Safety Precautions
General Safety Precautions
In every electronic work you do, there are safety precautions and
practices to be followed to avoid possible personal injury, the danger of
fire, and possible damage to equipment. Since you will be doing these at
home, ask the teacher with the procedures, and ask supervision from
your parents or guardian when doing laboratory works.
The following procedures must be
conducted in all your laboratory works:
1. De-energize the circuit by removing the power source.
2. Remove and replace fuses only after the power to the circuit has been de-energized.
3. Make sure all equipment is properly grounded.
4. Extreme caution is needed when removing or installing batteries containing acid. Use hand gloves and
goggles. Do not put the battery above your head.
5. Use cleaning fluids only in well-ventilated spaces. You can also use gloves, mask, and goggles for extra
protection.
6. Put cleaning rags and other flammable materials in tightly closed metal containers when disposing them.
Do not burn them.
7. When electrical fire happens, de-energize the circuit and report it immediately to the appropriate authority.
High Voltage Safety Precautions
1. Consider the result of each act. Do not play, eat or drink while working.
2. Stay away from live circuits. Ask someone expert to help you.
3. Do not work alone. Work with a person capable of providing first aid and Cardiopulmonary
resuscitation (CPR) in case of an emergency.
4. Do not tamper with interlocks. Interlocks switch is installed in the door of the power supply
that will break the circuit when the door is opened.
5. Do not ground yourself. Wearing rubber/leather gloves and safety shoes is highly
recommended.
6. Use one hand when connecting equipment to a circuit and put your other hand in your rear
pocket.
8. An isolation transformer can be used when working on AC-powered
circuits/ equipment. An isolation transformer isolates the circuit/equipment
from the power source, adding an additional safety factor.
9. Never energize equipment in the presence of water leakage.
10. In removing high-voltage charges on capacitors, use a shorting stick.
Capacitors can hold charges for long periods of time and are frequently
overlooked.
11. Remove power to a circuit prior to connecting alligator clips that may
cause potential shock hazards.
12. When measuring voltages over 300 volts, do not hold the test prods
because this may result in electric shock from leakage on the probes.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
• PPE means personal protective equipment you can use to secure your
safety. This will protect you against physical harm and different hazards
while doing electronic and electrical work. You are important. That is
why you need to protect yourself using the PPE from head to foot.
Different Hazards in Electronics
1. Electrical Hazards
-When you make contact with energized equipment or conductor, you
may get an injury from shock, electrical explosion or blast. This may
come from an electric current or an electrostatic discharge.
2. Electrical shock
- occurs when low resistance body becomes a path of an electric current
completing the circuit. The severity of the effects depends on the
individual and the current quantity, type, path, and length of contact time.
First Aid
• Do not transfer the victim, unless they’re in danger of further shock.
• Call local emergency services if the victim came in contact with high-voltage electricity
and if it has difficulty in breathing, unconsciousness, has seizures has muscle pain or
numbness, or is feeling symptoms of heart issues.
• While waiting for the emergency response unit to arrive, check if the person is
breathing and has a pulse. If necessary, start cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
• If the person is showing signs of shock, such as vomiting or becoming very pale,
elevate the legs and feet slightly, unless this causes too much pain.
• Cover burns with sterile gauze. Don’t use anything else that might stick to the burn
such as Band-Aids.
• Keep the person warm.
Fire Safety
Electrostatic Discharge (ESD)
Electrostatic discharge is a tiny version of lightning. ESD happens when
the surfaces of nonconductive materials develop equal and opposite
charges when they come in contact, move against each other, and then
separate quickly. Then, an electric field surrounds a nonconductive
material once it is charged. Eventually, the amount of charge exceeds the
Insulating ability of the air and finally a spark jumps to the conductor. This
spark introduces currents in the conductor which results in damage and
destroys sensitive devices. One ESD event will not disrupt equipment
operation. However, repeated ESD will degrade the equipment's internal
components over time.
Hazardous Chemicals
• Observe the following safety practices when working with chemicals:
• 1. Wear goggles, mask and gloves when working with hazardous chemicals.
• 2. Use tongs when handling printed circuits being etched.
• 3. Read the label on all chemicals being used. Always label their containers.
• 4. Work in a well-ventilated space.
• 5. Wash all tools that contact any hazardous chemical.
• 6. Do not store chemicals in glass containers if possible.
• 7. Store all chemicals inside the flammable metal storage cabinet.
Hand Tools Safety Precautions
It is very useful to follow guidelines that will serve as a safety net.
• Inspect tools before using them. They should be in good working condition.
• Choose the right type and size of the tool for the job.
• Always keep the cutting edge down when carrying them. And keep the cutting edge
away from the side of the table.
• Keep hands clean when using tools. Avoid getting your hands slippery when using any
tool. Always clean them before and after use.
• Clamp small pieces when using a hacksaw, screwdriver, or soldering iron to avoid cuts
and burns.
• Avoid using mushroom-headed chisels. It can be fragile and break off
as you hit it and these chips can fly away very fast and cut you or your
eye.
• Never use a file without a handle.
• Never use tools with plastic handle near an open flame.
• Keep metal rules clear of electrical circuits. This can damage the circuit
and also can cause electric shock.
• Pull the plug, not the cord when disconnecting the appliances or
equipment.
• Cut one wire at a time to avoid damaging the cutting tool.
Power Tools
• When using power tools, always observe the following safety precautions:
1. Do not start and stop the machine. Only the operator will do. Then before leaving the
machine make sure that it comes to a complete stop.
2. Before turning on the machine, make sure to do all the adjustments.
3. Do not bring close loose hand tools, rags, or brushes to the machine.
4. Make sure that all safety guards in their proper position all the time.
5. When the power is applied, only one person at a time in the workplace.
6. Have your teacher check any special setups before applying power.
7. Avoid overhead work. Use ladder to reduce the need for outstretched arms.
8. Use only grounded power tools with three-prong plugs or UL (Underwriters Laboratories)
-approved housing power tools.
Soldering
• When soldering, always observe the following precautions:
1. Always assume the soldering iron is hot. Do not use your body parts to check if the tip is hot.
2. Put the soldering iron in its holder when idling.
3. Wipe it on a damp sponge or approved tip cleaner and do not shake excess solder off the tip;
4. If another person needs the soldering iron, do not pass a soldering iron to another person. Let
the other person take it from the place where you put it.
5. Do not solder on a circuit that has power applied to it.
6. Always use a grounded-tip soldering iron.
7. Always make sure that the wire is not near the soldering iron.
