For this week, April 18-23, 2022 of this grading period, the following shall be your guide for

the different
lessons and tasks that you need to accomplish. Be patient, read it carefully before proceeding to the tasks
expected of you.
GOOD LUCK!

Date Topic Activities or Tasks

April 22-23 Electrical Safety Identify and familiarized
possible causes of
Electricity accidents
Effects of Electricity on Human Body Familiarized the effects of
current in the body

Understand the nature of

electricity and its effects

CORRESPONDENCE LEARNING MODULE

BASIC OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH

Content

Learning Outcomes
 Identify the importance of Safety in dealing with electrical equipments

 Understand the nature of electricity and its effects to the body

 Identify an unforeseen situation that threatens lives and properties.

Electrical Safety

How electricity flows

The electricity that flows to our homes is generated in power stations. From here, it flows through large
transmission lines, which carry it to substations. Finally, distribution lines carry electricity from substations to
houses, businesses, and schools like yours

How does electricity reach our homes?

Have you ever wondered how the electrical energy that powers all those devices in your home actually gets
there? Here's the lowdown!

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  In power stations, large spinning turbines generate electricity, powered by wind, coal, natural gas, or
water (hydropower).
 The electrical current is sent through transformers, which increase the voltage so the power can be
pushed over long distances.
 The electrical charge is then carried by transmission lines held up by large towers, which stretch across
huge distances.
 From the transmission lines, the electricity reaches a substation, where the voltage is lowered so it can
be sent on smaller power lines.
 The electricity is then sent through distribution lines to your neighbourhood. Smaller transformers lower
the voltage again so that the power is safe to use in our homes.
 The electricity connects to your house, where it passes through a meter which measures the amount of
electricity you use.
 Finally, the electricity travels through wires inside the walls to the outlets and switches in your house -
ready to power your devices!

Electricity travels in closed circuits. The word ‘circuit' comes from the word ‘circle', so you can think of it liked a
closed loop. The electricity needs to have a complete path from the power station where it's generated, all the
way to the wires in your home, and back again. If the circuit is open (i.e. there's a gap), the electricity can't flow.

Basic Components of Power System

Power stations are where electricity is generated.

Transformers increase or decrease the voltage of an electrical current.
Transmission lines carry high-voltage electrical current across the country.
Distribution line is a line or system for distributing power from a transmission system to a consumer that
operates at less than 69,000 volts.
A circuit is the path on which electricity flows - it must be closed in order for electricity to flow.

Effects of Electricity on Human Body

Why Worry About Electricity?

Electrocutions rank fourth in causes of industrial fatalities (behind traffic, violence and construction). It is
estimated that 600 people die every year of electrical causes. Most of these accidents involve low voltage (600
volts or less).

Electricity flowing through the human body can shock, cause involuntary muscle reaction, paralyze muscles,
burn tissues and organs or kill. In case of electric shock, the amount of current flow through the body and the
corresponding body sensation are identified in the following graph.

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Graph: Electric Shock Vs. Body Sensation

A small night-light with a 6-watt bulb draws 0.05 ampere, and even that small amount of current can be fatal.
Here are some effects of current (in milli amps) passing through a 150 pound body (note that perception is only
0.5 to 1.5 milli amps).

Current passing through your body can cause electric shock, resulting in 3 types of potential injuries:
Burns (arcs burn with heat and radiation) Physical injuries (broken bones, falls and muscle damage) – at 10 milli

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amps, the muscles clamp on to whatever the person is holding. Nervous System Effects (stop breathing at 30 to
75 milli amps AC at 60 Hz, fibrillation at 75 to 100 milli amps at 60 Hz)

Fibrillation
 a muscular twitching involving individual muscle fibers acting without coordination.
 very rapid irregular contractions of the muscle fibers of the heart resulting in a lack of synchronism
between heartbeat and pulse. - heart is “twitching” and there is no blood flow to the body. The heart can
be damaged because it is in the path of the most common routes electricity will take through the body:
 Hand to hand
 Hand to foot

Burns

Although a current may not pass through vital organs or nerve centers, internal electrical burns can still
occur. These burns, which are a result of heat generated by current flowing in tissues, can be either at the skin
surface or in deeper layers (muscles, bones, etc.) or both. Typically, tissues damaged from this type of electrical
burn heal slowly.

The critical path of electricity through the body is through the chest cavity. At noted levels, current flowing
from one hand to the other, from a hand to the opposite foot, or from the head to either foot will pass through the
chest cavity paralyzing the respiratory or heart muscles, initiating ventricular fibrillation, and/or burning vital
organs.

The effects of electric current on the human body can vary depending on the following:
 Source characteristics – current, frequency and voltage of all electric energy sources.
 Body impedance and the current’s pathway through the body.
 How environmental conditions affect the body’s contact resistance.
 Duration of the contact

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Static Electricity and How It Can Do Harm?

Static electricity is an imbalance of electric charges within or on the surface of a material or between
materials. The charge remains until it is able to move away by means of an electric current or electrical
discharge.

Why minimize static shocks?

You may be injured by the reaction to the shock even though the shocks are not hazardous!

What you can do?

1. Never clean the glass face of your computer monitor while the computer is on.
2. During normal operation, the glass surface of a monitor’s CRT accumulates an electrostatic charge.
When you touch the screen with a finger, the charge in the portion of the screen you touched discharges
through your finger with a tiny spark. Electric current does not normally flow through glass so only part of
the screen that your finger touches is discharged. When you clean a monitor however, the entire glass is
wet and the charge on the entire screen will discharge to your finger or hand, causing a much more
painful shock. Clean your monitor before you turn on your computer.
3. Never allow any electrical powered office equipment to become wet while it is turned on.
4. Never turn on any electronic equipment when it is wet.
5. Even when a computer has been turned off for a few minutes, it is best not to touch the monitor’s CRT
while handling or using other electrical / electronic equipment, including the telephone. Wet or dry, you
may receive an electric shock. This shock is similar to the shock you receive when you touch a door knob
after walking across a carpet. Although painful, this type of shock is not hazardous. However, you may
be injured by the reaction to the shock, such as pulling your hand rapidly away and hitting your elbow
against a wall or cabinet.

Controlling Electrical Fire

Stages of Fire.

There are four (4) stages of fire:

1. Incipient stage – no visible smoke or flame

2. Smoldering stage – there is no smoke but no flame

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 3. Flame stage – actual fire exist and heat builds up

4. Heat stage – uncontrollable spread of superheated fire

An electrical fire originates from an energized electrical equipment, wiring, fuses and appliances. Its
extinguishment calls for a non-conductive dry powder, carbon dioxide or vaporizing liquid. Never use water to
avoid shock at fatal electrocution.

Electrical Fire Prevention Practices Keep hallways and stairways clear for quick exits and always equip
them with smoke detectors whenever possible. Properly placed detectors cut your chances of dying in a home
fire. Put them on every level of your house and outside each bedroom. Check the test button weekly and clean
it regularly. Make sure everybody knows the sound of alarm.

Blown fuses, warm outlet plates, sparks from switches and outlets – all could be signs of an overloaded
electrical system or faulty wiring. The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) identifies “octopus connections” – where
several electrical appliances are connected to 1 outlet, resulting in power overload and other electrical faults –
as the main cause of fires in the home. Avoid having such connections in your house.

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 Never leave hot appliances plugged-in when you are not around. If you have big appliances such as a
window air conditioner, plug them into their own heavy duty electrical circuit, not just an outlet. Let air circulate
around your TV set and at the back of your refrigerator to dissipate build-up heat. Don’t place watered plants on
top of the set or ref.

Use extension cords only within their designated rating. Never let multi-outlet assemblies or cube taps
cause overloads. Never use frayed or deteriorated extension cords. Never tamper with fuses to change their
current carrying capacity.

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