Basic safety guidelines for electrical equipment are provided as the safety manual when you purchase an electric device. Personal safety when handling electronic equipment should not be taken lightly. You should avoid repairing or replacing electrical components if you do not have the necessary skills to handle them. Electrical devices are inherently designed to be safe, though carelessness or ignorance can cause imbalance of the existing safeguards. If, however a number of basic safety guidelines for electrical equipment are followed, an amateur can carry out basic electrical repairs on many of his electrical devices. He may hire a certified electrician to perform those activities deemed to be sophisticated or risky for homeowners. Basic safety guidelines for electrical equipment are provided for each and every electric device purchased and the owner should ensure that the safety guidelines are fully observed.
Injuries Caused By Faulty Electrical Devices
When using any 24v power supply electric device, there are a lot of hazardous exposures that may arise. There are various types of injuries caused by use of faulty electrical devices. These include:
- Electrocution, which is usually fatal
- Electric shock
- Falls, especially when carrying out repairs
The injuries happen in any of these ways:
Direct contact with electric current– an electric current travelling through our bodies interferes with the normal electric signals transmitted between the brain and our muscles.
When electricity flows through a gaseous medium to a person who is grounded– the resulting arc flashes cause intense heat that result to burns; intense light that can lead to blindness; or can cause ignition of other objects.
Startle reaction can cause a person to fall from a ladder, if he was carrying out repairs on a ladder. This can lead to fatal injuries.
Basic Safety Guidelines for Electrical Equipment:
- Your priority must be your safety and not your schedule or economics
- You should be keen to know when an electrical anomaly requires the services of a licensed electrician; if you have any doubt, then hire the services of one.
- Do carry out regular examination of electrical wires and replace any cords having damaged insulation
- Ensure that you do not instigate any action that might disrupt the insulation of a conductor
- Make sure that you turn the power off before carrying out any replacement of a switch or doing any other activity on a circuit. If the system uses a fuse, remove it and keep it safe, otherwise someone might reinstate it while you are still carrying out repairs on the circuit. If using circuit breakers, put the circuit breaker on it’s OFF position and inform people not to activate the circuit.
- On working on an electric circuit, make sure that all connections and joints of wires are made inside an electric box which is approved.
- When you are joining insulated wires to each other, ensure that no single bare wire goes beyond the connection.
- Join wires using wire nuts, and ensure that none of the conductors are exposed
- Educate your family members on how to switch off electric current at the main switch
- Always use insulated tools when repairing or replacing electrical apparatus.
- If by any chance there is contact between water and electricity, do not wade in the water unless the master switch is turned off.
It is very crucial therefore to adhere to the basic safety guidelines for electrical equipment to ensure that we do not expose ourselves to unnecessary hazards.