We receive quarterly formal safety training. Below is a copy of a handout on the effect of electricity on the body. The best protection against electrocution is to deenergize the equipment you are working on, but if that is not possible then the use of rubber gloves becomes very important.
How Electrical Current Affects the Human Body
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 immediate cardiac arrest. Although it is not known the exact injuries that result from any given amperage, the following table demonstrates this general relationship for a 60-cycle, hand-to-foot shock of one second's duration:
Current level
(in milliamperes) Probable effect on human body
1 mA Perception level. Slight tingling sensation. Still dangerous under certain conditions.
5 mA Slight shock felt; not painful but disturbing. Average individual can let go. However, strong involuntary reactions to shocks in this range may lead to injuries.
6-30 mA Painful shock, muscular control is lost. This is called the freezing current or "let-go" range.
50-150 mA Extreme pain, respiratory arrest, severe muscular contractions. Individual cannot let go. Death is possible.
1000-4300 mA Ventricular fibrillation (the rhythmic pumping action of the heart ceases.) Muscular contraction and nerve damage occur. Death is most likely.
10,000 mA Cardiac arrest, severe burns and probable death.
