Topic 1

Electricity and Safety

1.1 Transmission of Electricity
1.2 Electrical Safety and Practices
1.3 Grounding and Circuit Protection Device

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1.1 Transmission of Electricity

[Link]

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1.2 Electrical Safety and Practices
When working in the electrical laboratory/workshop or when using electrical equipment,
observing proper safety precautions is very important. Failure to do so can cause a person to be
the victim of a serious accident.

Electric Shock
 When electric current is passed through human body, the physiological effect that it causes
is called electric shock.

 The lethal aspect of electric shock is a function of the amount of current that is forced
through the human conducting path and time. It is not necessarily dependent on the value
of the applied voltage. A shock from 100 V may turn out to be as deadly as a shock from
1000V. The amount of current is dependent on voltage and resistance of the human body.

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1.2 Electrical Safety and Practices
Electric Shock
 In general, the level of current required to kill any human is remarkably small. The threshold
of perception of current in most humans is about 1 mA. At levels above 10 mA, current
passing through the body begins to cause involuntary muscular contractions. Owing to these
spasms, the victim loses the ability to control muscles. The victim is unable to release the
grip on the electrical conductor being held. For this reason, such a current level is called
“can’t let go” current. If it is sustained, “can’t let go” current can lead to fatigue, collapse,
and even death.

 If the current level flowing in the body exceeds 100 mA, it begins to interfere with the
coordinated motion of the heart. This fibrillation prevents the heart from pumping blood,
and death will occur in minutes unless the fibrillation is stopped.

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1.2 Electrical Safety and Practices
Electric Shock
 Above 300 mA, the heart's muscular contractions are so severe that fibrillation is prevented.
If the shock is halted quickly enough, the heart will probably resume a normal rhythm. In
such cases, breathing may have stopped, and artificial respiration may have to be applied. If
proper first aid is provided, the shock may not be fatal, even though severe burns may have
resulted.

 The best method for protecting oneself from hazard of shock when using electrical
equipment and instruments is to rely on proper grounding of the equipment in used. In
addition to good grounding techniques, one should avoid handling equipment that has
exposed wires or conductors. Always try to shut off power when touching any circuits.
Furthermore, always wear shoes to insulate yourself further from ground.

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1.2 Electrical Safety and Practices
Electric Shock
 Table 1.1 shows the BODILY EFFECT DIRECT CURRENT (DC) 60 Hz AC 10 kHz AC
bodily effects of humans Slight sensation felt at Men = 1.0 mA 0.4 mA 7 mA
to the amount electric hand(s) Women = 0.6 mA 0.3 mA 5 mA
current passing through Threshold of perception Men = 5.2 mA 1.1 mA 12 mA
the body. Keep in mind Women = 3.5 mA 0.7 mA 8 mA
that these figures are Painful, but voluntary muscle Men = 62 mA 9 mA 55 mA
only approximate, as control maintained Women = 41 mA 6 mA 37 mA
individuals with different Painful, unable to let go of Men = 76 mA 16 mA 75 mA
body chemistry may wires Women = 51 mA 10.5 mA 50 mA
react differently. Severe pain, difficulty Men = 90 mA 23 mA 94 mA
breathing Women = 60 mA 15 mA 63 mA
Possible heart fibrillation Men = 500 mA 100 mA
after 3 seconds Women = 500 mA 100 mA

Table 1.1
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1.2 Electrical Safety and Practices
Basic First Aid for Electric Shock
 The first step in aiding a victim of electric shock is to try and shut off the power to the
conductor with which the victim is in contact.

 If the attempt is not successful and the victim is still receiving a shock, break the contact of
the victim and the source of electricity without endangering yourself. Do this by using an
insulator (such as a piece of dry wood, rope, cloth or leather) to pull or separate the victim
and the live conductor.

 Do not touch the victim with bare hands as long as the victim is electrified. Even momentary
contact with the victim can be fatal if the current level is sufficiently high. The contact must
be broken quickly because skin resistance falls rapidly with time and a fatal current of 100 to
300 mA can be reached if the shock is allowed to continue long enough.

 If breathing has stopped and the individual is unconscious, start giving artificial respiration
immediately.
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1.2 Electrical Safety and Practices
Safety Rules
 Never work alone. Be sure there are others in the laboratory to summon and provide aid in
case of accidents.

 Use only instruments and power tools provided with three-wire power cords.

 Always shut off power before handling wiring.

 Check all power cords for sign of damage. Replace or repair damaged cords and leads.

 Always wear shoes. Keep shoes dry. Avoid standing on metal of damp concrete. ( All these
precaution prevent you from becoming a low-impedance path to ground). Do not wear
metal ornaments, rings, etc.

 Never handle electrical instruments when your skin is wet( the moisture decreases your
skin's resistance and allows a greater current to flow through you).

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1.2 Electrical Safety and Practices
Safety Rules
 Hot soldering irons should not be left unwatched. Keep hot soldering irons in holders when
not soldering.

 Never wear loose clothing around machinery. Always wear safety goggles when using
chemicals or power tools.

 Always connect a cable or lead to the point of high potential as the last step. That is, do not
connect the lead to the high voltage side of a circuit first, or you will end up holding a high
voltage connector in your hand.

 Always treat electrical wires in a circuit as being potentially dangerous.

 Be sure to read and follow all instructions supplied with electrical or electronic equipment
before attempting to use it.

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1.2 Electrical Safety and Practices
Safety Rules
 Do not work on any equipment unless you know the right procedures to follow, It is always a
good practice to call in an expert when you are unsure about the safe and proper way to
handle any equipment.

 If you must work with the exposed parts of a circuit that are plugged in, handle the parts
with one hand only. Keep the other hand behind your back or in a pocket. This will keep the
current from passing through your chest. Do not wear rings or watches when touching live
electric circuits.

 Find out the location and how to operate the emergency switch or main power switch in
your home and in other places where you work with electricity. This will let you quickly turn
off all the circuits in an emergency.

 Some devices such as capacitors can store a lethal charge for long periods after power is
removed. They must be properly discharged before you work with them.
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1.3 Grounding and Circuit Protection Devices
Grounding
 The ground, or earth, is a good conducting point for electrons when a path exists between it
and alive, or charged wire.

 If a bare wire of an electrical appliance come into contact with the bare metal of its cabinet,
the cabinet becomes an extension of the wire. If the cabinet is not connected to the ground,
the line voltage will appear between the cabinet and the ground. In most homes, the line
voltage is about 230 volts. Thus, there is a danger of severe shock if a person makes contact
between the cabinet and any surface that is in contact with the ground.

 Metal cabinets, cases, frames of appliances, tools and machines are usually grounded by a
separate grounding wire. This grounding wire is part of their power cords. The grounding
wire is connected to the cabinet, case, or frame of the device and to the ground terminal of
the cord's plug. It is not connected to any part of the device's electric circuit.

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1.3 Grounding and Circuit Protection Devices
Grounding
 When the plug is put into a grounded outlet, the grounding wire of the cord is automatically
connected to the building ground. Since the cabinet, case, or frame is then at the same
voltage as the ground, a shock hazard cannot exist between it and any grounded surface.

 Green &

 Brown
 Blue

Figure 1.1 Ground Symbol Figure 1.2 Wiring of a 3-pin plug

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1.3 Grounding and Circuit Protection Devices
Earth-Leakage Circuit Breakers

 The earth-leakage circuit breaker (ELCB ) is a device used to protect against the hazard of
electric shock.

 A ground fault is a current leak that occurs when either live or neutral conductor contacts
the frame or chassis of an electrically power device. If the live wire faults to a grounded
chassis and the resistance of path to ground is low, the resultant heavy current flow is likely
to burn out a fuse or trip a circuit breaker and thus prevent damage to equipment.
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1.3 Grounding and Circuit Protection Devices
Earth-Leakage Circuit Breakers
 However, if the path to ground is through a human body which has higher resistance, the
current flow may not be great enough to trip a breaker, but it may be sufficient to kill.
Furthermore, if a neutral conductor faults to ground, the chassis may still be a source of
dangerous fault currents. In a neutral wire-to-chassis ground fault, the fault current will
probably not be interrupted by the common overload devices (fuse, etc. ). Thus, the
problem may remain undetected.

 Earth-leakage circuit breaker (ELCB ) are designed to automatically shut off power to a piece
of equipment in less than one-fortieth of a second if a difference (i.e., an imbalance)
between the live conductor current and the neutral conductor current is detected. The
existence of such an imbalance implies the presence of a ground fault ( possibly through the
conductive path of a human being ).

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1.3 Grounding and Circuit Protection Devices
Fuses and Circuit Breakers

Circuit breaker used in aircraft Circuit breaker used in home Fuse

 Large current surges from overloads or short circuits sometimes accidentally occur in
electric circuits. Such current surges can lead to component destruction, electric shocks, or
fires if not stopped in time. To guard electrical systems against damage from such
unexpected overloads, certain protective devices are used. The most common of these are
the fuse and the circuit breaker. They function by rapidly interrupting the flow of current in a
circuit if it exceeds a specified value.

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1.3 Grounding and Circuit Protection Devices
Fuses and Circuit Breakers
 A fuse is basically a length of fine wire or thin metal that is designed to heat up and melt if
its maximum current rating is exceeded . It is placed in series with the circuit it is meant to
protect. Fuses must be installed on the live side because if the fuse were placed in series
with the low side of the line, the electrified circuit would remain at the potential of the live
wire, even if the fuse burned out. Therefore, a shock hazard would still exist

 By melting when the current flowing in the circuit exceeds its capability, the fuse destroys a
portion of the conducting path. This halts the current flowing in the rest of the circuit.

 The blowing of a fuse is an indication that there is a malfunction within the circuit the fuse is
guarding. Before a blown fuse is replaced with a new one, the fault should be located and
repaired

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1.3 Grounding and Circuit Protection Devices
Fuses and Circuit Breakers
 If high ambient temperature conditions exist, the fuse size must be increased, otherwise the
fuse will blow at a lower current than desired. A common example of this situation involves
the fuses located in the engine compartment of an automobile.

 The circuit breaker is a protective device that also open a circuit if an overload is applied to
it. However, unlike the fuse, the breaker is not destroyed by the overload unless the current-
interrupting rating of the circuit breaker is exceeded.

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