Workers Be Safe - The 3 Most Common Causes Of Electrocution
Most people in America worry about accidents like traffic incidents, or slipping and falling on someone else’s property, or even being bitten by an aggressive dog. Electrocution doesn’t rank high on the list of things most people feel the need to be cautious of, but electrical accidents are not only common, but they can also be very serious. Here are the three ways that most people will be at risk of some damaging electrical shock.
Power Line Exposure
For people in a certain line of work, this is a daily risk. Tree trimmers, for example, may have work requirements that put them close to live power lines. The same is true for employees in the telecommunications sector and, of course, electrical workers doing fieldwork.
One of the most common injuries that occur here is when even seasoned workers make the error of believing the lines they are working near are insulated when in fact, they are not. This is direct exposure to much electrical energy being transmitted so that the results can be serious or even fatal.
Energized Equipment Exposure
Another common cause of electrical injury is when equipment has exposed electrical currents that people, either through carelessness, or ignorance, make direct contact with. Work situations are the normal scenario for this, with situations like testing an electrical circuit sometimes resulting in accidental contact. In logistics, crane run-ways are what carry huge cargo containers from one area to another, but this requires an electrical current running throughout the runway. Maintenance of crane runway conducts can sometimes result in electrical shock if people aren’t properly informed of the current state of the crane.
Sometimes electrical circuits are meant to be conductive, but usually, they have some protection, such as an isolating plate that prevents people from making contact. However, if these plates are removed for maintenance, and people are unaware of their function or the danger, it’s very easy to make contact with energized equipment and get a shock.
Touching Equipment That Is Not Grounded
This is, by far, the most common method of electrical injury and can occur in a variety of different situations, not just commercial or industrial. When something is “grounded,” this means that precautions are taken to drain excess electrical energy safely away. Electrical energy consists of a positive and negative charge, and the negative charge can build up.
When something is properly grounded, a “ground circuit” is built in so that if there’s an excess of energy, it is diverted to the ground circuit, which is itself connected to the earth/ground to drain energy safely. Improper grounding means a charge can build up and contact can result in a shock.
We this frequently in, of all places, musical performances. If a wired microphone and stand aren’t properly grounded, contact with another electrical instrument, like a guitar, can result in a shock. Throughout rock music history, 16 famous musicians, including Keith Richards, and George Harrison, have been shocked by making contact with improperly grounded microphones.
If you’re injured by electrical shock through negligence, such as touching an improperly ground computer, you may be eligible for compensation. Talk to an electrical accident attorney and find out what your next step should be.
