Portable Electrical Equipment - Safety Talk (PDF)

Portable electrical equipment is commonly used in industry. Poor maintenance and incorrect use of
portable electrical equipment can easily lead to electric shock and fatality.

Death or injury from electric shock can result from the following effects of electric current flow on the
body:
? contraction of the chest muscles which interferes with breathing;
? temporary paralysis of the nervous system which results in breathing failure;
? interference with the normal rhythm of the heart causing the heart fibres to contract separately
and at different times resulting in loss of blood circulation; and
? hemorrhaging and burning of body tissue, nerves and muscles because of heat from the current
flow through the body.

Injuries from electrical shock are less severe when the current does not pass through the body near
nerve centres and vital organs.

In most electrical accidents involving portable electrical equipment, the current flows from the hands to the feet past the heart and the lungs with serious and fatal results.