Safety Procedures

Electrically operated devices can have the potential to be lethal, it is necessary to use safe working methods to avoid electrical shock, fires, mechanical or electrical damage to equipment and injuries to yourself or others.

Current legislation holds you responsible for any work done by yourself.

If you should have noticed a potential hazard and fail to act properly; You could face criminal charges and possibly have a prison sentence imposed by the legal system.
Where it can be proved that you have been negligent you will be held legaly responsible and could be charged with manslaughter should anyone be killed due to your negligent actions.

When working with electrically powered equipment the most obvious threat is that of getting an electric shock.

The danger is electric current overcomes the electrical signals sent by your brain to control muscle movement, this can cause the muscles affected to go into spasm. You should bear in mind that the heart is a large muscle which can be stopped by the electrical surge.

A current in excess of 10mA (10 milliamps) flowing through the body can paralyse the person receiving it, The person would be unable to get free from a live power source.

Dry skin has several hundred thousand ohms resistance to electrical current flow. When your skin is wet, cut or pierced by a strand of wire the resistance is very much less; possibly as low as a few hundred ohms. Under these conditions it is possible to receive a fatal shock from voltages as low 30 volts.