As same as in other professions, there are a lot of hazards related to the electrical professions as well. They might differ in nature according to the workplace, type of the electrician, tools used, and many other factors. However, if you are involved in this profession, or if you planning to become an electrician, it is important to be aware of the electrical hazards in order to get rid of them.
Safety tips to prevent electrical hazards at home
Electricians typically undergo advanced aid training in performing CPR and low-voltage rescue procedures, since the danger is with their profession. They have to grasp general care techniques. As per the confirmed details, electrical workers are at risk of being exposed to 50 volts of electricity or more.
How dangerous is an electrician job?
Becoming an electrician is not that hard, but working safely as an electrician is. You study the basics, improving both practical and theoretical knowledge related to your subject during your coursework. But, as we always mention in this article, electricians have to be extremely careful, when they perform their duties.
Despite the type, electricians consistently get exposed to electrical hazards throughout their workday. It is interesting to notice, however, that electricity isn’t responsible for the bulk of injuries common within the trade. This extreme sort of job sites and dealing conditions are what make employment as an electrician risky, and is not necessarily the exposure to electricity.
What is the most common electrical hazard that electricians face?
There are several common injuries, that electricians have to face and those injuries could be minor or even fatal. However, the most common electrical hazard, or rather, injury electricians face is electrical burns. Electrical burns are a shock-related but non-fatal injury. These burns occur when an electrician touches or contacts an energized electrical wiring or instrument. Even though electrical burns can occur anywhere on the body, they most frequently occur on the hands and feet.
How does the Electric Current affect the Body?
Most folks have experienced some sort of electric “shock,” where electricity causes our body to experience pain or trauma. If we are fortunate, the extent of that electrical shock has become limited to tingles or jolts of pain from electricity build-up, discharging through our bodies. Once we are working around electric circuits that are capable of delivering high power to loads, the electric shock becomes a far more serious issue and pain is that the least significant result of shock.
As current is conducted through a wire, any resistance (opposition to the flow of electrons) ends up in a dissipation of energy, usually within the sort of heat. This is often the foremost basic and easy-to-understand effect of electricity on living tissue: current makes it heat up. If the quantity of warmth generated is sufficient, the tissue could also be burnt. The effect is physiologically equivalent as damage caused by an open flame or another high-temperature source of warmth, except that electricity has the power to burn tissue well beneath the skin of a victim, while even burning internal organs.
Effect of electrical current on the nerve system
Another effect of electrical current on the body, perhaps the foremost significant in terms of hazard, regards the nervous system. By the “nervous system” we mean the network of special cells within the body called “nerve cells” or “neurons” which process and conduct the multitude of signals liable for the regulation of the many body functions. The brain, spine, and sensory/motor organs within the body function together to permit it to sense, move, respond, think, and remember.
Nerve cells communicate to every other through the transmission of electrical signals (very small voltages and currents). If current of sufficient magnitude is conducted through a living creature (human or otherwise), its effect are going to be to override the small electrical impulses normally generated by the neurons, overloading the system nervous and preventing internal signals from having the ability to actuate muscles. Muscles triggered by an external (shock) current will involuntarily contract, and there is nothing the victim can do about it.
What if the victim contacts an energized conductor together with his hands?
This problem is particularly dangerous if the victim contacts an energized conductor together with his or her hands. The forearm muscles liable for bending fingers tend to be better developed than those muscles liable for extending fingers. Then if both sets of muscles attempt to contract due to an electrical current conducted through the person’s arm, the “bending” muscles will win, clenching the fingers into a fist. If the conductor delivering current to the victim faces the palm of his or her hand, this clenching action will force the hand to understand the wire firmly, thus worsening things by securing excellent contact with the wire. The victim is going to be completely unable to abandoning of the wire. This effect can only be stopped by stopping the presence of current through the victim.
Even when the presence is stopped, the victim might not regain voluntary control over their muscles for a short time, because the neurotransmitter chemistry has been thrown into disarray. Current during a position affect skeletal muscles in a shock victim. However, the diaphragm muscle controlling the lungs, and therefore the heart, which may be a muscle in itself also can be “frozen” by the current. Even relatively low currents can often scramble neuron signals enough that the guts cannot beat properly, sending the guts into a condition referred to as fibrillation. A fibrillating heart flutters instead of beats and is ineffective at pumping blood to vital organs within the body. In any case, death from asphyxiation and or systole will generally result from a robust enough current through the body.
What are the most common electrical hazards for electricians?
The duty of an electrician must be done with great care and concentration as electricians are always exposed to electrical hazards. A simple mistake is strong enough to make minor or serious injuries, and sometimes the injuries could be fatal. Getting contact with live wires, fires that may occur as a result of poor wiring are among the most frequent hazards for electricians. However, those are only a few common hazards for electricians and we have listed some of the other common hazards below.
- Fires since faulty wiring.
- Incorrect grounding (This happens because the workers intentionally remove the ground pin on an electric plug to fix a two-prong extension cord)
- Getting interacted to overhead power lines.
- Insulation of damaged wires causes electrical conductors to make contact with each other, tools, or a laborer’s body.
- Too much circuits
- Damp conditions
Safety is First!
Being safe is a very important thing for everyone during their day to day work. It is very important for every job role and it important to get appropriate consideration for that. Relatively, when we are going to consider electrical work, safety plays a vital role in all aspects. Hence the electrician needs to keep in mind that they need to consider their safety first. As we are all well aware, working with electricity is potentially lethal. Hence electricians need to remember that thing all the time during their work.
Electricians typically undergo advanced first aid training in performing CPR and low-voltage rescue procedures, since the risk is with their profession. They need to know general first aid techniques. As per the confirmed details, electrical workers are in danger of being exposed to 50 volts of electricity or more.
These high electrical levels are strong enough to cause cardiac arrest. Hence it is better to renew your first aid training credentials with a training organization from time to time. From that, you can refine both your technique and your risk assessment skills. Moreover, world electrical events also significantly address the latest safety trends to prevent these electrical hazards.
Hence if it is the person’s profession, he has to face the risk of electrical hazards in his line of duty from time to time. Therefore, it is a must to learn and obey the safety tips which could save a life someday.
Let’s consider the main essential safety precautions that all responsible electricians should live by.
Safety precautions to prevent electrical hazards
The recklessness of electricians as well as the unawareness of the safety precautions has become the major reason for the deaths and serious injuries of electricians all around the world. Following list consists of some of the most important safety precautions that every electrician must be definitely aware of,
- Don’t touch someone who’s been electrocuted
- Electricians need to wear the appropriate clothing and Personal Protective Equipment required for their job.
- Using the right tools and specifications of the job you are doing.
- Choose the right ladder.
- Identifying and disconnecting the power source before starting with electrical isolation.
- Never mix electricity and water.
- Put safety signs and barriers where applicable.
- Switch off the main power supplier.
- Always use insulated tools while working.
- Use rubber gloves and goggles.
- Make sure the equipment power is de – energized.
- Use a wooden or a bamboo ladder instead of steel ladders.
Electrical safety precautions in detail
Don’t touch someone who’s been electrocuted
This is one of the most important things that an electrician must know. We must never touch anyone that has been shocked, without making sure that the victim is still not in contact with the source of electricity. The best action that could be taken is by turning off the flow of electricity. If someone can’t turn off the flow of electricity, he must try to move the source of electricity away from the person, with the help of a non – conducting object.
Electricians need to wear the appropriate clothing and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) required for their job
This is the main thing that you need to consider when you are going to do any work. Depending on the type of work, you need to use proper safety equipment and measurements. PPE, the items worn by a worker to protect from recognized hazards play a major role here. Hence depending on the task electrician has to perform, their PPE may be changed. Generally, they are using safety shoes, safety glasses, and face shields, hard hats, insulating (rubber) gloves with leather protectors, insulating sleeves, and flame-resistant (F.R.) clothing. In addition to that, they need to use fall protection equipment, respirators, chemical-resistant or cut-resistant gloves, and chaps depending on their need. Electricians can decide their PPE’s depending on the results of the hazard assessment.
In addition to all these mentioned PPE’s, electricians are using Insulating Protective Equipment (IPE) for their protection. Examples for IPEs are hot sticks, switch sticks, and shotgun sticks. Since electricians do not really wear IPEs, they are not considered as a PPE.
How can electricians check their tools and equipment before?
We need to take the time to inspect electrical components, power cords, tools, and equipment before using them. This one is also a very important task of electricians before they start their work. They must perform this task to avoid danger in their life. Hence let’s co-consider how they can check these things before their work.
They need to inspect tools for any damage before each use. For that, they need to check the handle and body casing of the appliance for cracks or other damage. Hence in that case, if the tool has auxiliary or double handles, it is essential to check and confirm that they are installed securely. Inspection of cords for finding whether they have the cord which supplies power for cracking fraying and other signs of wear or faults in the cord insulation is also a must. They need to check for damaged switches and ones with faulty trigger locks and replace them at the correct time. Not only that, but they also need to inspect the plug for cracks and for missing, loose, or broken prongs.
Using the right tools and specifications of the job you are doing
The most important thing is to use the right tool for your work. It is applicable for all our work, and electricians, it is a must since they are doing the work with risk. They need to use the right tool with relevant safety concerns when they are going to do their job.
They need to carry essential tools with them for every moment of their work. According to electrician views, must-have tools for them are a non-contact voltage tester, insulated hand tools, a clamp meter, millimeter, insulation tester, fluorescent light tester, and earth ground tester.
They need to use the appropriate earthing equipment for every duty they are performing.
Know what equipment earthing is?
Let’s consider the meaning of equipment earthing. It is a connection through a metal link between the body of any electrical appliance, or neutral point. Depending on the case, it may be to the deeper ground soil. They usually are using M.S. flat, CI flat, G.I. wire, which should be penetrated to the ground earth grid as metal links. When it comes to electric work, we need to consider relevant safety standards and procedures for equipment earthing the safety based on I.S.:3043-1987 Standards.
Earthing is essential to ensure the safety of personnel, the safety of equipment, and prevent or minimize damage to equipment due to the flow of heavy currents. This also helps to increase the reliability of the power system. There are two main categories of earthing. They are system earthing and equipment earthing. The connection between parts of the plant is the system earthing, and connecting bodies of material to earth is the equipment earthing.
Types of Earthing
According to the details, we can see that there are several types of earthing. Some of them are plate type earthing, pipe type earthing, resistance earthing, reactance earthing, Peterson coil earthing, and earthing through grounding transformer.
Identifying and disconnecting the power source before starting with electrical isolation
This is also a primary rooting electrician need to follow. Electrical isolation is essential either to immobilize machinery or to protect personnel working on electrical equipment. Hence depending on the situation, they need to use proper isolation methods to save lives.
Never use metallic pencils or rulers, or wear rings or metal watchbands when working with electrical equipment. Even though this rule is very easy to forget, you need to consider this, especially when you are showing some electrical part pointing with a metallic pencil.
Never mix electricity and water
As we all know, water increases conductivity. Hence, every electrician knows that exposing electrical equipment to even just a little water can increase the chances of an accident. Due electricians should not approach an electrical circuit with wet hands. As well as they should not contact anything wet even, when they are standing on a damp floor.
Put safety signs and barriers where applicable
This gives information on health and safety where needed. Safety signs can be useful as additional control measures and helpful to cover most of the situations.
Additional to the details mentioned above, there are several things that electricians need to consider. They should not cut corners and they should avoid rushing to finish the job. That is because even a slight mistake could endanger you or someone else’s life. Similarly, it is important to use insulated tools and ladders. It is for the electrician’s safety. Before going to every work, they need to have a first aid kit ready, learn about the electric shock and resuscitation procedures, and need to check whether the device is de-energized. Furthermore, they should also make sure to use testing instruments suitable for the purpose. Similarly, they should keep the work area clean and tidy.
Since the safety measures are the most important thing to consider, electricians need to immediately report any damage they see on cords, installation, or plugs. Similarly, it is a must that they must refrain from using any other electrician’s gear or devices without their consent. In addition to those previously discussed things, electricians need to clean up any mess on their worksite before they finish and go. If we can follow all these things, we can actively reduce the risk of careless contact, trip-ups, or accidental shocks
Switch off the main power supplier
If an electrician is working on any receptacle at anywhere, then always pack up the mains. It is also a good idea to put up a logo on the service panel, so that no-one turns the foremost activate accidentally.
Always use insulated tools while working.
Electrical hazards include exposed energized parts and unguarded electrical equipment, which may become energized unexpectedly. Such material always carries warning signs like “Shock Risk”. Always be observant of such signs and follow the safety rules of the electrical code of the country you’re in.
Use rubber gloves and goggles
Always use appropriate insulated rubber gloves and goggles while working on any branch circuit or the opposite circuit.
Make sure the equipment power is de – energized
Never try repairing energized equipment. Always confirm its de-energized first by employing a tester. When an electrical tester touch a live or hot wire, the bulb inside the tester lights up showing that an electrical current is flowing through the respective wire. Check all the wires, the outer metallic covering of the service panel and therefore the other hanging wires with an electrical tester before proceeding alongside your work.
Use a wooden or a bamboo ladder instead if steel ladders.
Never use an aluminum or steel ladder if you’re working on any receptacle height in your home. An electrical surge will ground you and thus the entire current will undergo your body. Use a bamboo, wooden, or a fiberglass ladder instead.
Statistics provided by the website of Electrical Safety Foundation International, a Non-Profit Organization dedicated to promoting electrical safety further depicts how often these electrical hazards happen in this world. Thus, it is important to take remedies to these electrical hazards at beforehand.
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