Electric shock

Electric shock is established when our body behaves as a part of the circuit, offering a way for the current pass. This way is the one which less resistance.

It can have many causes, such as: contact with wires or sources energized, grounding absence, isolation fail, nature disturbances, accidental energizing, maneuver mistakes, electric arc (comes often with a lot of heat, causing burnings), etc.

PS: workers that have pessoal metals or electronics into them body must stay away from eletric-magnetic fields gerenerated by high voltage, whereas this field can increase the temperature of those metals or cause disfunctions in the electronics. And now, a doubt comes on: with all that discussion about wireless electricity, who will know the effects of these fields in our body?

Our body is composed of 80% of water, that is conductor (because of the minerals). Unless our skin (high resistance), our interior is propitious to receive an electric shock. It would be good to remember that our muscular and nervous system is naturally guided by electric impulses.


Depending on the state of our skin, if we were exposed to low voltages, we wouldn't suffer by an electric shock, but if our skin were sweated (less resistence), for example, we would.


Another danger is that the skin can be breached. Happening this (and as we already know that is has high resistance), the total resistance of our body would fall, what it would increase much more the current.


The damage of an electric shock depends on some factors:

• Current type: some people say that AC is more dangerous than DC, because it makes the victim stay holding the conductor (muscles contract without stopping).
• Frequency: just for AC. The more frequency, the more sensation threshold, the less dangerous.
• Current intensity: number of electric particles that pass through the area of the conductor per second. The more intensity, the more dangerous.
• Time exposed: maybe the most important factor. It's the amount of time that the victim stays on the shock condition.
• Way in the body: it's also important. The hand-to-hand way, for example, is very dangerous, because it would affect the heart and the lungs.
• Voltage: for the same conditions, the more voltage, the more current intensity, so the more dangerous.
• Resistance: as I said, depending on the resistance, the electric shock will be more dangerous (low resistances).

To avoid the occurrence of shocks, we always must:

• Use conserved and appropriate IPEs (individual protection equipaments). Remember that the company is obliged to supply and stimulate the use of these IPEs.
• Use tools inside of the techniques norms, and according to the voltage.
• Avoid the use of pessoal metals.
• Plan all the work to be made (beginning to the end).
• Know what and in what is moving.

Electric shock also have its benefits:

• By much time the electric-convulsing shock in the cure of schizophrenia (today they use drugs).
• Taser is a gun that fires two darts energized with high voltage (there're also closed contact versions).
• Beauty produts that promise to substitute exercises by stimulating muscles (with electric impulses).
• Defibrillator deliveries a therapeutic electric shock to the heart.

Always reminder:

Your family is your most valuable thing.

There's no work urgent enough that doesn't require a
SECURITY PLANNING.