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    Jalal Awan
    Three primary factors affect the severity of electrical shocks: the amount of current, the path of the current through the body, and the duration of exposure. Effects can range from a barely perceptible tingle to death. The risk of severe injury or death increases with currents over 6mA, 17mA, and 100mA for durations of 1 second. Wet or damp conditions increase the risk by lowering skin resistance.

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    Electric

    Uploaded by

    Jalal Awan
    17 views3 pages
    Three primary factors affect the severity of electrical shocks: the amount of current, the path of the current through the body, and the duration of exposure. Effects can range from a barely perceptible tingle to death. The risk of severe injury or death increases with currents over 6mA, 17mA, and 100mA for durations of 1 second. Wet or damp conditions increase the risk by lowering skin resistance.

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    Three primary factors affect the severity of electrical shocks: the amount of current, the path of the current through the body, and the duration of exposure. Effects can range from a barely perceptible tingle to death. The risk of severe injury or death increases with currents over 6mA, 17mA, and 100mA for durations of 1 second. Wet or damp conditions increase the risk by lowering skin resistance.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as doc, pdf, or txt
    17 views3 pages

    Electric

    Uploaded by

    Jalal Awan
    Three primary factors affect the severity of electrical shocks: the amount of current, the path of the current through the body, and the duration of exposure. Effects can range from a barely perceptible tingle to death. The risk of severe injury or death increases with currents over 6mA, 17mA, and 100mA for durations of 1 second. Wet or damp conditions increase the risk by lowering skin resistance.

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    All DOL OSHA

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    eTools Home : Construction Users Guide | Glossary | Bibliography | V


    Back to Electrical Incidents

    How Electrical Current Affects the


    Three primary factors affect the severity of the shock a person
    receives when he or she is a part of an electrical circuit:

     Amount of current flowing through the body (measured


    in amperes).
     Path of the current through the body.
     Length of time the body is in the circuit.

    Other factors that may affect the severity of the shock are:

     The voltage of the current.


     The presence of moisture in the environment.
     The phase of the heart cycle when the shock occurs.
     The general health of the person prior to the shock.

    Effects can range from a barely perceptible tingle to severe burns and imm
    arrest. Although it is not known the exact injuries that result from any gi
    the following table demonstrates this general relationship for a 60-cyc
    shock of one seco

    Current level
    Probable Effect o
    (Milliamperes)
    Perception level. Slight tingling sensation.
    1 mA
    under cer
    5mA Slight shock felt; not painful but disturbing. Average
    let go. However, strong involuntary reactions to shoc
    may l
    Painful shock, begin to lose muscular control. Commo
    6mA - 16mA
    as the freezing current or
    Extreme pain, respiratory arrest, severe muscula
    17mA - 99mA
    Individual cannot let go. De
    100mA - 2000mA Ventricular fibrillation (uneven, uncoordinated
    heart.) Muscular contraction and nerve dam
    occur.
    Cardiac arrest, internal organ damage, and severe
    > 2,000mA

     NIOSH [1998]. Worker Deaths by Electrocution; A Sum


    Surveillance and Investigative Findings. Ohio: US Heath and H

     Greenwald EK [1991]. Electrical Hazards and Accidents - T


    Prevention. New York: Van Nos
    Wet conditions are common during low-voltage electrocutions. Under
    human skin is very resistant. Wet skin dramatically drops the bod
    Dry Conditions: Current = Volts/Ohms = 120/10
    a barely perceptible lev

    Wet conditions: Current = Volts/Ohms = 120/1,0


    sufficient current to cause ventricula

    If the extensor muscles are excited by the shock, the person may be thro
    the circuit. Often, this can result in a fall from elevation that kills a vict
    electrocu

    When muscular contraction caused by stimulation does not allow the


    himself from the circuit, even relatively low voltages can be extrem
    because the degree of injury increases with the length of time the body is
    LOW VOLTAGE DOES NOT IMPLY
    100mA for 3 seconds = 900mA for
    in causin

    Note that a difference of less than 100 milliamperes exists between a


    barely perceptible and on

    High voltage electrical energy greatly reduces the body's resista


    breaking down human skin. Once the skin is punctured, the lowered res
    in massiv
    Ohm's law is used to demonstrat
    At 1,000 volts, Current = Volts/Ohms = 1,000/5
    which can cause cardiac arrest and serious damage to inte

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