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:: Sunday, May 30, 2004 ::

More Than 30,000 Electrical Shock Accidents Each Year Cause for Alarm Chief Engineer, United States
Most personnel are aware that there is a danger of electrical shock, even electrocution. It’s the one electrical hazard around which most electrical safety standards have been built. However, few people really understand just how little current is required to cause injury, even death. Actually, the current drawn by a 7.5W, 120V lamp, passing across the chest, from hand-to-hand or hand-to-foot, is enough to cause death by electrocution.

Think of electrical shock injuries as “icebergs,” where most of the injury is unseen, below the surface. Entrance and exit wounds are usually coagulated areas and might have some charring, or these areas might be missing, having “exploded” away from the body due to the level of energy present. The smaller the area of contact, the greater the heat produced. For a given current, damage in the limbs might be the greatest, due to the higher current flux per unit of cross-sectional area.

Within the body, the current can burn internal body parts in its path. This type of injury might be difficult to diagnose, as the only initial signs of injury are the entry and exit wounds. Damage to the internal issues, while not apparent immediately, might cause delayed internal tissue swelling and irritation. Prompt medical attention can minimize possible loss of blood circulation and the potential for amputation of the affected extremity, and can prevent death.

posted 8:09 AM :: reference link :: 0 comments ::

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