The injuries related to electricity are caused by electrocution. Electrocution can result in: minor shocks, which can cause other accidents like falls; medium shocks, which can result in burns and even critical burns and major shocks which can result in death in the same way as in some American prisons.
The victim can be given an electric shock by coming into contact with a live wire or by the electricity from a live source arcing out – in essence finding earth through that person’s body. Most electric shocks are not serious and are over before you know that it has happened yet they are frightening afterwards.
A fall ensuing from a mild electric shock almost certainly has greater potential to be fatal than the shock itself. For instance, if you were changing a light bulb from a step ladder and you thought that the power was off, and it was not, you may receive a short sharp shock, and it could make you to fall off the ladder and break your back.
On the other hand, high voltage electric shocks can cause burns deep in human tissue while leaving just minor signs of the injury on the outside. It is very critical not to become complacent about electricity, because, like the open sea, it does not suffer fools gladly. Here are a couple of electrical safety pointers to help keep you safe.
1] Always inspect power tools for damage and broken plugs or frayed cords before use. You may have damaged it last time you used it yet got away with it that time
2] If you are working in the same room as others, particularly on a building site, do not leave your leads running across the floor – try to tape them to a wall or a bench, because workers may step on them, run wheel barrows over them or spill water on them.
3] Always use the right gauge cable and fuse for your equipment.
4] If anything becomes warm when you are using it, be aware that it might be a sign of an approaching difficulty. Leave hot equipment or sockets to cool down, if it occurs again, have them checked by an electrician. Do not over load electrical sockets.
5] Strive to use a dry wooden ladder if you are working near cables, because timber does not conduct electricity.
6] If you are using any apparatus that creates heat or strong light, do not train it on anything that could catch fire.
7] Install fast-reacting circuit breakers between your apparatus and the source of electricity to reduce the shock that you may get. These devices sense a faulty earth and switch the appliance off in milliseconds.
If your appliance or electrical equipment has a button for checking the earth, use it every day and if you are going to work on a light socket, an electrical socket or the fuse box, test it first with one of those electrical screwdrivers with a small bulb in it. You poke it into the circuitry and the bulb lights up, you have just had a narrow escape. Be more cautious next time!
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