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ELECTRICAL HAZARDS
Electrical hazards are hazards caused due to electricity. Electricity is the flow of electrons in a closed circuit.
Electricity can cause electric shock, direct burn and secondary injury from non-lethal shock. It can also cause fires and explosions
Static electricity is a form of electricity produced when electricity is displaced on the surface of a material, it occurs because of friction when two surfaces move over each other.
Static electricity can cause high voltage to be created on a material, which can be discharged as sparks at critical level. The energy of the spark is enough to initiate dust or vapor explosion
Prevention of electrical hazards
Electrical hazards can be prevented in various ways:
- The electrical equipment must be earthed to discharge.
- Electrical appliances must be carefully selected, correctly installed and adequately maintained.
- Wiring should be done by qualified persons and be inspected by accredited company on regular basis.
- Warn out cables should be replaced immediately.
- Always switch off the power before removing the plugs.
- The color-coding of the wire should follow the conventional color code i.e.
Live wire – Red or brown
Neutral wire- Black or blue
Earth wire- Green or Yellow
- Install a voltage stabilizer between the supply and the consumption point and circuit breakers should be used to cut off the supply incase too much current shall pass through. These prevents the main switch from being blown off.
- All conducting wires must be properly insulated, not left hanging and away from water points, e.g. water taps.