Introduction to Electrical Safety Figure 2.2.

1
The effects of
electric
Electrical Safety in the workplace is the most important job of an
current
electrical worker. No matter how much training one has on the body.
received or how much employers try to safeguard their workers,
Electrical Safety is ultimately the responsibility of the electrical
worker. The human factor associated with electrical accidents
can be immeasurable. No one can replace a worker or loved one
that has died or suffered the irreparable consequences of an
electrical accident.

What is Safety?
Defined as the condition of being protected from or unlikely to
cause danger, risk, or injury.

Effects of Electric Current on the Body

Most people have heard that it is not the voltage that kills but
the current. This is true, but do not be misled into thinking that
voltage cannot harm you. Voltage is the force that pushes the
current though the circuit. It can be compared to the pressure
that pushes water through a pipe. The more pressure available,
the greater the volume of water flowing through the pipe.
Students often ask how much current will flow through the body
at a particular voltage. There is no easy answer to this question.
Electrical Safety Rules
The amount of current that can flow at a particular voltage is
When working on electrical circuits or with electrical tools and
determined by the resistance of the current path. Different
equipment, you need to use the following safety rules:
people have different resistances. A body has less resistance on
a hot day when sweating, because salt water is a very good
1. Avoid contact with energized electrical circuits.
conductor. What one eats and drinks for lunch can have an effect
on the body’s resistance, as can the length of the current path. Is
the current - The amount of water in a human body has an
path between two hands or from one hand to one foot? All these average of 50-75 percent. With that, having
factors affect body resistance. contact to an energized electrical circuit will
definitely result to an electric shock.
Figure 2.1.1 illustrates the effects of different amounts of current
on the body. This chart is general—some people may have less 2. Treat all electrical devices as if they are live or
tolerance to electricity and others may have a greater tolerance. energized.
A current of 2 to 3 milliamperes (mA) (0.002 to 0.003 amperes)
usually causes a slight tingling sensation, which increases as - Keeping in mind always that all electrical devices
current increases and becomes very noticeable at about 10 are energized will definitely create an awareness
milliamperes (0.010 amperes). The tingling sensation is very to protect yourself always from accident caused
painful at about 20 milliamperes. Currents between 20 and 30 by electrical shock.
milliamperes cause a person to seize the line and be unable to
let go of the circuit. 3. Install a warning tag at the point of disconnection
so people will not restore power to the circuit.
Currents between 30 and 40 milliamperes cause muscular
paralysis, and those between 40 and 60 milliamperes cause - Apply Lockout / tagout devices in accordance
breathing difficulty. When the current increases to about 100 with a documented and established policy.
milliamperes, breathing is extremely difficult. Currents from
100 to 200 milliamperes generally cause death because the
heart usually goes into fibrillation, a condition in which the heart
begins to “quiver” and the pumping action stops. Currents above
200 milliamperes cause the heart to squeeze shut. When the
current is removed, the heart usually returns to a normal
pumping action. This is the operating principle of a defibrillator.

The voltage considered to be the most dangerous to work with

is 120 volts, because that generally causes a current flow of
between 100 and 200 milliamperes through most people’s
bodies. Large amounts of current can cause severe electric burns
that are often very serious because they occur on the inside of
the body. The exterior of the body may not look seriously
burned, but the inside may be severely burned. Figure 2.2.8
The equipment can be locked
out by several different people.

Figure 2.2.9
Safety tag used to tagout
equipment
4. Use an adequately rated voltage detector to test each
phase conductor or circuit part to verify they are de-
energized.
- Test each phase conductor or circuit part both phase-
to-phase and phase-to-ground. Before and after each
test, determine that the voltage detector is operating
satisfactorily.
Figure 2.2.10
Fluke LVD2 Volt Light – a non-contact voltage detector that is
suitable for commercial and industrial applications
5. Use Always wear your Personal Protective Equipment.
a) Protective Clothing
Maintenance and construction workers alike are
usually required to wear certain articles of protective
clothing, dictated by the environment of the work area
and the job being performed.
b) Head Protection
Some type of head protection is required on almost
any work site. A typical electrician’s hard hat, made of
nonconductive plastic, is shown in (Figure 2.1.4). It has
a pair of safety goggles attached that can be used when
desired or necessary.
Figure 2.2.11
Typical electrician’s
hard hat
with attached safety
goggles
c) Eye Protection
Eye protection is another piece of safety gear required on
almost all work sites. Eye protection can come in different
forms, ranging from the goggles shown in (Figure 2.1.4) to
the safety glasses with side shields shown in Figure 2.1.5.
Common safety glasses may or may not be prescription
glasses, but almost all provide side protection (Figure
2.1.5). Sometimes a full-face shield may be required.
Figure 2.2.12
Safety glasses
provide side
protection
d) Hearing Protection
The need for hearing protection is based on the ambient
sound level of the work site or the industrial location.
Workers are usually required to wear some type of hearing
protection when working in certain areas, usually in the
form of earplugs or earmuffs.
e) Fire-Retardant Clothing
Special clothing made of fi re-retardant material is required
in some areas, generally certain industries as opposed to all
work sites. Fire-retardant clothing is often required for
maintenance personnel who work with high-power
sources such as transformer installations and motor-
control centers. An arc flash in a motor-control center can
easily catch a person’s clothes on fi re. The typical motor-
control center can produce enough energy during an arc
flash to kill person 30 feet away.
f) Gloves
Another common article of safety clothing is gloves.
Electricians often wear leather gloves with rubber inserts
when it is necessary to work on energized circuits (Figure
2.1.7). These gloves are usually rated for a certain amount
of voltage. They should be inspected for holes or tears
before they are used. Kevlar gloves (Figure 2.1.8) help
protect against cuts when stripping cable with a sharp
blade.
 8. Work with one hand as possible, keeping the other
hand at your side or in your pocket, away from all
conductive material.
Figure 2.2.13
Leather gloves - The worst kind of electric shock occurs when the
with rubber inserts current path is from one hand to the other, which
permits the current to pass directly through the
heart. A person can survive a severe shock
between the hand and foot that would cause
death if the current path were from one hand to
the other.

Figure 2.2.14 9. Learn First Aid

Kevlar gloves protect
against cuts
g) Safety Harness
Safety harnesses provide protection from falling. They
buckle around the upper body with leg, shoulder, and chest
straps; and the back has a heavy metal D-ring (Figure 2.1.7).
A section of rope approximately 6 feet in length, called a
lanyard, is attached to the D-ring and secured to a stable
structure above the worker. If the worker falls, the lanyard
limits the distance he or she can drop. A safety harness
should be worn:
a. When working more than 6 feet above the ground or
floor
b. When working near a hole or drop-off
c. When working on high scaffolding
- Anyone working on electric equipment, especially
those working with voltages greater than 50 volts,
should make an effort to learn first aid. A
knowledge of first aid, especially CPR, may save
your own or someone else’s life.
10. If water or a chemical is spilled onto equipment,
shut off power at the main switch or circuit
breaker and unplug the equipment.
- Water is an electrical conductor.
11. If an individual comes in contact with a live
electrical conductor, do not touch the equipment,
cord or person. Disconnect the power source from
the circuit breaker or pull out the plug using a
leather belt.
- See Safety Rule No. 1

12. Equipment producing a “tingle” should be

disconnected and reported promptly for repair.

- The “tingle” or “tingling” effect is a result of

Electrostatic Discharge that may cause harm to a
personnel and damage to equipment.

13. Do not rely on grounding to mask a defective

circuit nor attempt to correct a fault by insertion of
another fuse or breaker, particularly one of larger
capacity.

Figure 2.2.15 - Similar to Safety Rule No. 11, it is best to report

Typical safety harness such device for service to avoid further damage
or incident.
6. Never use metallic pencils, rulers, or wear rings and
metal watchbands when working with electrical 14. Drain capacitors before working near them and
equipment. keep the short circuit on the terminals during the
work to prevent electrical shock.
- Metal is a conductor and offers a very low resistance to
electricity, allowing current to pass through which can
cause risk if not taken proper safety precaution in the
workplace.

7. Never handle electrical equipment when hands, feet, or

body are wet or perspiring, or when standing on a wet
floor.

- Water offers very low electrical resistance allowing

current to flow on it.

- Capacitors stores energy that can produce lethal

charge if not drained.
 15. Never touch another person’s equipment or
electrical control devices unless instructed to do
so.
- You are not duly authorized to handle the
equipment which can cause damage or incident.
22. Avoid horse playing in the work place.
23. Always ask the assistance of your immediate
supervisor if you are in doubt.
24. Investigate first before you act.

16. Enclose all electric contacts and conductors so that no
one can accidentally come into contact with them.
- To avoid minimize and accident in the workplace.
17. Do not store highly flammable liquids near electrical
equipment.
- Combustible liquids can cause fire if failure in electrical
devices and equipment occur.
18. Be aware that interlocks on equipment disconnect the
high voltage source when a cabinet door is open but
power for control circuits may remain on.
- Determine all possible sources of electrical supply to
the specific equipment. Check applicable up-to-date
drawings, diagrams, and identification tags.
25. Always read the instructions manual before
attempting to use an equipment that you are not
familiar with.
Fires
For a fire to burn, it must have three things: fuel, heat, and
oxygen. Fuel is anything that can burn, including materials such
as wood, paper, cloth, combustible dusts, and even some metals.
Different materials require different amounts of heat for
combustion to take place. If the temperature of any material is
below its combustion temperature, it will not burn. Oxygen must
be present for combustion to take place. If a fire is denied
oxygen, it will extinguish. Fires are divided into four classes: A,
B, C, and D.
 Class A fires involve common combustible materials such
as wood or paper. They are often extinguished by lowering
the temperature of the fuel below the combustion
temperature. Class A fire extinguishers often use water to
extinguish a fire. A fire extinguisher listed as Class A only
should never be used on an electrical fi re.

 Class B fires involve fuels such as grease, combustible

liquids, or gases. A Class B fire extinguisher generally
employs carbon dioxide (CO2), which greatly lowers the
temperature of the fuel and deprives the fi re of oxygen.
Carbon dioxide extinguishers are often used on electrical
fires, because they do not destroy surrounding equipment
by coating it with a dry powder.

 Class C fires involve energized electric equipment. A Class

“INTERLOCK -An interlock is a feature that makes the state of
C fire extinguisher usually uses a dry powder to smother
two mechanisms or functions mutually dependent.
the fi re. Many fire extinguishers can be used on multiple
types of fires; for example, an extinguisher labeled ABC
Many people use generators to supplement power to a home or
could be used on any of the three classes of fire. The
business in the event that main (municipal) power has gone
important thing to remember is never to use an
offline. In order to safely transfer the power source from a
extinguisher on a fire for which it is not rated. Using a Class
generator (and back to main), a safety interlock is often
A extinguisher filled with water on an electrical fire could
employed. The interlock consists of one or more switches that
be fatal.
prevent both main power and generator power from powering
the dwelling simultaneously.

19. De-energize open experimental circuits and equipment

to be left unattended.

- See Safety Rule No. 15

20. Do not wear loose clothing or ties near electrical
equipment.

- Wear appropriate clothing when working in electrical

equipment. See Safety Rule No. 4

21. Where the possibility of induced voltages or stored

electrical energy exists, ground the phase conductors
or circuit parts before touching them.

- Where it could be reasonably anticipated that the

conductors or circuit parts being de-energized could
contact other exposed energized or circuit parts, apply
ground connecting devices rated for the available fault
duty.”