Electrical Safety Facts

People are injured or killed by electricity every year. Whether on a work site or in the home, electricity can be deadly. However, proper safety precautions can reduce the occurrence of electrical shock or electrocution dramatically. Understanding the dangers of electricity, how to respond in an emergency and proper safety procedures will go a long way in preventing injury or death caused by this powerful force.

Amps and Volts

• Electrical current is the deadly part of electricity. Voltage, despite the misconception, does not kill, although higher voltage is often associated with higher current. Milliamperes (mA or amps) is the measure of electrical current that is forced through the body during electric shock.

  When the level of milliamperes reaches above 15mA, it can be a potentially dangerous situation. However, a current above 50mA is very dangerous and currents above 100mA are often fatal because the electricity can cause ventricular fibrillation. Currents of more than 200mA can cause severe burns and heart stoppage.

Proper Emergency Response

• When a person experiences a severe electrical shock with more than 15mA of current, the muscles near the point of shock cannot be controlled. This means that in many cases the victim cannot let go of the electrical source.

  The proper way to conduct first aid in the event of an electrical shock is to shut off the current. If there is a plug or switch available, someone should immediately turn it off. No one should make direct contact with the victim while he is still connected to the current, as the body will transmit the current to the responder as well.

  Using a wooden board or leather belt or another non-conductive item to pull the victim away from the current may be necessary if there is no quick or safe way to turn off the current. The responder should immediately check to see if the person is breathing and begin CPR if not. Calling 911 immediately is also necessary.

Lockout and Tagout

• Lockout and tagout is a safety procedure used on work sites when repairs or maintenance are being performed on electrical equipment. To ensure the safety of the people working, someone should cut off the power to the object being repaired or maintained before the job begins and then lock access to the power source to prevent the reconnection of power. A tag is then placed on the lock to indicate the dangers of turning the power back on during the work. This is an Occupational Safety and Health Administration procedure.

Service Panels

• When working with fuses or other items within the service panel or fuse box, always turn off the main power switch. Turning off the main switch will cut power to the rest of the service panel while work is done and will prevent accidental electric shock during the process.

Childproofing

• When children are in the home, it is a good idea to prevent them from tampering with electrical outlets. Kids are somehow fascinated with the outlets on the wall, likely because they are on their level when crawling around. The holes in the outlets are inviting for children to stick objects or fingers into. The shock the child will receive from these outlets can be very dangerous. Placing childproofing plugs in all open outlets could save a life.