IOSH MANAGING SAFELY

Preventing Accidents & Incidents in the Oil & Gas Sector

in partnership with
TOBY CLARK BSc FIOSH
AIEMA MCot Cert Ed

IOSH MANAGING SAFELY

Electrical Safety

MODULE 2

Electricity
To enable electricity to flow there needs to be a
complete circuit between two terminals normally
made by using wires known as conductors. Voltage
pushes the electricity through the wires.
Current is the flow of electrons through a conductor.
The faster the current, the more power is generated
Resistance and Impedance stop the current from
flowing too quickly
Ohms Law: Voltage (V) = current (I) multiplied by
the circuit impedance (Z)

OHMS LAW
VOLTS ( V )

V=IxR
I=V/R
R=I/V

AMPS ( I )

RESISTANCE ( R )

Basic Electrical Circuitry

Circuits
Earthing
Direct current
Alternating current

DC supply
from battery

Resistance
or load

Dangers of Electricity
Effects on the body
ELECTRIC SHOCK resulting from the flow of
electricity through nerves, muscles and organs
causing:
Muscular contractions
Respiratory failure
Fibrillation of the heart
Cardiac arrest
Internal burns

Electricity at Work Regs. 1989

Defines causes of injury as:
1 Shock
2 Burns
3 Arcs
4 Fires of electrical origin
5 Explosions of electrical origin
Does not include consequential injury e.g. falls resulting
from shock

Common voltages

12V, 24V, 36V battery powered equipment

110V (55V centre tapped) site equipment
230V single phase mains supply
415V 3-phase supply greater power
700 1000V third rail supply
25KV overhead catenary railway supply
11kV 400kV electricity Grid

Pole-mounted transformer

Grid substation

Transformer
Doha City
Incorrectly
sized enclosure!

Padlocked!

Safe by
position

Dangers of Electricity
The severity of electric shock is proportional to
current flow and depends on:
conductivity (opposite of resistance)
voltage
duration
state of the point of contact with the body,
particularly moisture content
Also: whether direct or alternating current (and its
frequency)

Dangers of Electricity
Direct shock contact with a charged or
energised conductor that is intended to be so
charged or energised, i.e. the installation is
in its normal condition
Indirect shock contact with a conductor
that is normally at a safe potential but has
become dangerously live through a fault
condition.

Earth-fault loop
Fault current to
earth via body

Flow across chest

involves breathing
muscles and
cardiac arrest

Class 1 metal
bodied
equipment

Earth return pathway

Dangers of Electricity
Effects of current flowing in the human body
Current
0.1(mA)

Length of time
not critical

1-15(mA)

not critical

15-30(mA)

minutes

30-50(mA)

seconds to
minutes

Likely effects
Threshold of feeling.
Undetected by person
Threshold of cramp.
Cant let go
cramplike pulling
together of arms, breathing difficult.
Limit of tolerance
Strong cramplike effects, loss of
consciousness due to restricted
breathing. Cardiac fibrillation

Dangers of Electricity
Current
50-500(mA)

Length of time
<one heart
period (750mS)
>one heart period

Over 500

<one heart period

Likely effects
No fibrillation. Strong
shock effects
Fibrillation. Loss of
consciousness. Burn
marks
Fibrillation. Loss of
consciousness. Burn
marks

Dangers of Electricity
Secondary Effects of Electric Shock
Involuntary muscular reaction may cause
strained muscles/torn ligaments
Falls
If working at height, fall can be fatal

Dangers of Electricity
Electrical Burns
Burns are likely to be most severe at locations along
the path of the current where the resistance is
greatest. Burns usually occur on the surface of the
skin at points of contact i.e where the current
enters and exits the body, but high currents can
create internal burns which cause damage to red
blood cells and muscle tissue. Deep seated and
slow to heal

Exit wounds

Entry wound

First Aid
Quick medical attention
Disconnect current
Rescuer must not make contact with
anything that is live
Artificial respiration until qualified medical
help arrives
Personnel trained in resuscitation

Fires
Fires of electrical origin can be caused in several
ways:
Leakage of current due to poor or inadequate
insulation, poor connections
Overheating of electrical equipment
Incorrect fuse rating
Overheating of flammable materials too close to
electrical equipment
Mechanical damage eg adaptors damaging sockets

Heating Effect of an Electric Current

High resistance due to:
a)

H = I2 x R

generally underrated equipment

b) Local hotspots
dirty connections,
frayed, cut or
stretched wires etc.

Heating effect
in Watts

Square of
current flow

Resistance

Note also: Watts = Volts x Amps (W = V x I)

Switchrooms should never be

used as stores. Particularly
not for flammables!

Explosion
Ignition of a flammable substance such as
gas, dust, liquid of vapour by an electric
arc, spark or hot surface
Explosion of electrical equipment due to
excessive currents or prolonged internal
arcing faults

Inductive Loop Heating

Uncoiled electrical cables generate heat within
themselves and may melt down under load.
Cable reels should always be fully run out
Cables to appliances, especially cookers and washing
machines should be uncoiled and run tidily

Electric Arcs
An electric arc is a high temperature electrical
discharge between two electrodes in close
proximity. The energy released is in the form of
heat and light. This extremely high temperature
can result in the conductor melting. If this
phenomenon is controlled it has great benefits for
industry i.e. electric arc welding. However,
uncontrolled it can lead to molten metal being
discharged or the light (UV radiation) produced
can cause burns and arc eye

We dont know which picture is before and which is after!

Safe operation near overhead power lines

Safe by
position?

Dial before you Dig

cable plan available
free of charge from
electricity Board

Gas plan
contact
Transco

Cable detecting
equipment
CAT Scanner
sometimes used
with a portable
signal generator
Cat & Jenny

Bar code system identifies appliance

Portable appliance labelling system to conform with

electricity at Work Regs. 1989

Selection of suitable equipment

Evaluation of suitability of construction of
electrical systems should consider: The manufacturers recommendations
The likely load and fault conditions
The probable use of the system
The need for suitable electrical protection
devices
The environmental conditions

Dodgy plug connection

Domestic standard equipment
240V equipment

Jet washing safe system of work?

Protective Systems
Fuse weak link (low resistance) in a circuit which by
design overheats and melts if the current exceeds the
safe limit thereby cutting off the power supply. Protects
the equipment
Fuse rating is calculated by: Amps = Power
Volts
Too slow to protect people
Easy to replace with wrong rating
Needs a tool to replace
Easy to override

Cartridge fuses for 3 amp plugs

Sealed safety plug

Fuse rating should

be matched to the
appliance

Intact
fuse

Blown fuse

Protective Systems
Circuit breaker mechanical device in the
form of a switch which automatically opens
if the circuit is overloaded. Protects the
equipment

Miniature Circuit Breaker (MCB)

Advantages over
a fuse:
1 More reliable
2 Resettable

Protective Systems
Reduced Voltages used in harsh environments
such as construction sites 110 volt centre-tapped
transformer is recommended
The maximum shock voltage to earth is 55 volts
Lower voltage systems called Safety Extra Low
Voltage (SELV) are those in which the voltage
does not exceed 50 volts - used in swimming
pools/vehicle washing areas

Transformer from 240V to 110V (Centre tapped at 55V).

Note robust water and dirt resistant connections

Protective systems
Battery Powered
The common method is to use a
rechargeable battery to power the
equipment. It eliminates the need for a
cable to feed power to the equipment and
gives a greater flexibility of use for the user

Cordless drills operating at

24V or 36V are powerful and
safe

Battery pack
Charger unit

Why are these

situations especially
dangerous?

Residual current device protecting high risk equipment

RCD is a sensitive trip

device that limits shock
current to 30mA for
30mS

Class 1 (metal bodied) equipment

Relies on integrity of earth
connection for safety

Class 2 all insulated, double

insulated equipment
Relies on insulation of the
casing for safety.
No earth wire is needed

Protective Systems
Double Insulation
Equipment which is double insulated will
carry this symbol:

Equipotential bonding of
water pipes

All conductive surfaces

e.g. stainless steel
sinktops are bonded
together and connected
as a ring main to the
earthing point of the
transformer so that
they can never become
electrically live

Protective Systems
Insulation/Enclosure of Live Parts (IP
Rating)
Enclosure suitable for the environment
Not allow ingress of water, swarf or dust
Equipment is classified by the degree of
protection the greater the numeric value,
the greater the degree of protection

Static Electricity
Energy needed to ignite petrol vapour
= 0.02mJ
Energy in a clothing-generated static spark
= 0.2mJ