GENERAL ELECTRICAL SAFETY

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COVERAGE:

Electrical injuries datasheet

Classification of exposure
Electrical hazards / injuries
Electrical hazard control

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ELECTRICAL INJURIES DATASHEET

1970s: 600-700 per year

1990s: 300-400 per year (NIOSH, 1998), 5th leading cause of occupational fatalities
7% of total deaths, ranked after motor vehicle crashes, homicide, falls , and mechanical trauma
Each year, electrical accidents cause as many as 165,380 electrical fires and 7,000 injuries

CLASSIFICATION OF EXPOSURE

High Voltage
o Above 600 volts: typically associated with outdoor electrical transmission
o Accounts for 60% of electrocutions (OSHA)
o Note: some people classify 480 volts and above as high voltage
Low Voltage
o 600 volts and below: typically associated with indoor electrical service
o Accounts for 32% of electrocutions (OSHA)
o Note: Low voltage does NOT imply safe voltage

ELECTRICAL HAZARDS

Electrical Shock
o Shock occurs when current passes through the body
o Severity of the shock depends on:
Path of current
Amount and type of current
Duration of exposure
o Electrocution is a fatal electrical injury
Conductors vs. Insulators
All materials exhibit some resistance to electrical current
Materials with low resistance are called conductors (ex.: copper,
aluminum, gold, water)
 Materials with high resistance are called insulators (ex.: rubber, glass,
air, most plastics)
Electricity wants to find the path of least resistance to the ground
Human tissues and body fluids are relatively good conductors because
of high water content
So if a person touches an energized bare wire or faulty equipment while
grounded, electricity will instantly pass through the body to the ground,
causing a harmful, potentially fatal, shock
Grounding
Grounding is a method of protecting employees from electric shock
By grounding an electrical system, a low-resistance path to earth
through a ground connection is intentionally created
This path offers low resistance and has sufficient current-carrying
capacity to prevent the build-up of hazardous voltages
A three-pronged cord offers a grounding connection
o White wire (neutral or common wire) returns the power
o Black wire (hot wire) is connected to the switch and fuse and
carries the power
o Green (or ground wire)
A two pronged plug has a hot prong and a return prong, no ground
prong
In any case, never remove the third (grounding) prong from any three-
prong piece of equipment
The Ground Fault Accident
A ground fault accident occurs when a person touches or grasps and
electrically energized object while the feet or other body parts are in
contact with the ground or a grounded surface
In some cases, a ground fault accident occurs when the opposite hand
touches the ground or a grounded object
o Ground Fault Accident Example: A woman was putting up her
Christmas tree. When she went to plug in the strands of lights,
her finger was touching the metal prong on the plug. Her other
hand was touching a metal coffee table leg for support. The
current went through her body, as a result, causing cardiac
arrest and death.
o Electrical Shock Example: A worker came out of the bathroom
with her hands dripping wet, and reached down to plug in a
lamp. She got a shock but survived. The same worker was
cleaning walls with a sponge and a bucket of soapy water. Not
paying attention, she washed over an outlet, which also gave
 her a shock. The shock was intensive enough to stop her
breathing. She survived this time as well.
Ground-Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCIs)
GFCIs are to be used when using electrical equipment in a wet
environment or outdoors
GFCIs are designed to detect any leakage of current in an electrical
circuit
GFCIs turn off or trip the circuit whenever the leakage is greater than
5/1000 of an ampere
For comparison, two 60 Watt light bulbs draw a total of 1 Ampere
current
Three types of GFCIs
o GFCI receptacle used in place of standard receptacle
o Portable GFCI similar to extension cords, but GFCI enabled
o GFCI circuit breaker combination of leakage current detection
with the function of a circuit breaker
Electrical Burns
o Most common non-fatal electrical injury
o Types:
Internal deep tissue
Skin entry and exit points
Arc flash burns from heat and radiant energy
o Common sites of visible skin burns are the hands and feet
o Circuits may produce electrical burns with relatively massive amounts of tissue
destruction by heating the tissues
o This is due to the physical property of friction from the passage of electrons and by
destruction of cell membranes by producing holes in the membranes
Electrical burns example: A worker was mounting a large mirror onto the wall of
an office. He was using a metal power tool which accidentally severed a wire
causing a shock and massive burns. The victim exhibited deep tissue destruction
along the entire current path, along with surface tissue damage at the point of
entry and exit
Falls
o Involuntary muscle contractions can throw workers and cause falls
o If working at elevation, the fall may cause serious injury or death
Fall due to electricity example: A worker fell from the top of a 12-story building
and landed on the concrete below. A short-circuited electric drill was found
dangling from the buildings top floor. Detectives discovered that the grounding
prong was missing from the drills plug. A nail was lodged in the rubber tread of
the work boot, allowing electricity to flow through the victims body to the
 ground. The electrical current caused muscle contractions strong enough to
throw the man from the building, resulting in death.
Electrical Fire
o In the United States, 25% of fires are caused by electricity
o A build-up of dust, trash and spider webs increases the potential for fire to start in the
electrical system
o Unprotected light bulbs in work areas are another potential hazard. They can be hit,
broken and cause fire
o Electrical wiring can be hit when drilling holes or driving nails in walls causing electrical
fire.
o Many fires result from defects in, or misuse of the power delivery system
o Wiring often fails due to faulty installation, overloading, physical damage, aging, and
deterioration by chemical action, heat, moisture, and weather.
o Such wiring should be replaced and new circuits installed
o Typical home and office electric al systems run like this:
The electrical service enters the house and connects to a main electrical panel
From the main electrical panel, wires run in different directions throughout the
house/building to power lights, outlets, ceiling fans, air conditioners, and
various other direct-wired electrical appliances
When electricity flows through a wire, the wire heats up because of its
resistance to the flow of electrical current
Both the size of the wire and how many electrical devices on the circuit are
drawing electricity affect the amount of heat generated in the wire
This is why electrical fuses or circuit breakers are used in the main electrical
panel. Their function is to sense the overloading of circuits ( and short circuits)
and shut off power to the branch circuit before the wires get too hot and start a
fire.
To keep the wire from getting too hot and starting a fire, circuit wiring attempts
to contain the amount of electrical load on the branch circuit by limiting the
number of potential electrical appliances that can be running at the same time
on the circuit.
The homeowner or worker can plug in and run too many appliances on the
same circuit at one time and overload the circuit
Each circuit must be protected by a fuse or circuit breaker that will blow or
trip when its safe carrying capacity is surpassed
If a fuse blows or circuit breaker trips repeatedly while in normal use (not
overloaded), check for shorts and other faults in the line or devices
Do not resume use until the trouble is fixed
It is hazardous to overload electrical circuits by using extension cords and multi-
plug outlets
Use extension cords only when necessary and make sure they are heavy enough
for the job
 Avoid creating an octopus connection by inserting several plugs into a multi-
plug outlet connected to a single wall outlet
Dimmed lights, reduced output from heaters and poor television pictures are all
symptoms of an overloaded circuit
Keep the total load at any one time safely below maximum capacity
When using a high wattage device such as heater, iron or power tool, turn off all
unnecessary lights and devices
Try to connect into a circuit with little electrical power demand
Property damage is a primary event resulting from fire
Injuries and fatalities may result from fire (secondary event)
Electrical fire example: A fire broke out in a student dorm room. A drop cord
was found to be the cause. The cord had been damaged by the bed post, leaving
frayed wires. The power ran through a spare breaker because the circuit was
very hot. The fire was detected by the smoke and heat detectors and help
arrived in time for the fire to be extinguished. No injuries, but damaged the wall
and carpet.

ELECTRICAL HAZARD CONTROL

Extension cords should only be used on a temporary basis in situations where fixed wiring is not
feasible
DO NOT use extension cords as permanent wiring. They may not be able to carry the load
However, if it is necessary to use an extension cord, never run it across walkways or aisles
o It causes potential tripping hazard
o It wears down insulation
Wall receptacles should be designed and installed so that no current-carrying parts will be
exposed, and outlet plates should be kept tight to eliminate the possibility of shock
Replace or repair electrical appliances that overheated, sparked, shorted, smoked, or have
damaged cords or cracked equipment
If wires are exposed, they may cause a shock to a worker when it comes to contact with them
Cords should not be hung on nails, run over or wrapped around objects, knotted or twisted. This
may break the wire insulation
Short circuit are usually caused by bare wires touching due to breakdown of insulation
Electrical tape or any other kind of tape is not adequate
Cords in areas of water or other conductive liquids must be approved for those locations
When the outer jacket of a cord is damaged, the cord may no longer water-resistant
The insulation can absorb moisture, which may than result in a short circuit or excessive current
leakage to the ground
These cords should be replaced immediately
Electric cords should be examined on a regular basis for fraying and exposed wiring
Electrical cords should be examined visually before use on any shift for external defects such as:
o Fraying and exposed wiring
 o Loose parts
o Deformed or missing parts
o Damage to outer jacket or insulation
o Evidence of internal damage such as pinched or crushed outer jacket
If any defects are found, electric cords should be removed from service immediately
Pull the plug of an appliance not the cord, pulling the cord could break a wire, causing a short
circuit
Plug your microwave or any other large appliances into an outlet that is not shared with other
appliances
Do not tamper with fuse as this is a potential fire hazard
Do not overload circuits as this may cause the wires to heat and ignite insulation or other
combustibles
Keep office equipment properly cleaned and maintained
Ensure lamps are free from contact with flammable material
Always use light bulbs with the recommended wattage for your lamp and ceiling fixtures
Be aware of the odor of burning plastic or wire
Always follow the manufacturer recommendations when using or installing new office
equipment
Wiring installations should always be made by a licensed electrician or other qualified person
All electrical appliances should have the label of a testing laboratory
Water is very conductive
Overloading
Missing/removed grounding prong
Missing/removed outlet cover
Electrical tape is not a fixed/permanent insulation replacement
Pinched cord
Damaged casing