Chapter (6)

Safety Precautions and Safety Procedures

for maintenance of circuit Breakers
Electric Shokcs
Electricity is dangerous. However, it is very useful and has become essential.
Hence everyone should know the safety precautions to be taken while working with
an. electrical device or while maintaining an electrical device. Careless use of
electricity is dangerous.
The electric shock of even 50 Volts a.c. can be dangerous in, the wet
surroundings. Several, deaths take place, every year due to electric shocks at -230
Volts a.c.' residential buildings particularly in wet surroundings like bath room. Once,
the, person, comes in good contact with a live part and is in touch with - wetground,
he cannot get separated from the live part and his musceles get paralysed and he gets
electrocuted.
The resistance of dry skin of human body (between tip -of left-hand finger and
right hand finger) is; of the order of 100,000 ohms.
However, when the hands are wet this may drop to below 5000 ohms. Similarly
the resistance of the skin of feet is high when dry and low when wet.
Hence wet surroundings are dangerous.

The affect of electric shock on human body: The affect of electric shock
depends upon the voltage,., current and duration and also the path of flow of current
through, the heart, the situation is most dangerous. The effects are as, follows :

Magnitude of Current Effect

Below 10 10 milli-amps - Mild sensation, but not painful
10 mA to 15 mA - Painful shock but Muscles still in control
15 mA to 20 mA - Muscle control affected
20 mA to 40 mA - Muscle contractions, Breathing affected .
40 mA to 80 mA - Rapid, unco-ordinated series of contractions of
heart muscle causing irregular heart beat
(fibrilation) and possible death.
Above 100 mA - Severe burns, muscular contrac tions, stoppage of
heart. Death certain.

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 AC voltage has more peak value than d.c. voltage of . same level hence it is more
dangerous.
If the contact is of a very short duration due to throwing off of the person, the lile
is saved.
The immediate action if a person has been attached to live part due to
shock:
- Switch off the supply.
- Remove the person from the live part by means of insulating bars.
- Give artificial respiration to the person
- Call the doctor.
The precautions to' be taken while maintaining/testing/commissioning
electrical equipment.
Safety Procedures
1. Follow the safety rules faithfully.
2. Take permission from authorised person for doing specific work.
3. Make sure to switch-off the supply, from both ends. The switching-off "I and
switching-on should be as per safety rules and with prior permission of the
authorised person.
The repair/maintenance work of High Voltage Apparatus should not be undertaken
unless the apparatus is made DEAD and Isolators are open and locked.
4. Place caution, notices and Danger notices near' the work place and, near the
switching terminals.
WATCH! DONT SWITCH-ON
MEN AT WORK

DANGER VOLTAGE
DONT TOUCH
5. Keep barriers, ropes around the section under maintenance to clearly indicate
maintenance zone and boundary of the neighbouring live zone.
6. Earth the various metallic parts of structures, bus sections, conducting parts etc. at
two or more places before commencing the maintenance work.

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7. Be familiar with main circuit and auxiliary supply circuits. Switch off both.
The recommended precautions to be taken before working on High Voltage
Apparatus. (Above 650 V).
No person shall undertake any repairs, maintenance, cleaning, alteration or such work,
on any 'part of High Voltage Apparatus unless such parts of the apparatus are Dead ;
Isolated and all particable steps taken to lock off from live ,conductors ;
Efficiently connected to earth at all points of disconnections of -supply to such
apparatus, or between such points, and the point(s) of work ; Caution Notices fixed
Screened where necessary to prevent Danger and Danger Notices fixed
Released for work by the issue of a Termit-to-Work or Sanction-for- Test ;
and unless such person is fully conversant with the nature and .-also the extent of
the work to be done.
It is the duty of the person issuing the Permit-to-Work or Sanction- for-Test to
ensure that the foregoing provisions are ,complied with.
(a) Cleaning and painting of earthed metal enclosures, connections of circuits to or
from live high voltage systems live line testing and live insulator washing may be
carried out but only in accordance with the Special instructions relating to these
purposes issued by the Chief Engineer of the Electricity Board concerned.
(b) Live L hie Work on high voltage overhead lines may beout in accordance "with
rule.
(c) where the design of apparatus precludes the strict compliance with all details of
these precautions, the work shall be carried out to the instructions of a Senior
Authorised Person who must be present, and after agreement with the Control
Engineer.
8. Check the Safety Clearance8 between nearest five points and other physical
objects handled during maintenance (e.g. ladders, platforms9 lifting devices,
metal-bars, etc.). Safety clearances must always be, maintained. Otherwise the
flashovers can result.
9. Recommended precautions to be taken before working on Medium and Low
Voltage systems.
Medium Voltage 250 V to 6.50 VLow Voltage below 250 V
Precautions to be taken before working on Medium and Low Voltage Systems.
The consequences of shock or serious burns from short circuit associated with medium
or low voltage systems may be serious or, in some circumstances, fatal. Wherever

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practicable, therefore, work on Medium and low Voltage Apparatus conductors and
equipment shall be done while they are, dead and earthed.
When working on dead Medium and Low Voltage Apparatus suitable precautions
should be taken by screening or other means avoid danger for inadvertent contact
with live conductors within the working zone.
It is not always possible to make dead or earth Medium and Low Voltage
Apparatus. All work on Medium and Low Voltage Apparatus must be carried out
as if it were live unless. it is proved dead.
When working on live Medium and Low VoltageApparatus suitable precautions
should be taken by screening or other means to avoid danger from inadvertent contact
with live conductors of earthed metalwork.
Work on live, Medium and Low Voltage Apparatus. conductors or equipment
should be undertaken only by a Competent Person.
Note. Attention is. drawn to the fact that-, certain statutory requirements prohibit work
on live medium and low voltage apparatus, conductors or equipment.

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Example of a typical form for electrical maintenance access to work
(Permission to approach the work place)

TYPICAL Form: ACCESS-TO-WORK

THE ............. STATE ELECTRICITY BOARD
OFFICE OF SUPERINTENDING ENGINEER
O AND M DIVISION

ACCES TO WORK.
Permit No .............
To, ........................................................................................................................
.....
(Name) (Designation)
in the employment
of .................................................................................................. is hereby
granted permission to carry out work described below.
Location .................................................................................................................
.....
Work .....................................................................................................................
....
......................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................
........................

NO OTHER WORK SHALL BE CARRIED OUT

Remarks ................................................................................................................
..... ................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................
..................

*Appropriate Control Engineer notified

Time ...................Date......................

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 Signed....................................................................................................................
.....
being a person authorised to issue this card.
Time ...................Date......................

Example of a typical form, for Permit- to- work.

TYPICAL Form: PERMIT-TO-WORK

THE ............. STATE ELECTRICITY BOARD
OFFICE OF SUPERINTENDING ENGINEER
O AND M DIVISION
Permit No .............
To, ........................................................................................................................
.....
(Name) (Designation)
in the employment
of ..................................................................................................
I hereby declare that it is safe to work on following HV Apparatus, which is Dead,
Isolated and Earthed:
......................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................
............ .........................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................
.........................
NO OTHER APPARATUS SHOULD BE CONSIDERED SAFE
The apparatus is efficiently earthed at following points
......................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................
............
Following Precautions are
recommended .................................................................. .............................................
......................................................................................................................................

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......................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................
Following Work is to be carried out:
......................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................
..................
Scheduled Time: From..............................................
To............................................
Signed ....................................................................................................................
.....
(Name) (Designation)
Time ...................Date......................

The Safety clearances for electrical maintenance work

Clearance to earth is defined as the shortest distance between -conductor and
nearest earth point.

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Fig (6.1)

Ground Clearance of an equipment is defined as the distance between the highest

earthed part of the equipment and the ground.
The live point is at a certain voltage (V) above earth. The -various points in the air
between the live point and the earth at different voltages starting from V at conductor
surface to 0 at -earth. This voltage distribution in air is normally not visualised by
untrained persons.
Refer to Fig. (6.1) A physical object A away from conductor is subjected to only
0.08 V whereas an object is near the conductor subjected to a voltage of 0*5 V across
its length.
Further if the object is of conducting material, the voltage V appears across
clearance and the gap may flashover.
To avoid such possibility, a safe clearance should be maintained between the line
conductors and nearest objects such as, platforms, ladders, tools, persons, physical
objects to avoid flashovers.

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 Fig (6.2)

When. the conductors are Live, the minimum clearances to bemaintained depend
upon the voltage of conductors.
Rated voltage Minimum safe clearance
kV ph. to ph. rms Metres Feet
>6.6 kV 2.57 8.5
>6.6 kV 11 kV 2.59 8.5
>11 kV 22 kV 2.64 8.75
>22 kV 33 kV 2.75 9
>33 kV 66 kV 3.00 9.75
>66 kV 132 kV 3.43 11.25
>132 kV 245 kV 4.57 15
>245 kV 400 kV 5.48 18

There ore instances when persons who are in their working place in the factory
experience momentary electric shock in theirwork place. The investigations of such
shocks reveal&, the, following.-, possibilities :
1. The shock originates in sparking between live part and neighbouring metal part
such as cabinets, structures, piping work etc. due to poor insulation or reduced
clearance. The sparking may be momentary.
The metal parts are continuously connected through structural frame-work, water
piping, earthing matt, foundation plates.
During the spark-overs, the persons in contact with the metal structures etc. get a
shock.
2. High voltage conductors are capacitively coupled with the earth. Each conductor
and ground is at certain potential with respect to ground under certain conditions

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 the person may touch intermediate point which is at a potential with respect to
ground and get a shock. (Fig. 6.2).
3. The capacitance of apparatus (particularly capacitors, bushings, windings etc.) gets
charged and remains charged even after disconnection from supply. A person
touching such apparatus gets a shock. Before working on the apparatus, the parts
should be earthed capacitors should be discharged.

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