How to Avoid Electrical Shocks

Electrical shocks are dangerous, and can be fatal. The potential for an electrical shock while working around your home, or even from a damaged appliance, is also probably more common than you might think.

An electric shock can disturb your heart’s normal beating pattern, and stop it from pumping blood – which can be fatal. An electric shock can also temporarily stop your muscles, including your heart, from working, and leave you with serious burns.

In order to lower the risk of an electric shock, it’s important to understand some of the common causes. These include faulty appliances, damaged electrical cords, electrical devices coming into contact with water, poor wiring, and downed power lines.

The amount of damage an electric shock can cause will depend on how high the voltage is, and your body’s ability to resist the shock. Your body may normally be able to resist a low voltage, but things such as rain or perspiration can lower your body’s resistance, meaning electricity can more easily flow through your body.

If you are working on an electrical device, turn the power off. Shutting off the circuit should prevent electric shocks from occurring. Don’t use an aluminium ladder if you suspect there’s an electrical problem. You shouldn’t wear any metal accessories when working on appliances or fuse boxes, and you should certainly not be working with electricity when it’s wet.

Safety Switches

Safety switches provide an effective defence against electric shocks. Safety switches monitor the flow of electricity through a circuit, and shut it off if the flow is uneven. An uneven flow can mean faulty wiring or other defects, or it can mean that electricity is actually flowing through a human body.

If this happens, the circuit will automatically shut off, minimising the severity of the shock. It’s a very inexpensive way to potentially save lives. If you do see someone suffer an electric shock, it’s vital to call Triple-0.

If you do not have a safety switch installed, call us today on 0437 670 317. It’s easy to test a safety switch once it has been fitted – all that is required is to press the “test” button. The switch should trip to the “off” position.