FIRST AID AND

ACCIDENT
PREVENTION
ccident Prevention
No matter how
carefully a system is
engineered, no matter
how carefully
employees perform
their tasks, and no
matter how well
trained employees are
in the recognition
and avoidance of
hazards, accidents
still happen.
dividual Responsibility

The person most responsible for your own personal

safety is you. No set of regulations, rules, or
procedures can ever replace common sense in the
workplace. This statement should not be
constructed to mean an employer has no
responsibility to the safest practical work
environment, nor does it mean that the injured
person is at “fault” in a legal sense.
TABLE 5.1 Employee Safety Behavior
Determine the nature and extent hazards before starting a job

Each employee should be satisfied that conditions are safe before

beginning work on any job or any [art of the job

All employees should be thoroughly familiar with and should consistently

use the work procedures and the equipment that will be employed in the
performance of the job at hand

While working, each employee should consider the effects of each step and
do nothing which might endanger themselves or others

Each employee should be thoroughly familiar with emergency procedures

TABLE 5.2 Recommended Safety Credo

“If cannot be done safely, it need not to be done!”

Installation
Safety
Design

Proper design of electrical system is composed of

the parts-selection, installation and calibration.
Selection

Electric equipment should be selected and applied

conservatively. That is, maximum rating must be
well in excess of the quantities in which they
companies only manufacture the highest-quality
equipment. Equipment is tested per manufacturer’s
procedures by independent laboratories such as
Underwriter’s Laboratory (UL). Equipment that is
rated and labeled by such organizations should be
used in electrical systems to help ensure safety.
OSHA, NEC, * and NESC requirements should be
considered as minimum criteria for safe selection.
Installation

Equipment should be installed in a safe and credible

manner. Adequate work spaces for safety clearance
should be allowed, safety barriers should be provided
when necessary, and electrical installations should
never be mixed with areas which are used for general
public access.
Calibration

Equipment always should be properly calibrated.

For example, protective devices should be
calibrated so that they will operate for the
minimum abnormal system condition. Equipment that
is improperly calibrated can result in accidents
as through the equipment had been improperly
selected to begin with.
Electrical Protective Devices

Protective maintained equipment is hazardous.

For example, circuit breakers can explode
violently if not properly maintained. Equipment
be periodically inspected and tested. If
deficiencies are observed, the equipment must be
repaired, adjusted, or replaced as required.
Power System Studies

A short circuit study determines the magnitude of

the currents that flow for faults placed at various
buses throughout the power system. This information
is used to determine interrupting requirements for
fuses and circuit breakers and to set trip points for
the over current devices.
A coordination study is performed to make the
certain the over current devices in a system will trip
selectively. Selective tripping means that the only
the nearest upstream device to the short circuit trips
to clear the circuit.
 TABLE 5.3 NEC Requirements for Short-Circuit Analyses and Coordination Studies
Location in 1993 NEC Item

Definition Interrupting Rating. The highest current at rated voltage that device is intended to interrupt under
standard test organizations.

Article 110 110-9. Interrupting Rating. Equipment intended to break current at fault levels shall have an interrupting
rating sufficient for the nominal circuit voltage and the current that is available at the line terminals
of the equipment.
Equipment intended to break current at other that fault levels shall have an interrupting rating at nominal
circuit voltage sufficient for the current must be interrupted.
110-10. Circuit Impedance and Other Characteristics. The overcurrentprotective devices, the total
impedance, the component short-circuit withstand ratings, and other characteristics of the circuit to be
protected shall be so selected and coordinated as to permit the circuit protective devices that are used to
clear a fault without the occurrence of extensive damage to the electrical components of the circuit. This
fault shall be assumed to be either between two or more circuit conductors, or between any circuit conductor
and the grounding conductor or enclosing metal raceway.

Article 240 240-12. Electrical System Coordination. Where an orderly shutdown is required to minimize hazard(z) to
personnel and equipment, a system of coordination based on the following two conditions shall be permitted:
Coordinated short-circuit protection

Overload indication based on monitoring systems or devices.

 TABLE 5.4 ANSI/NFPA 70B Requirements for Short-Circuit Analyses and Coordination Studies

Location in 1990 Item

ANSI/NFPA 70B

Paragraph 5 - 4 . 3 An up-to-date short circuit and coordination study

is essential to safety of personnel and equipment.
It is necessary to analyze the momentary and
interrupting rating requirements of the protective
devices. That is, will the circuit breaker or fuse
safely interrupt the fault or explode in
attempting to perform this function.
Another phase of the study is that of developing
the application of the protective devices to
realize minimum equipment damage and the least
disturbance to the system in the event of the
fault.
FIRST AID

1. Act quickly!!! You may be the only one person that can
prevent a death.
2. Do not administer first aid that you are not qualified to
administer. Injuries can be aggravated by improperly
administered first aid.
3. Get qualified medical help quickly. Paramedics and
emergency first aid and should be summoned as soon as possible.
TABLE 5.5 General First Aid Procedure
Act quickly

Survey the situation

Develop a plan

Asses the victim’s condition

Summon help if needed

Move the victim if danger is imminent

Administer required first aid

Shock
Electrical Burns
eneral First Aid

Act Quickly . Remember, you may be the only

person between the victim and death. Whatever you
do, do it quickly. This does not imply that you
should act impetuously. Your actions should be
planned and methodical, but you should not waste any
time. Do not attempt to perform procedures for
which you have no training or experience.
Improperly applied procedures can be deadly.
Survey the Situation . Remember that your
purpose as a first aid giver is to help the problem,
not contribute to it. If you are injured in the
process of administering first aid, you cannot help
the victim. If your preliminary assessment indicates
that you need to wear safety clothing, put it on
first, then administer the aid. Table 5.6 lists key
points that should be checked before you rush in.
TABLE 5.6 First Aid Checklist

Is the circuit still energized?

Is the victim contacting the circuit?

Are noxious gases or materials present that may

cause injury?

Is fire present or possible?

Develop a Plan . After the initial survey of the
situation, develop the plan of attack. The specifics
of any given situation will vary; however, the
following guidelines should be used.

•If the victim is in immediate danger he or she should

be moved to a safe position.
(See the later section on moving the victim and later
sections on rescue techniques.)
•If the victim is non-responsive asses his or her
condition and respond accordingly. (See the later
section on assessing the victim’s condition.)
•If the victim is responsive, make him or her as
comfortable as possible and summon aid. Do not abandon
the victim until aid has arrived.
•Constantly monitor the condition of the victim.
Electric shock can cause delayed failures of heart
rhythm.
Assess the Victim ’ s Condition . The
procedures to be used in administering first
aid depend on the condition of the victim.
If the victim is responsive, no action may
be required. Table 5.7 lists the procedures
to perform if the victim is awake and
responsive.
TABLE 5.7 What to Do If the Victim Is Responsive
Ask the victim what is wrong

Assess the victim’s condition and treat injuries as best as

possible.

Treat the worst injuries first

When the victim is out of immediate danger, or if you are unable

to help because the injuries are beyond your abilities, summon
help

Attend to the victim(s) and keep them safe until help arrives

When help arrives, give the first aid and workers your
assessment of the situation and standby for help
TABLE 5.8 The ABCs of First Aid

Airway

Breathing

Circulation

Doctor

One of the biggest surprises to those who have not

worked with accident victims is that the trauma if
the accident can induce severe bleeding through the
mouth and/or vomiting. Be prepared for these
conditions before working with an injured person.
When you have prepared yourself for this situation,
begin the ABCs.
•A-Check the victim’s A irway. Figure 5.1 illustrates the correct
way to clear an injured person’s airway. Remember to avoid moving
the victim and to keep the victim’s spine straight to avoid
aggravating an injury. Caution: An accident victim may suffer from
involuntary muscle reflexes and other such as spasms. The
strongest muscle in the human body is the jaw. Because of this,
rescue workers should put their fingers into the victim’s mouth
only when absolutely necessary.
Start by opening the victim’s mouth as shown in Fig. 5.1. Search
the mouth for foreign matter or other objects which may blocking
the air passage. Many times the victim’s tongue may be blocking
the air passage. To fix this problem, put your hand behind the
victim’s neck, gently pull the jaw forward, and if required,
carefully tilt the head back. If the air passage is clear and the
victim is still not breathing, you should perform resuscitation.
•B-Check the victim’s B reathing. First, check to see if the victim
is breathing. This can be done by observing his or her chest to
see if it is moving. Then place your ear close to the victim’s
mouth and nose and listen carefully. If the victim is breathing
but choking or gurgling sounds are heard, proceed to the next step
which is clearing the airway.
•C-Check the victim’s C irculation. Circulation should
be checked by feeling for the victim’s pulse at the
carotid artery as shown in Fig. 5.2. To find the carotid
artery, place your fingertips gently on the victim’s
larynx. Gently slide the fingers down into the groove
between the windpipe and the muscle at the back of the
neck. The carotid artery is located in this area.
Gently feel the pulse. Table 4.9 shows the steps to take
for the various combinations of problems that may be
found.
•D-Summon the D octor. After the victim’s condition has
been stabilized, summon help. If the resuscitation
efforts are proving unsuccessful, the first aid giver
may want to summon more qualified assistance even though
the victim is not yet stabilized.
Summon Help If Needed . One of the most difficult
decisions is to summon help. If help is not summoned soon
enough, the victim may die. On the other hand, if the first
aid giver leaves to summon help, the victim may die. No
concrete rules can be given here; however, the following
guidelines may help:
•Relieve any immediate danger to the victim before
summoning help.
•Perform the ABCs before summoning help.
•If the victim is not breathing or has no pulse, perform
resuscitation before summoning help.
•If anyone else is in the area, yell or call for help while
performing the preliminary accident assessment.
Remember that the first aid giver is in charge of the
victim until more qualified help arrives. Do not abandon
the victim if immediate aid is required.
TABLE 5.9 How to handle Unresponsive Victims

Breathing-pulse normal Make victim comfortable. If help has not

been summoned, do and stand by until it
arrives.

No breathing-pulse normal Perform mouth-to-mouth-resuscitation until

breathing is restored or until help arrives
and takes over.

Breathing-no pulse Perform heart-lung resuscitation (CPR) until

pulse is restored or until help arrives and
takes over.

No breathing-no pulse Perform heart-lung resuscitation (CPR) until

pulse is restored or until help arrives and
takes over.
Move the Victim If Danger is Imminent. Unless they
are in imminent danger, accident victims should be moved
only when necessary and only by personnel who are
qualified to move them. A victim of violent injury, such
as a fall, may have spinal or other internal injuries.
Moving such a victim could cause increased problems
including paralysis or even death. Moving an injury
victim is discussed in detail in the Rescue Techniques
section of this handbook.
First Aid for Electric Shock . Electric shock is one
of the most difficult of all injuries to diagnose. In
some cases, even the injury is fatal no external signs may
be visible. Table 5.10 lists some of the clues and
symptoms which may be present when a victim has received
an electric shock.
TABLE 5.11 Precautions for Performing First Aid on an Electric Shock Victim
Do not touch any energize wires with any part of your body or
with any conductive tools or equipment

Do not touch a victim who is still in contact with an

energized wire any part of your body or with conductive tools
or equipment

Do not try to move any energized wires unless you are

qualified to do so. Qualified in this instance means that you
are trained in the performance of such a procedure and are
able to avoid electrical hazards
TABLE 5.13 First Aid Procedures for Unconscious Electric Shock Victims
With Symptoms

Immediately
Check
If
Try wounds
tothe
coolare
ABCs
burns
seek
.evident
If
medical
with
theorsterile
victim
burns
aid isarenot
compress
evident
breathing
, coverorthem
has with
heart
irregularities
sterile dressings perform resuscitation as described later in
this handbook
TABLE 5.12 First Aid Procedures for Conscious Electric Shock Victims
Who Exhibit No Symptoms

Keep the victim still and quiet. Remember that heart and
respiratory problems can be delayed in electric shock
victims

Monitor the victim’s condition for at least ½ hour

If the victim continues to show no symptoms, take them to a

doctor for a thorough examination
First Aid for Electrical Burns . Electrical burns may be
internal and/or external. External burns are caused by the
intense heat of the electric are coupled with the current
flow, while internal burns are caused by the current flow
heating the tissue. Internal burns are virtually impossible
to diagnose in the field. The symptoms of internal
electrical burns are identical to the symptoms caused by
severe electric shock. In addition to the symptoms described
in Table 5.10, the victim may also experience significant pain
caused by fire or other heat sources.
For both internal and external burns, the first aid
techniques are identical to those given in Tables 5.12 and
5.13. The treatment of burns is a very specialized medical
procedure. Be certain to seek specialized help as quickly as
possible.
rst Aid for Electrical Burns

Electrical burns may be internal and/or external.

External burns are caused by the intense heat of
the electric are coupled with the current flow,
while internal burns are caused by the current flow
heating the tissue. Internal burns are virtually
impossible to diagnose in the field. The symptoms
of internal electrical burns are identical to the
symptoms caused by severe electric shock. In
addition to the symptoms described in Table 5.10,
the victim may also experience significant pain
caused by fire or other heat sources.