Basic Electrical Safety Awareness

Basic Electrical Safety - What is it?
Basic Electrical Safety is a very important part of everyday life, but what has become an integral part of today’s modern world can harm you - or even kill you! Two of the most common causes of today’s electrical accidents, such as electrical shock, is (1) lack of education, and/or (2) lack of appreciation of basic electrical safety practices. Electrocutions (death by electric shock) occur when victims aren’t aware of basic electrical safety, or these victims do possess knowledge of basic electrical safety but they proceed anyway in spite of existing electrical dangers.

Basic Electrical Safety -- What Are The Risks?
Electrical dangers can occur very easily, which is why basic electrical safety must be practiced. Electrical accidents can happen when victims use unsafe or defective tools. Also, sometimes victims fail to de-energize, or do not exercise proper lockout and tagout procedures during electrical equipment repair, inspections or maintenance. Hence, they subject themselves to electrical danger. Another reason accidents occur is that some workers are elevated in a position that has allowed them to accidentally contact overhead power lines, resulting in electrocution. At home, basic electrical accidents occur when outlets are overloaded with too many appliances or when a third prong (ground pin) on a three-pronged plug is removed in an attempt to fit the plug into a two-pronged outlet. This allows the faulted current to flow into a person, instead of traveling through the ground pin to the house's electrical grounding system.

Using defective electrical equipment can also lead to electrical accidents. Faulty insulations, loose connections, defective parts, improper grounding or using home-made extension cords can make a simple procedure turn into a trip to the hospital.

Basic Electrical Safety – Why practice basic electrical safety?
Burns, physical injuries or damages to the nervous system are caused when electricity travels through your body and connects to its originating source. Electricity can travel via hand-to-hand, hand-to-foot or take a route through the heart thus damaging the most important organ in your body.

Basic Electrical Safety – How can I practice basic electrical safety?
Here are a few ways to improve your Basic Electrical Safety:

• Minimize your risk to static shock:
  • Avoid cleaning your computer monitor or your television screen while turned on, an injury can occur
• Follow OSHA or CSA Basic Electrical Safety work practices:
  • Electrical shock can occur while you’re at work, so avoid wet working conditions and use proper wiring and connectors.
  • Use ground-fault circuit interrupters because they can detect ground faults (identify where exactly electricity is leaking).
  • Having a basic electrical safety plan at work is also great basic electrical safety.
• Use safe equipment:
  • Don’t use damaged or modified equipment and always use equipment correctly (according to the manufacturer’s specifications)