Working with electrical devices and installations carries the risk of exposure to various dangers. The effect of electric current on the human body may be direct, when the current flows through the body, or indirect, which may result in various types of thermal, mechanical or other injuries, not necessarily related to the flow of current through the body. Potential hazards include the risk of electric shock, explosion, fire, poisoning caused by the use of harmful materials in electrical installations and devices, as well as blinding caused by an electric arc during a short circuit, and many others.

In the work of electricians, there is also a risk of hazards related to the impact of electromagnetic fields on the human body. However, the most serious danger associated with the use of electricity is the risk of electric shock. This risk is present in all electrical devices whose operating voltage exceeds the permissible values ​​of safe voltages.

The safe voltage in normal environmental conditions is 50V for alternating current and 120V for direct current, and in special conditions it is 25V and 60V, respectively.

Infection may occur in the case of the so-called direct contact, i.e. when a person has direct contact with the active part, i.e. a conductive element that is normally energized during operation of the device.

Another potential source of infection may be the so-called indirect contact, which involves touching a conductive element (e.g. a housing) that is not part of the electrical circuit but unexpectedly becomes a source of touch voltage, often due to damage to the insulation that normally provides basic protection. The degree and scale of electric shock depend mainly on the current intensity, the time during which the current flows through the human body, the frequency of the current and the route of the current in the human body.

The effects of electric shock are usually serious for the human body, manifesting themselves in breathing and heart problems, burns both internally and on the skin, and permanent tissue degradation. This danger can also lead to tragic consequences, including potential death. Moreover, sometimes there are cases of various mechanical injuries resulting from falling or dropping an object at the time of shock.

For this reason, there is an urgent need to minimize the risk of infestation by applying appropriate technical and organizational measures to keep it at an acceptably low level.

Technical measures constituting appropriate protection against electric shock include:

• means of protection against direct contact (basic protection) providing protection against shocks from operating (phase) voltages;
• means of protection against indirect touch (protection against damage) protecting against shocks due to touch voltages.

Technical protective equipment also includes personal protective equipment, used mainly in maintenance and renovation works, switching operations and measurement activities.

The following are used to protect against electric shock:

• electrical insulating gloves;
• electrically insulating footwear;
• eye and face protection equipment protecting against electric arc resulting from a short circuit;
• protective helmets.

The importance of personal protective equipment is particularly great during renovation and maintenance work on electrical equipment and networks, because in these cases they are often the only means of protection.

Source:https://www.seka.pl/zagrozenie-prazaniem-pradem/

Supported by Norway through Norway Grants 2014-2021, in the frame of the Programme “Social Dialogue – Decent Work”.