How to Prevent some common Electrical Hazards

Electricity has a lot of hazards related to it. It is important to know what these hazards are and how can they be prevented to avoid any risk of serious damage. Some of the most common and the most dangerous hazards related to electricity are electric shocks and fires. If these incidents go out of control the damage can be really serious and harmful to lives and property as well.

To prevent these accidents from happening protective equipment is a great solution but the employees must be made aware of how to deal with such mishaps if the situation arises.

Electric Shocks

Electric shocks are the most common hazard associated with electricity. It is caused when a person comes in contact with a live wire or equipment that is not grounded, allowing the current to flow through the body. An electric shock may result in the victim facing critical conditions.

Electrocution

Electrocution happens when a person faces severe electrical shock. The main difference between a shock and electrocution is that and electrocution renders the victim dead. When the current flowing through electrical wires is extremely high, that current when passing through a victim's body causes a lot of damage resulting in their demise

Electric Burns

An electrical burn happens when the electricity comes in contact with your body. It happens at the contact points of our body i.e. points that come in contact with the exposed electrical part. An electric burn could be a minor burn or a severe one depending on how much of your skin is affected. A superficial burn only affects the top layer of the skin causing less damage. A partial-thickness burn affects two layers of the skin and can be somewhat severe. A full-thickness burn can cause a lot of damage to your body as it affects all the layers of the skin and may even affect the internal organs.

Circuit Overloading

Electrical circuits are designed to handle a limited amount of power. if you draw more power than a circuit can handle, it will overload. Overloading trips the breaker cutting the power flow to the circuit. Without breakers, the overload would overheat the circuit wiring. It could melt the wire insulation or lead to a massive fire.

PREVENTION

• Do not touch any electrical wires with wet hands. Water is an excellent conductor of electricity and increases your chances of getting shocked.

• Wear protective clothing while handling open wires or electrical equipment of any sort.

• Install proper signage at the workplace to make employees aware of the risks in certain parts of the work area

• To prevent overloading of the circuit, keep a 20% margin between the limit and the power drawn.

• Grounding rods should be straight galvanised or made with copper-clad steel. They should be driven into the ground to at least 1 meter and at a distance of a minimum 10 meters away from the working area.

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