Module- 4

Electrical Safety
Electrical safety - Introduction
• Electricity flows through some bodies easily than others. They offer little resistance for
flow of current. They are called conductors. Example – metals, many liquids, surface or
sub surface of earth etc.
• Other materials or substances generally slow or stop the flow of current and they are
called insulators. Example – glass, plastic, porcelain, clay, pottery, dry wood.
• Air is an insulator but can become conductor during an arc or lightening. Similarly pure
water is poor conductor but small impurities in water like salt, acid, solvents or other
materials can change water to conduct electricity.
• Similarly water can turn some insulators like wet wood, wet cotton etc. into conductors
• Dry skin has a fairly high resistance to electric current. But when skin is wet or moist it
acts as a conductor.
• That means anyone working with electricity in damp or wet environment need to
exercise extra caution to prevent electrical hazards.
• However electricity has become part of our life both in domestic and industry and
hence utmost care to be taken while using electricity due to its inherent hazard
Electrical safety – Dangers of electricity
• Electric shocks resulting in burns, injury, deaths
• Electric flashovers resulting in deaths, fires, damages
• Electric faults resulting in arcing, explosions, and fires
• Explosions in electrical equipment resulting in damage to installations and deaths.
• Fire hazards resulting in destruction, loss of life and release of smoke. Dust, gases which
spread over large areas quickly.
• Pollution from power plants
• We are all aware of the above hazards related to electricity. Still we neglect many aspects
and tend to be careless while working with electrical apparatus. Careless use of electricity
is dangerous and leads to fires, shocks, destructions and deaths.
• Safety precautions are necessary and essential in design, manufacturing, testing,
transport, installation, operation and maintenance of electrical equipment and
installations. Safety precautions to be taken should be known understood by all
concerned personnel and should be documented as per statutory requirements as well as
checklist and do’s and don’ts.
• Safety Inspection is to be carried out at every stage right from design to operation
including maintenance.
Electrical safety – Provisions as per Indian Electricity rules 1956
1. Electric supply lines and apparatus shall be sufficient ratings, mechanical strength and so
constructed, installed, protected, worked and maintained to ensure safety of human
beings, animals and property. IS and NEC shall be followed(R 29)
2. Supplier and consumer both will take due precautions to avoid danger from service
lines and apparatus on consumers premises(R 30)
3.Suitable cut outs like fuse in fire proof receptacles shall be provided in every service line
(other than earth lines) at consumers premises (R 31)
4. Earth and neutral conductors shall be identified to distinguish from live conductor and
position of switches and cut out shall be safe (R 32)
5. Earth connection (terminal) shall be provided near the point of start of supply and the
consumer shall take steps to protect it from mechanical damage (R 33)
6. Bare conductors should be inaccessible with readily accessible switches to cut off power
supply (R 34)
7.Danger notice in Hindi, English or local language with a sign of skull and bones and the
words ‘Danger’ and ‘ ….Volts’ is necessary near medium and high voltage installation ie
above 250 V (R 35)
Electrical safety – Provisions as per Indian Electricity rules 1956
8. For the safety from supply lines and apparatus, earthing from lines, PPE to
workers (gloves, rubber shoes, safety belts, ladders, earthing devices, helmets, line
testers, form electrical and mechanical injury) and authorised working on live lines
are necessary (R 36)
9. Vehicle cut off switch (in operation) is a must in every electric vehicle, crane etc.
and the metal rails if any should be electrically continuous and earthed (R 37)
10. Insulating and Protective material of electric line should not be of material that
may produce noxious and hazardous gases on excessive heating (R 39)
11.Street boxes should be free from influx of water or gas and should be regularly
inspected. (R 40)
12. Different circuits should be distinguished from each other (R 41)
13. Voltage should not exceed the limits and AC-DC circuits should not come in
contact with each other when live (R 42)
14. Fire extinguishers for electric fire, fire buckets with clean dry sand, first aid
boxes, two or more gas masks, to be used in the event of a fire or smoke are
necessary (R 43)
Electrical safety – Provisions as per Indian Electricity rules 1956
15. Fatal accidents should be reported within 24 hours and non fatal within 48 hours (R
44A)
16. Electrical work should be carried out by a licensed electrical contractor under direct
supervision of a competent person and person holding permit by the State Govt.
Unauthorised work shall not be energised. (R 45)
17. Inspection of installation at every 5 years by the inspector (R 46)
18. (R 47 to 59) gives general conditions relating to supply and use of energy
19. (R 60 to 62) for low and medium voltages (upto 650 V) and ( R 63 to 73) for high
and extra high voltage provide for insulation resistance test, earth connection, ELCB,
testing operation and maintenance.
20. (R74 to 93) gives important safety clearances above ground and between
conductors and provision for material strength, stresses, joints, guarding, earthing,
safety and protective devices.
21. (R 94 to 108) is for traction and provides for voltage supply to vehicle, insulation of
lines, current density in rails, height of trolley wire etc.
Electrical safety – Provisions as per Indian Electricity rules 1956
22. (R 109 to 132) is regarding safety precautions while working in mines and oil
fields. They include plans, notices, lighting, communications, fire precautions,
earthing, protective equipments, voltage limits etc.
23. (R 133 to 142 gives relaxations and penalty provisions.
Electrical safety – OSHA standards on Electrical safety
• OSHA standards focuses on the design and use of electrical equipment and
systems.
• They cover only the exposed or operating elements such as lighting equipment,
motors, machines, appliances, switches, controls and enclosures requiring that
they be constructed and installed to minimise work place electrical dangers.
• Also the standard mandates that an approved testing agency to certify the
electrical equipment before use in the workplace to ensure it is safe.
• OSHA cover many electrical hazards in different industries. OSHA electrical
standards are based on National fire protection association (NFPA) standard,
National Electric Code (NEC) and Electrical safety requirements for Employee in
work place.
Electrical safety – OSHA standards on Electrical safety
• OSHA states two important basic points.
• First point is that live parts shall be de-energised before working on or near them.
• Second point that even after the exposed parts have been de-energised, they shall be
treated as energised until LOTO system is applied.
• This can be achieved by following Process:
1. Determine all possible source of electrical supply to the equipment referring to
diagrams, drawings, and identification tags.
2. After properly interrupting the load current open the disconnecting devices if each
source.
3. Where it is possible, visually inspect for disconnection
4. Apply LOTO system as per policy
5. Use voltage detector to test and verify they are de-energised
6. Where possibility of induced voltage or stored electrical energy exists, ground the
phase conductors.
Electrical Safety – Objectives of Safety and Security Measures
• To establish Safety Management System and Safety Audit System
• To achieve 100% safety and 100% security of Installations, equipment, human life
and animal life
• To bring awareness about safety hazards and safety rules
• To educate personnel
• To understand cause and effect relationship in accidents and scientific
phenomena associated with electricity
• To control the situations and prevent accidents, injury and loss to human life,
installations and property
• To minimise loss in case of accident
• To ensure prompt first aid and emergency help in case of accident
• Study of unsafe acts and unsafe conditions leading to accidents and to take
corrective measures to eliminate them.
Electrical safety – Hazards associated with Electricity
• Electricity is invisible and hence hazards are hidden and invisible. The various
types are hazards associated with electricity are:

1. Electric shock due to direct contact with live wire/conductors while standing on earth
or while in contact with metallic earthed part.
2. Electric shock due to direct contact with non effectively earthed metal part carrying
leakage current or fault current or induced current
3. Electric shock and burn injuries due to flashovers from live part to the person in
contact with earth or earthed metallic part
4. Shocks due by capacitively charged electrical conductors disconnected from power
circuit. Eg. Capacitors, bus bars
5. Falling of persons from height due to shocks or flashovers while working on overhead
structures.
6.Falling of overhead parts such as conductors, hardware, structural on body
7. Falling of tools, objects, welding sparks etc
8. Explosion of oil filled equipment due to internal arcing.
Electrical safety – Hazards associated with Electricity
9. Fires caused by electric loose connections, electric arc, electric short circuits
and electric flashovers
10. Release of poisonous liquids/gases. Release of SF6 gases from circuit breakers
during maintenance, release of synthetic fluids from capacitor cans
11. Natural disasters such as lightning, strokes, earth quakes land slides
12. Manmade disasters such as sabotage, bombing etc
13. Short circuits caused by snakes, birds, rodents
14. Explosions or accidents associated with high power rotating machines due to
leakage of cooling medium, failure of mechanical parts
15. Injury due to contact with rotating parts of motors( fan, coupling)
16. Sparks in electrical equipment installed in explosive atmosphere (mines)
17. Mechanical accidents due to failure of electrical controls, interlocks,
protections, machine or structural components.
Electrical safety – Hazards in Electrical installations and
Apparatus
Sl Incidence/condition Effect
No
1 Person touches live conductor or charged Electric shock
conductor
2 Person touches faulted structure or any metal Electric shock
part
3 Person touches faulted equipment enclosure Electric shock
4 Person places ladder or metal rod near live Electric shock, flash over,
conductor fault
5 Person carries metal rod/tool in clearance zone Electric shock, flash over,
fault
6 Person touches pre-charged capacitor or Electric shock
conductor
7 Person using tool cuts insulation of live cable Electric shock, fault, fire
8 Person falls down from height injury
Electrical safety – Hazards in Electrical installations and
Apparatus
Sl. No Incidence/Condition Effect
11 Explosion in oil filled power transformer Fire, Destruction, outage
12 Lightning strokes in tower, earth wire, Flashover, failure
equipment
13 Rotating shafts/flanges without protection Accident
cover
14 Unearthed rotating equipment body Shock
15 Loose contact leads to sparking, melting and Equipment failure and fault
faults
16 Loose hardware in current circuit leads to Equipment failure and fault
melting, faults, and fires
17 Faults in power cable due to overheat, Cable burst, fire, outage
insulation failure, over voltage
18 Fault and fire in cable due to breaking of Cable burst, fire, outage
conductor
Electrical safety – Protection against Electrical Hazard
• Most Electrical accidents result from:
1. Unsafe Equipment or Installation
2. Unsafe Environment
3. Unsafe Work Practices
Some ways to prevent these accidents are through usage of insulation, guarding,
grounding, electrical protective devices and safe work practices.
Insulators such as glass, mica, rubber or plastic is used to coat the metals and other
conductors help to stop or reduce the flow of current. This prevents shocks, fire
and short circuits. To be effective they should be suitable for the voltage levels and
conditions like temperature and environmental factors such as moisture, oil,
corrosive fumes or other factors which can cause failure of insulation.
Guarding involves locating or enclosing the electrical equipment to make sure people
do not accidentally come in contact with the live parts. Effective guarding requires
equipment with exposed parts is accessible to only authorised persons. Sturdy and
permanent screens can also act as effective guards.
Conspicuous signs must be posted at the entrance to the electrical rooms and
guarded locations to alert the people to the electrical hazards and to forbid
unauthorised entry. Signs like Danger, Warning, Caution, High voltage etc to be
exhibited
Electrical safety – Protection against Electrical Hazard
• Unsafe acts or Unsafe work practices include:
• Opening and closing of switches without authority, failure to place warning
signals wherever needed, operating the equipment without proper knowledge.
• Working unsafely such as throwing tools, not maintaining proper working space
which is free from obstacles, good housekeeping etc
• Making safety devices inoperative
• Using unsafe equipment, wrong tools, or using hands instead of hand tools.
• Distraction, ill health, disturbed state of mind
• Failure to use safe clothing, PPE
• Working in unsafe conditions
• Ignorance of potential hazard
• Sacrificing safety for the sake of speed and higher productivity
• Use of alcoholic beverages, mobile phones etc.
Electrical safety – Effect of electric current on human body
• Electric shock occurs when the body becomes part of the electric circuit.
Shocks can occur in three ways:
1. A person may come in contact with both the conductors In a circuit
2. A person may provide a path between an ungrounded conductor and ground.
3. A person may provide a path between the ground and a conducting material
that is in contact with a ungrounded conductor.
• The extent of injury of shock depends upon three factors:
1. The amount of current conducted through the body
2. The path of the current through the body
3. The length of time a person is subjected to the current.
Electrical safety – Effect of electric current on human body
• The amount of current depends upon the potential difference and the
resistance. Effect of low current on the human body ranges from mild
tingling to death. An electric shock can injure you in either or both the
following
• A severe shock can stop the heart or the breathing muscles or both
• The heating effects of current can cause severe burns especially where the
electricity enters and leaves the body.
• Other effects include severe bleeding, breathing difficulty and ventricular
fibrillation.
Electrical safety – Causes of Accidents
• An accident is a sudden mishap that interrupts the operation of an
activity. It is unplanned and irreversible.
• Electrical accidents could occur as follows:
1. Any person or animal coming in contact with snapped overhead conductor
2. Any person or animal coming in contact with metallic line support, stay wire,
unauthorised energisation of fencing, electrical apparatus etc through which
there is leakage of current due to failure of insulation, damaged insulators etc.
3. Coming in contact with live overhead conductors during renewal of blown out
fuses, replacing street lamps, cutting across live underground cableor touching
live overhead conductors with metallic rods etc.
4. Climbing up poles, or towers and coming in contact with live overhead
electrical conductors maliciously, out of ignorance or with deliberate attempt to
commit suicide.
5. Natural disasters leading to electrical accidents
6. Due to improper or defective equipment, failure to provide adequate PPE
7. The human factor
Electrical safety – Approaches to Prevent Accidents
• There can be more than one approach to prevent accidents and ensure
safety. Some of them are:
1. Enforcements of Safety rules and Acts: In this approach the rules are
mandatory and no deviation is accepted and deviation will be viewed seriously
and punished. Dos ad Don’ts are specified and enforced. Dos are always and
Don’s are never. People are made accountable for the Acts. Mandatory rules and
Laws regarding electrical safety are enforced on manufacturers, contractors,
Power supply companies and users.
2. Human Resource development approach: In this approach emphasis is on
training of every person for following safety principles. Special training is
organised periodically including on the job training in safety by seniors,
experienced persons and outside experts.
3. Psychological approach: Safety awareness is created in the work place by
placing sign boards, display of drawings, displaying Dos and Don’ts, conducting
safety demonstrations, safety competitions and rewards for safe working.
Electrical safety – Approaches to Prevent Accidents
4. Safety Management approach: Management is committed for safety and
Accident prevention. Safety manager is appointed and safety systems are
established.
5. Engineering analysis approach: This emphasis is on cause and effect
relationship and multi cause analysis and determines the various methods to
eliminate the possible causes at the root. Engineering approach is very essential
in electrical safety
• 6. Total Quality Management approach: Safety is ensured by Quality Assurance
and Quality control at various stages including specifications, system design,
product design, manufacturing, testing, despatch, receipt, storage, installations,
commissioning, operation and maintenance and safety management. TQM
approach insists on quality excellence at every stage to ensure 100 % safety. TQM
correlates quality with safety and gives integrated management approach for
ensuring safety
Electrical safety – Prevention of shocks
• Apparatus/structures must be earthed
• Conductors should be insulated/enclosed/non accessible
• Persons should maintain safe clearances form HV conductors
• Persons should wear safety insulating shoes and insulating hand gloves.
• Live line working should be avoided.
• Conductors should be touched only after making dead and discharged.
Electrical safety – Electric shocks
• Electric shock is a sudden stimulation of the nervous system of human body by
flow of current through a part of the body. Electric shocks are life threatening
situation. Shocks are caused by direct contact with live conductor or a flashover.
• The severity of the shock depends upon the amount of current passing through
the body and the duration. The result of shock can be simple annoying sensation
to serious burn injuries to death within seconds.
• Primary shock is an electric shock of such magnitude that it may produce direct
physiological harm. The result of primary shocks are Fibrillation ( irregular heart
beat), respiratory tetanus (continuous contraction of muscle).
• Secondary shock is of such magnitude that it will not produce direct physiological
harm, but it is annoying and may cause involuntary muscle reaction. Result of
secondary shocks are annoyance, alarm and aversion, and loss of balance due to
involuntary muscle reaction.
 Electrical safety – Electric shocks

• Electric shocks occur due to one or more of the following situations:

• When part of the body bridges two phase wires by direct contact
• When part of the human body bridges one phase and earth, two phases and
earth by direct contact
• When part of the body bridges two points of the same phase which are at
different potential difference by direct contact.
• When part of the body touches two points having potential difference across
them. (due to supply voltage or induced voltage or charged voltage
• Flash over involving part of human body
Electrical safety – Electric shocks
• The current flowing through the body Ib = Vb/Rb where Vb is Votage across the
part of the body and Rb is the Resistance of the part of the body. ( in practice
value of current 10mA and above are in the shock range.
• Body part Resistance Ohm
• Dry skin 10 – 50 Mega ohm
• Wet skin 1000 ohm
• Hand to foot (Excl. skin) 500 – 600 ohm
• Ear to Ear (Excl. skin) 100 ohm
• Dry skin is much safer than wet skin. Dry surrounding are safer than the wet
surrounding. Skin with perspiration has low resistance.
• Wet walls and wet insulation are dangerous
• Ear to ear shock is most dangerous. Hand to hand and hand to foot is very
dangerous. Shocks not involving heart, brain and involving only remote skin is less
dangerous. Skin with cuts and wounds, bruises has low resistance.
Electrical safety – Electric shocks
• Electric shocks may occur due to unsafe acts or unsafe conditions
associated with Electric work/installation. In practice following types of
supply systems are most commonly used:
1. Three phase AC system with neutral earthed, either three wire system or four
wire system.
2. Bipolar DC system with neutral earthed, either three wire system or two wire
system. One pole is positive and other negative with respect to earth.
Electrical safety – AC shocks versus DC shocks
• In shocks from AC currents of normal frequency, the shock current is sinusoidal
with frequency of 50 Hz.
• The mechanism of electric shocks is related to central nervous system in human
body.
• The central nervous system controls the vital functions of the body by rhythmic
control of heart and lunge diaphragm by the brain.
• Under normal state, tiny cyclic signals flow from muscles to brain and vice versa
through central nervous system. These cyclic signals produce pumping of heart at
the rate of 70-80 cycles per minute and breathing by lungs at the rate of 12 to 16
cycles per minute. These tiny periodic signals are in the range of few micro amps.
These tiny signals give muscles to contract or relax.
• Large external signals from shock current result in cramp of freeze of the muscles
into sudden contraction without giving time to relaxation
• Flow of AC electric current from external source in to the human body disturbs
the natural periodic electric signals in the body.
• Electric AC current currents flowing through the body are of the order of several
milli amps and they cause sudden contraction of muscles
Electrical safety – AC shocks versus DC shocks
• As a result, firstly the person touching the live conductor cannot move his
muscles and is unable to get detatched (let- go)
• Secondly the muscles of lung diaphragm get contracted and the functioning of
the lungs gets adversely affected resulting in irregular breathing or stoppage of
breathing.
• Thirdly the various muscles of heart operating in synchronisation with each other
during normal state behave erratically during flow of shock current through the
body. Shock currents of certain magnitude cause stoppage of heart resulting in
stoppage of blood to brain and victim dies within few seconds. This is called
Fibrillation.
• Normal frequency of heart beat is 70 cycles/min. AC supply has frequency of 50
cycles/sec or 3000 cycles/min. Hence 50 cycle current is very dangerous to lungs
and heart.
• This does not happen in DC shock current. With DC current shocks the
disturbance in frequency of heart signals is only once. Hence DC voltage levels
produce the shock effects at higher voltage values than the corresponding AC
voltages
Electrical safety – Effect of Electric shocks on human body
Sl Effect Flow of Current Through Part of Body (mA)
No.
AC 50 AC 50 DC DC
Hz Hz
Men Women Men Women
1 Slight sensation on hand 0.5 0.4 1 0.5
2 Perception threshold 1.4 0.7 5 3
3 Shock not painful, muscular 1.8 1.5 9 6
control not lost
4 Shock painful, muscular control 9 6 65 41
not lost
5 Shock painful, let go threshold 15 10 75 50
6 Shock painful, muscular 23 17 90 60 3 sec
contractions, breathing difficulty
7 Shock ventricular fibrillation, 100 100 500 500 10 sec
breathing stops, death certain
Electric safety – Safety precautions in small LV installations,
Residential buildings and shops
• Before carrying out repair work, switch off the main switch, take out the fuse
holders and keep it with you till the repair work is over.
• Use shock proof appliances.
• Use correct fuse wires
• Miniature circuit breakers are preferred.
• Do not use immersion water heaters, exposed room heaters
• Use good quality copper wires for wiring
• Replace worn out wiring
• Do not allow water leakages. Seepage in walls/over switch boards.
• Replace defective switches immediately
• While working on live wires, stand on a dry wooden stool, use insulated tools.
However it is better to switch off the mains during the repair.
• Ensure that earthing system is healthy. Provide secured three pin plug for
secured earthing of appliances
Electric safety – Safety procedures in a Electrical Power plant
• Procedures and paper work for the following should be enforced from the
beginning and continued while commissioning, operation and maintenance
of electrical installations:
• Permit to work
• Access to work
• Entry passes
• Material gate pass etc.
Safety : The installation, commissioning, operation and maintenance work should
be carried out with written permission of authorised person. Steps should be
taken by concerned authorities to ensure safety. They include:
1. Isolation of the part from live parts during the period of installation, testing and
maintenance. No switching on by mistake.
2. Danger notices and safety notices should be place in work place
3. The neighbouring switches should be locked upon to avoid switching by a third
person.
4. Proper tools , safety devices should be provided to the electricians.
Electric safety – Safety procedures in a Electrical Power plant
5. Earthing: The work equipment and conductors should be isolated and then
earthed by means of earthing connections, from all ends /incomers/out goers
6. The electricians should be well trained.
7. First aid should be available
8. Make sure to switch off the supply from all ends. Switching on should be
allowed after the completion of work and after cancellation of the permit by the
authority.
9. Follow the safety rules faithfully
10. Work as per the permit system of the company. Take a work permit before
starting of any job and return it to the authority after completion of the job.
11. The repair/maintenance work on HV line/apparatus should not be undertaken
unless the apparatus is made dead and isolators open and locked, earthing
switches closed and locked. All HV conductors should be discharged and
connected securely to earth.
12.Use appropriate PPE
13 Do not use wet clothes, wet shoes and metal tapes.
Electric safety – Safety procedures in a Electrical Power plant
14.Barricade the area under maintenance to clearly indicate the maintenance
zone and safe zone
15. Earth the various metallic parts of structures, bus sections, conducting parts
etc at two or more places before commencing the work.
16. Be familiar with circuit and auxiliary supply circuits and switch off both.
Electric safety – Safety procedures in a Electrical Power plant
• Recommended precautions to be taken before working on HV lines/apparatus
1. Apparatus/parts are dead, isolated and earthed
2. Steps to be taken to lock off from other live conductors
3. Effectively earthed at all points of disconnections, of supply to such apparatus
or between such points and point of work.
4. All caution boards are to be displayed.
5. Barricading/screening of work area to prevent encroachment in unsafe zone.
6. Authorisation to work is obtained through work permit system. Following all
safety instructions, precautions and usage of safety devices/PPE as specified in
the Permit.
7. The work to be carried out by trained personnel in accordance with the rules.
8. Safety clearances between live system and other physical objects like ladders
platforms, lifting devices etc to be ensured before taking up/ while executing the
job.
1. What are primary and secondary electric shocks? Discuss the effect of
electric current on human body. (08Marks)
2. Discuss various safety precautions to be taken in small and residential
building installations against electrical hazard. (08Marks)
3. Discuss the process of achieving electrically safe work conditions.
(08Marks)
4. Discuss various safety procedures and paper work to be enforced while
commissioning operation and maintenance of electrical installation in an
electrical plant. (08Marks)