ELECTRICAL HAZARDS

• It occurs when a person makes a contact

with a current carrying conductor and at
the same time in contact with ground
which result shock.
• People can be protected from this danger
by insulating the conductor, insulating the
people, or isolating the danger from the
people.

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 CAUSES OF ELECTRICAL
HAZARDS
1. Short circuit(in which the load has been
remove and current passed through human)
is the causes of hazards
2. contact with a bare wire carrying conductor
3. electrical equipment that has not been
properly grounded
4. working with electrical equipment on damp
floor or other sources of wetness
5. using metal ladder to work on electrical
equipment
6. working on electrical equipment without
ensuring that the power has been shut off
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 ELECTROSTATIC HAZARDS
• These hazards causes minor shocks
1. moving large sheets of plastics which may
discharge spark
2. The explosion of organic and metallic dust
3. conveyer belts, depending upon there
constituent material ,they can rub the
materials being transported and causes
static spark
4. the electrical discharge rate increases with
decreasing humidity ,so spark are often
more during cold dry winter days 3
ARCS AND SPARKS HAZARDS
• An arc can jump the air gap between the conductors
and ignite combustible gases or dust .
• When the electric arc is a discharge of static
electricity it may be called spark.
COMBUSTIBLE AND EXPLOSIVE MATERIAL
• High current through contaminated liquid causes it to
expand rapidly and explode e.g. contaminated oil
filled circuit breaker or transformers. A poor match
between current and capacitor can cause an
explosion; overheating from high current can also
lead to short circuit which causes explosion in the
environment of explosive material.

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 IMPROPER WIRING
Jump of the ground wire
• In this case the ground wire is actually connected to the
neutral wire, hazards occur when the neutral circuit
become corroded or lose, the voltage on the ground
wire increases to a dangerous level.
OPEN GROUND WIRE
• To connect ground improperly is a common mistake,
when short occurs anyone touching the equipment with
no grounding many be severely shocked.
REVERSE POLARITY
• Sometime the hot and neutral wire have been reversed
so the new comer working over this machine will 5
consider hot as a neutral, he could be injured.
 INSULATION FAILURE
• The degradation of insulation can cause a bare wire and
resulting shock to anyone come in contact with it.
CAUSES OF INSULATION FAILURE
• Direct sunlight
• Spark from discharging state electricity
• Repeated exposure to elevated temperature
• Abrasive surfaces
• Insects chewing insulation material
• Moisture and humidity
• Dehydration or oxidation of insulating material

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HAZARDOUS LOCATIONS FOR ELECTRICAL
EQUIPMENT

Working on electrical equipment in the

following environment can lead to injuries
• Flammable vapors and gases (hydrogen,
acetylene, ethere,etc)
• Combustible dusts (metal dust, carbon dust )
• Ignitable fiber (textile ,wood working)

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 DETECTION OF ELECTRICAL
HAZARDS
• CIRCUIT TESTER
• It test mostly 110-220 volt range, it ensure that power
has been turned off before electrical maintenance
begins.
• RECEPTABLE WIRING TESTOR
• It consist of two probes connected with a
bulb/indicator show an improperly wired outlet.
• CONTINUITY TESTER
• It used to determine whether a conductor is
properly grounded or has a break in the circuit.
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 REDUCING ELECTRICAL
HAZARDS
GROUNDING
• Ensure a path to the earth for the flow of excess
current; its purpose is to safeguard people from
electrical shocks
HUMIDIFICATION
• Wet skin offer resistance of 10,000 ohms; dry skin 450
ohms
ANTISTATIC MATERIALS
• It either increases the surface conductivity of the
charged material or absorbs moisture, which reduce
resistance and tendency to accumulate charges
FUSES, Magnetic circuit breakers, thermal circuit
breakers, double insulation.
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MEGNETIC CIRCUIT BREAKER
• Use a solenoid ,a type of coil, to surrounds a metal
strip; when the current exceeded, the megnetic force
of solenoid retracts the metal strip and openning the
circuit.
DOUBLE INSULATION
• It increases electrical safety.
INTERLOCK
It automatically break the circuit when unsafe situation
is detected
WARNING DEVICES
To alert personnel about detected hazards may include
lights,colored indicator, on/off blinker, audible 10
signals, or label.