Effects of Electricity on Human Body

We need to be knowledgeable and aware about electrical safety; else, life may be the price to pay

Why worry about electricity? -Electrocution is an extremely dangerous scenario wherein the human body experience a lethal amount of electrical energy. -Electrocutions rank fourth in causes of industrial fatalities (behind traffic, violence and construction). It is estimated that 600 people die every year of electrical causes. Most of these accidents involve low voltage (600 volts or less).

Contact with objects 7%

Fires & Explosions 3%

Others 1%

Electrocution 15%

Traffic 41%

Construction 16% Violence 17% Causes of Industrial Fatalities SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2012

Electricity flowing through the human body can shock, cause involuntary muscle reaction, paralyze muscles, burn tissues and organs or kill. In case of electric shock, the amount of current flow through the body and the corresponding body sensation are identified in the following graph. Current Flow Through the Body in Amperes 1.0 0.5 0.2 0.1 Body Sensation

0.05 0.02 0.01 0.005 0.002 0.001

Severe burns Breathing stops DEATH Very difficult breathing Labored breathing Severe shock Paralysis Cannot release Painful sensation Mild sensation Slight sensation

Electric Shock VS Body Sensation

A small night-light with a 6-watt bulb draws 0.05 ampere, and even that small amount of current can be fatal. Here are some effects of current (in milli amps) passing through a 150 pound body (note that perception is only 0.5 to 1.5 milli amps): Current passing through your body can cause electric shock, resulting in 3 types of potential injuries: 1. Burns (arcs burns with heat and radiation) 2. Physical injuries (broken bones, falls, and muscle damage) -at 10 milli amps, the muscles clamp on to whatever the person is holding. 3. Nervous System Effects (stop breathing at 30 to 75 milli amps alternating current at 60 Hz, fibrillation at 75 to 100 milli amps at 60 Hz) Fibrillation- heart is twitching and there is no blood flow to the body. The heart can be damaged because it is in the path of the most common routes electricity will take through the body: hand to hand, hand to foot. Electricity is an integral part of todays modern world, and sometimes it is easy to forget just how dangerous it can be. Given the correct circumstances, it can kill. But it can also shock you painfully, damage sensitive equipment, and ignite combustible materials.

Effects can range from a barely perceptible tingle to severe burns and immediate cardiac arrest. Although it is not known the exact injuries that result from any given amperage, the following table demonstrates this general relationship for a 60-cycle, hand-to-foot shock of one second's duration: Wet conditions are common during low-voltage electrocutions. Under dry conditions, human skin is very resistant. Wet skin dramatically drops the body's resistance.

Dry Conditions: Current = Volts/Ohms = 120/100,000 = 1mAa barely perceptible level of current Wet conditions: Current = Volts/Ohms = 120/1,000 = 120mA sufficient current to cause ventricular fibrillation If the extensor muscles are excited by the shock, the person may be thrown away from the circuit. Often, this can result in a fall from elevation that kills a victim even when electrocution does not. When muscular contraction caused by stimulation does not allow the victim to free himself from the circuit, even relatively low voltages can be extremely dangerous, because the degree of injury increases with the length of time the body is in the circuit.

LOW VOLTAGE DOES NOT IMPLY LOW HAZARD!

100mA for 3 seconds = 900mA for .03 seconds in causing fibrillation Note that a difference of less than 100 milliamperes exists between a current that is barely perceptible and one that can kill. High voltage electrical energy greatly reduces the body's resistance by quickly breaking down human skin. Once the skin is punctured, the lowered resistance results in massive current flow. At 1,000 volts, Current = Volts/Ohms = 1,000/500 = 2 Amps which can cause cardiac arrest and serious damage to internal organs.

ELECTRICAL FATALITY RATES by EVENT

The figure shows that contact with overhead power lines killed more construction workers than any other single type of electrical accident from 2003 to 2007, but the data for this category suggest a sustained decline since 2006. Over the same period, contact with wiring, transformers, or other electrical components and the contact with electric current of machine, tool, appliance, or light xture fatality rates remained essentially unchanged.

ELECTRICAL FATALITY RATES by EVENT

The figure shows electrical fatality rates in major industry groups. As described earlier, the all-industry curve is produced by dividing the total annual number of electrical fatalities by the total employment. The rates for individual industries are calculated similarly but use employment figures for each industry as the denominator. These industry groups, construction, professional and business, trade and transportation, mining, and manufacturing, had electrical fatality rates that were consistently above the all-industry average. The construction industry had the highest rate of electrical fatalities each year studied within 2003-2010. The Construction Industry accounted for 52% of all electrical deaths between 20032010.

FACTS
Between 2003 and 2007, 28,401 workers died while on the job. Contact with some form of electric current was the seventh leading cause of occupational fatalities during this period, accounting for 1,213 work-related fatalities. Another 13,150 workers were injured so severely from these electrical accidents that their injuries required time off from work. Construction trades (including electricians, construction laborers, painters, roofers, and carpenters) and installation, maintenance, and repair professionals (including those who install and repair electrical power lines, HVAC, and refrigeration equipment and perform general maintenance and repair work) were recognized as the top two occupational groups with the most fatal electrical injuries from 2003 to 2007. During this time, construction trade Sacco united for 445 (37%) of total electrical fatalities while another 257 (21%) of these fatal work-related accidents occurred during installation, maintenance, and repair of electrical power lines, HVAC, and refrigeration equipment. A total of 207 (47%) of the victims who worked in construction trades were electricians. Another 104 (23%) were construction laborers, 27 (6%) were painters, 26 (6%) were roofers, and 24 (6%) of construction trade workers who were victims of electrical fatalities from 2003 to 2007 were carpenters. The specific circumstances surrounding the electrocutions in the remaining 12% of the deaths were not categorized in these data.

ELECTRIC BURNS
A burn that results from electricity passing through the body causing rapid injury. Approximately 1,000 deaths per year in the country due to electrical injuries are reported. Although a current may not pass through vital organs or nerve centers, internal electrical burns can still occur. These burns, which are a result of heat generated by current flowing in tissues, can be either at the skin surface or in deeper layers (muscles, bones, etc.) or both. Typically, tissues damaged from this type of electricity burn heal slowly. Burns caused by electric arcs are similar to burns from high temperature sources. The temperature of an electric arc, which is in the range of 4,000 - 35,000 , can melt all known materials, vaporize metal in close proximity, and burn flesh and ignite clothing at distances up to 10 ft. from the arc. Damage to internal tissues may not be apparent immediately after contact with the current. Internal tissue swelling and edema are also possible

CRITICAL PATH OF ELECTRICITY

Current flowing from one hand to the other

Current flowing from one hand to the other

Current flowing from the head to either foot

When this happens, it paralyzes the respiratory or heart muscles, initiating ventricular fibrillation, and/or burning vital organs

TYPES OF BURNS (ACCORDING TO DEGREE)

Type Layers involved Appearance Texture Sensation Healing Time Prognosis Heals well; Repeated sunburns 510 days increase the risk of skin cancer later in life

Superficial (First degree) Superficial partial thickness (Second degree)

Epidermis

Red without blisters

Dry

Painful

Extends Redness with into Local infection/ clear blister. less than 2 superficial Moist Very painful cellulitis but no Blanches with 3 weeks (papillary) scarring typically pressure. dermis Yellow or Scarring, Deep partial Extends white. Less Pressure contractures thickness into deep blanching. Fairly dry and 38 weeks (may require (Second (reticular) May be discomfort excision and skin degree) dermis blistering. grafting) Full thickness (Third degree) Extends through entire dermis Extends through entire skin, and into underlying fat, muscle and bone Stiff and white/brown Leathery No blanching Scarring, Prolonged contractures, (months) amputation (early and excision incomplete recommended) Amputation, significant functional impairment and, in some cases, death.

Painless

Fourth degree

Black; charred with eschar

Dry

Painless

Requires excision

The effects of electric current on the human body can vary depending on the following: Source characteristics-current, frequency and voltage of all electric energy sources. Body impedance and the currents pathway through the body. How environmental conditions affect the bodys contact resistance. Duration of the contact.

SIX CATEGORIES OF ELECTRICAL BURNS

Low-Voltage burn
High-voltage burn Arc burn Flash burn Flame burn Oral burn
Electrical burns can be classified into six categories, and any combination of these categories may be present on an electrical burn victim: Low-voltage burn. A burn produced by contact with a power source of 500 volts or less is classified as a low-voltage burn. The current at this voltage is not enough to cause tissue damage along its path except at the contact site.

High voltage burn. This burn is very severe as the victim makes direct contact with the high voltage supply and the damage runs its course throughout the body Arc burn. This type of burn occurs when electrical energy passes from a highresistance area to a low-resistance area. No contact is required with an arc burn as the electricity ionizes air particles to complete the circuit. Flash burn. Flash burns are caused by electrical arcs that pass over the skin. The intense heat and light of an arc flash can cause severe burns. Although the burns on the skin are largely superficial and cover a large area, tissues beneath the skin are generally undamaged and unaffected. Flame burn. Associated with flash and arc burns, flame burns are caused by contact to objects that were ignited by an electrical source. Oral burns. This is caused by biting or sucking on electrical cords, and it most commonly happens to children. Electrical current typically passes from one side of the childs mouth to the other, possibly causing deformity.

HOW TO TREAT...

MAJOR BURNS

1
Do not touch the victim unless it is safe to do so, to avoid being burned yourself.
Make sure that the source of electricity has been shut off and safely unplugged.

If it is not immediately possible to shut off the power, move the victim away from the source with a non-conductive item, like a stick or blanket. Check the area to ensure your safety.

2
Call for immediate assistance. medical

3
Check the victim for breathing and a pulse. If necessary -- meaning, if the person is not breathing, perform rescue breathing and CPR.

4
Check the victim for symptoms of shock. They may be cold, with clammy skin, a pale appearance and a rapid pulse.

5
Treat the burned area(s) medical assistance arrives.

until

Cover the burns with a dry, sterile bandage only. For severe burns, do not attempt to remove pieces of clothing which have stuck to the skin.

Do not attempt to cool the burns with water or ice. Do not apply grease or oil to the burns.

6
Keep the victim warm. Do not allow them to feel chilly.

 MINOR BURNS

1
Hold the burned area under cold, running water, or soak it for about 10 minutes. Make sure not to use ice to cool the burn, as ice can cause further damage to the skin. Afterwards, carefully wash the affected area with soap and water, then gently pat dry.

2
Loosely cover the burned skin with clean bandage. Change the bandage every so often to prevent any infections on the wounds. Also, avoid wrapping the area too tightly or you might risk doing further damage to the burn.

3
Take over-the-counter pain relievers such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen to soothe the pain symptoms.

STATIC ELECTRICITY
How it can do harm?

Why minimize static shocks? You may be injured by the reaction to the shock even though the shocks are not hazardous! What you can do? 1. Never clean the glass face of your computer monitor while the computer is on. 2. During normal operation, the glass surface of a monitors CRT accumulates an electrostatic charge. When you touch the screen with a finger, the charge in the portion of the screen you touched discharges through your finger with a tiny spark. Electric current does not normally flow through glass so only part of the screen that your finger touches is discharged. When you clean a monitor however, the entire glass is wet and the charge on the entire screen will discharge to your finger or hand, causing a much more painful shock. Clean your monitor before you turn on your computer. 3. Never allow any electrical powered office equipment to become wet while it is turned on. 4. Never turn on any electronic equipment when it is wet. 5. Even when a computer has been turned off for a few minutes, it is best not to touch the monitors CRT while handling or using other electrical/ electronic equipment, including the telephone. Wet or dry, you may receive an electric shock. This shock is similar to the shock you receive when you touch a door knob after walking across a carpet. Although painful, this type of shock is not hazardous. However, you may be injured by the reaction to the shock, such as pulling your hand rapidly away and hitting your elbow against a wall or cabinet.

CASE STUDY

Explosion during cleaning a tank in Paint Manufacturing Factory

On January 30th, 1995. An explosion occurred on cleaning a tank in a paint factory. Cleaning was done to change the contents of the tank. Ethyl acetate was put in three days after the paint was removed. The tank was left for three days without cleaning, and it was scrubbed with a brush having a long handle. The ethyl acetate vapor exploded due to static electricity generated by brushing. One worker received a burn on the face. Usually, cleaning was carried out just after drawing-off. Three days passed this time, and the paint solidified. Then, brushing was done many times. The accident happened because a static electricity spark was generated in a combustible solvent environment. Sufficient management of static electricity was necessary for this cleaning operation which was highly dangerous.

Eatoneville Static Electricity Discharge

EATONVILLE, Wash. An electrical spark from static electricity destroyed two antique planes, two classic cars and an airplane hangar at Swanson Airfield in Eatonville. the plane's ow ner was draining gas from one of the planes Friday afternoon into a plastic bucket That's when static electricity caused a spark, lighting the plane on fire the fire spread to another vintage plane, and two classic cars inside the hangar. Hudspeth says one of the planes had a cloth skin that cover the entire plane and removed before the owner drain the gas.