e le ct rical-e ngine e ring-po rt al.

co m

http://electrical-engineering-po rtal.co m/do -yo u-understand-what-is-electric-sho ck

Do You Understand What Is Electric Shock?

Edvard

Ele c tric s ho c k d ang e r s ig n

Introduction
Electric current passing through the body, particularly alternating current at power f requencies of 50 Hz and 60 Hz, may disrupt the nervous system, causing muscular reaction and the painf ul sensation of electric shock. T he most common reaction is to be thrown of f the conductor as a result of the muscular contraction. However, in a small number of instances, the consequence is death f rom cardiac arrest, or f rom ventricular f ibrillation (where the heart muscle beats in a spasmodic and irregular f ashion) or f rom respiratory arrest. T he psychological ef f ects are largely determined by the magnitude and f requency of the current, the wavef orm (f or example, continuous sine wave, or half wave rectif ied sine wave, or pulsed wavef orm), its duration, and the path it takes through the body. An authoritative guide on the topic is published in IEC 60479. T he f ollowing text concentrates on the most common situation of a shock f rom a continuous power f requency ac wavef orm. T he magnitude of the current is the applied voltage divided by the impedance of the body. T he overall circuit impedance will comprise the body of the casualty and the other components in the shock circuit, including that

of the power source and the interconnecting cables. For this reason, the voltage applied to the body, which is commonly known as the touch voltage, will of ten be lower than the source voltage. T he impedance of the body is determined by the magnitude of the touch voltage (there being an inverse relationship between impedance and voltage) and other f actors, such as the wetness of the skin, the crosssectional area of contact with the conductors, and whether or not the skin is broken or penetrated by the conductors. As a general rule of thumb, at an applied voltage of 230 V at 50 Hz, the total body impedance f or a hand-tof eet path will be in the range 1000 to 2500 f or most of the population, f alling to around 750 at voltages in excess of about 1000 V. T he path that the current takes through the body has a signif icant ef f ect on the impedance. For example, the impedance f or a hand-to-chest path is in the order of 50 per cent of the impedance f or a hand-to-f oot path. Moreover, the currents path through the body is a signif icant determinant of the ef f ect on the heart. Table 16.1 summarizes the physiological ef f ects of current passing through the body. T he ef f ects relate to a hand-to-hand shock exceeding 1 s f or a person in good health. If the duration were less than 1 s, greater currents could be tolerated without such adverse reactions.

Fig ure 16.1 - De p ic tio n o f a typ ic al ind ire c t c o ntac t e le c tric s ho c k

Electric shock accidents are most common on low-voltage systems and are usually subdivided into two categories of direct contact and indirect contact shocks. A direct contact shock occurs when conductors that are meant to be live, such as bare wires or terminals, are touched. An indirect contact shock occurs when an exposed conductive part that has become live under f ault conditions is touched, as depicted in Fig. 16.1. Examples of an exposed conductive part are the metal casing of a washing machine and the metal casing of switchgear. T his type of accident, which requires two f aults to occur (the loss of the earth connection followed by a phase-to-earth fault), is quite common.

Physiological Ef f ects
Table 16.1 The effect of passing alternating current (50 Hz) through the body from hand-to-hand Current (mA) 0.52 210 1025 Physiological effect T hreshold of perception Painf ul sensation, increasing with current. Muscular contraction may occur, leading to being thrownof f T hreshold of let go, meaning that gripped electrodes cannot be released once the current is

f lowing. Cramp-like muscular contractions. May be dif f iculty in breathing leading to danger of asphyxiation f rom respiratory muscular contraction 2580 Severe muscular contraction, sometimes severe enough to cause bone dislocation and f racture. Increased likelihood of respiratory f ailure. Increased blood pressure. Increasing likelihood of ventricular f ibrillation (unco-ordinated contractions of the heart muscles so that it ceases to pump ef f ectively). Possible cardiac arrest Burns at point of contact and in internal tissues. Death f rom ventricular f ibrillation, cardiac arrest, or other consequential injuries

Over 80

First Aid with Emergency Def ibrillator

When providing f irst aid to an electric shock casualty, the f irst action should be to remove the cause by switching-of f the supply or otherwise breaking contact between the casualty and the live conductor . Cardiopulmonary resuscitation may be required. If the casualty is suf f ering f rom ventricular f ibrillation, the only ef f ective way to restore normal heart rhythm is by the use of a def ibrillator. Where a def ibrillator is not immediately available, the f irst aider should carry out cardiopulmonary resuscitation until either the casualty recovers or prof essional assistance arrives. SOURCE: J.M. Madden

Firs t aid - Eme rg e nc y d e fib rillato r