Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
8/19/2009
www.nationalsafetyinc.com
Electricity is an integral part of our lives and one that we take for granted most of the time. We flip a
switch and the light comes on; we don’t think about it, we just flip the switch. And it is this familiarity
that can, if we aren’t careful, become dangerous.
The truth is that almost 600 people each year get killed by electricity and thousands are injured, some
seriously; some in ways that leave them crippled for life. Electrocutions are the fourth most common
cause of death in the workplace. Like a tiger cub that has grown up, we tend to be so “used to”
electricity that we can easily forget how dangerous it can be.
Understanding the nature of electricity and the potential hazards involved is crucial for a safe handling
of the power we live with daily. Electrical Safety training isn’t just for electricians.
Page 2
© National Safety, Inc.
www.nationalsafetyinc.com
1. The path that the current takes as it travels through the body. One of the reasons that
electricity is so often fatal is that the point of entry and the point of exit usually goes through
the heart. The point of entry is usually a hand. The electrical current exits through whichever
point of the body is grounded. This is usually the foot which is in contact with the ground or
some other point of contact or the other hand which is touching something else. The heart is
right in the middle of both of these paths.
2. The amount of current that travels through the body
3. The amount of time that the current is in the body. The longer the currant is in the body the
more damage it inflicts.
The soft tissues in the body, partly because of the high water content, are the most affected. This means
that the greatest damage is done to vital organs like the heart, the liver, etc…
As little as 3 milliamps will result in shock. By 10 milliamps or so the body will start having muscular
contractions. By 30 milliamps the person will start experiencing respiratory paralysis, by 50 heart
paralysis. Anything over this has a high chance of being fatal. At 75 milliamps the heart can go into
fibrillation which brings about death unless a defibrillator is used in time. Tissue burning and scalding is
also present above 4-5 amps.
A simple Google image search under “Electrical Burns” will turn up enough photos to drive home the
severity of this form of injury (Not a recommended search for those with weak stomachs)
Additionally, because the softer tissue is beneath the skin (dry skin is a very poor conductor. Moisture in
the skin, however, rapidly increases the conductivity) many of these burns happen under the skin and
aren’t visible until imaging and other medical techniques are used.
Indirect Injuries
In addition to the direct injuries we have what we are calling “indirect injuries”. Indirect injuries are
injuries that are caused by trauma as a result spasms or falls causes by an electrical jolt. Because
electricity causes muscles spasms and because people react to electrical shock, many of the injuries are
not a direct result of the electrical current but rather because of a fall or blow due to the reaction to the
shock.
Page 3
© National Safety, Inc.
www.nationalsafetyinc.com
Falls are the most common of these. A worker who gets an electric shock falls and injures himself or kills
himself as a result of the fall. Other reactions to the shock can cause a worker to injury himself by
slamming into an object, dropping equipments or tools.
In this category of indirect injuries we also need to list fires. Electrical shorts cause over 2,000 deaths
each year as well as billions of dollars of property damage. Especially susceptible are older homes with
old and faulty wiring.
Page 4
© National Safety, Inc.
www.nationalsafetyinc.com
Additional Resources:
- http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/electrical/index.html - The OSHA site with a ton of information on all
things related to electrical safety.
- http://esfi.org – The home of the Electrical Safety Foundation International.
- http://www.elec-toolbox.com/Safety/safety.htm - The Electrician’s Toolbox Etc… website
Page 5
© National Safety, Inc.