PAT Testing - Portable Appliance Testing

What the Health and Safety Executive have to say about Electricity

Electrical Safety at Work

Electricity kills and injures people. Around 1000 electrical accidents at work are reported to HSE each year and about 30 people die of their injuries.

Many deaths and injuries arise from:

	Use of poorly maintained electrical equipment
	Work near overhead power lines
	Contact with underground power cables during excavation work
	Work on or near 230 volt domestic electricity supplies
	Use of unsuitable electrical equipment in explosive areas such as car paint spraying booths
	Fire started by poor electrical installations and faulty electrical appliances cause many additional deaths and injuries

Electrical Injuries

Electrical injuries can be caused by a wide range of voltages but the risk of injury is generally greater with higher voltages and is dependent upon individual circumstances.

Alternating current (AC) and Direct current (DC) electrical supplies can cause a range of injuries including:

	Electric Shock
	Electrical Burns
	Loss of Muscle Control
	Thermal Burns

Electrical Shock

A Voltage as low as 50 volts applied between two parts of the human body causes a current to flow that can block the electrical signals between the brain and the muscles.

This may have a number of effects including:

	Stopping the Heart Beating Properly
	Preventing the Person from Breathing
	Causing Muscle Spasms

The exact effect is dependent upon a large number of things including the size of the voltage, which parts of the body are involved, how damp the person is, and the length of time the current flows.

Electric shocks from static electricity such as those experienced when getting out of a car or walking across a man-made carpet can be at more than 10,000 volts, but the current flows at such a short time that there is no dangerous effects on a person. However, static electricity can cause a FIRE or EXPLOSION where there is an explosive atmosphere (such as in car paint spray booth).

Source: http://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity Source: http://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/injuries.htm