Electrical Hazards - High Voltage Electrical Burns More than 1000 employees are killed and another 30,000 injured each year from electrical shock. Hands are frequently involved in an electrical injury since they are the most common source of contact with the electrical current. However, damage to other parts of the body may be more extensive and life-threatening. Severe electric shock can result in cardiac arrest due to ventricular fibrillation, massive fluid loss into swollen tissues, and kidney failure caused by an overload of muscle protein from damaged muscle and infections. Electrical injuries are often more severe than they appear to be from...

Static Electricity – It can be a shocker! Remember when you dragged your feet across the rug and then touched your brother or sister’s ear! That got their attention! We have also seen the effects of "static cling," when our clothes cling together in the dryer. Static electricity, as a source of ignition for flammable vapors, gases, and dusts, is a hazard common to a wide variety of industries. A static spark can occur when an electrical charge accumulates on the surfaces of two materials that have been brought together and then separated (between two solids, between a solid and a liquid,...

Working Safely Around Electricity Industry runs on electricity. It’s safe to use when you know what you’re doing and take proper precautions. When precautions are not taken, electricity can be a killer. How you are affected by electric shock depends on the following factors: The rate the current flows through your body. This depends on how good your body conducts electricity. If you have dry hands and are standing on a non-conductive surface such as a rubber mat, you may not even feel a shock. If you are perspiring and are standing in water, you could be killed. The length of time...