrical safety says that near-miss reporting is key to curbing electrical fatalities. During this webinar, Zarheer Jooma, an electrical engineer who has published graduate research work in this space, will explore whether we’re facing a lack of near-miss reporting, whether we’re facing a workforce that hasn’t been empowered to correctly identify and report near misses, or whether we’re mis-categorizing what we do report. These questions must be answered before corrective and preventative strategies are considered and implemented.
So, are you adequately reporting electrical near misses or is your norm the actual near miss?
By attending this webinar, you may be eligible to earn recertification points. Contact the Board of Certified Safety Professionals for more information.
Speakers
Zarheer Jooma, Professional Engineer, Partner, e-Hazard
Zarheer Jooma is an electrical engineer and partner at e-Hazard, an electrical safety consulting firm specializing in arc flash studies, training, investigations, and standards development. He holds a master’s in electrical engineering (with distinction), with research focused on arc flash safety. He is a licensed Professional Engineer in multiple states, is an IEEE Senior Member, serves on the IEEE 1584 working group (the standard governing arc flash hazard calculations), and chairs ASTM International Subcommittee F18.93. Zarheer chaired the IEEE Electrical Safety Workshop in 2025, received the 2026 IEEE IAS Technical Achievement Award, and has authored or co-authored numerous peer-reviewed papers on arc flash and electrical safety.
The views of webinar speakers and organizations are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the National Safety Council or Safety+Health magazine. Any mention of a commercial enterprise, product or publication does not mean the council or magazine endorses those items.
Moderator
Barry Bottino, Associate Editor, Safety+Health magazine
Barry is associate editor of Safety+Health and serves as co-host of the magazine’s “On the Safe Side” podcast.
