Electrical fires, burns, shocks or electrocution are common accidents in workplaces that use electrical equipment. Accidents can occur during construction, maintenance or testing of equipment. To avoid such incidents, one must use electrical safety devices like circuit breakers, fuses and voltage regulators in order to implement the best design practices and follow safe operating procedures.
Providing safety in the workplace
There could be a number of causes for electrical fires and similar accidents. One of the biggest parts of electrical safety includes proper circuit protection, which can successfully mitigate electrical problems and reduce its impact.
Some electrical problems that circuit protection can help avoid are short circuits, current overloads, shocks, electrical fires and electrical surges.
Here are four ways one can provide circuit protection for better safety.
Safeguards from shock and fire
Electrical shocks and fires are a major problem that may occur due to the presence of electrical energy or electrical failures.
Some ways to safeguard the workers from these accidents is by:
- Providing lockable disconnect devices
- Including electrical safety signs across the workspace
- Providing overcurrent and surge protection
- Interlocking doors to disconnect power
Fire safety measures help in protecting one from an electrical fire mishap which could lead to equipment damage and loss of life.
Branch circuit and supplementary protection
Circuit protection is important to protect a machine from currents that are greater than the machine’s or device’s actual current carrying capacity. Electrical protection can eliminate the dangerous overcurrent cause due to overloads, short circuits, voltage transients, etc.
In order to provide this protection, it is important to understand the difference between the branch circuit and supplementary protection.
Branch circuit-rated devices protect the wires, and supplementary devices provide additional protection. However, the latter is not enough to protect the load or equipment exclusively. Supplementary devices are used for lower load equipment, internal loads, or as a simple additional disconnecting device.
There are numerous wiring practices, bonding and grounding techniques to protect machines and workers. Use branch-circuit short-circuit, overcurrent protection and supplemental overcurrent protective devices.
Breakers and fuses
Circuit breakers use thermal or magnetic trip units to open the breaker when a short circuit or an overload is detected. An overload occurs when an excess current slowly starts heating wires and equipment. This switching device interrupts the fault or abnormal current and cuts off the flow of high magnitude current. It also performs the function of a switch. It is mainly designed for opening or closing of an electrical circuit. It protects the electrical system from any kind of damage.
Fuses are safety devices that are used to protect the electrical equipment from damage due to high voltage. A fuse is made of a thin strip of metal which melts whenever there is excessive current flow in the electrical circuit. When the strip melts, it opens the circuit and disconnects it from the power supply.
Using circuit breakers and fuses will keep the electrical equipment from getting damaged. It will also prevent an electrical fire on the premises.
Providing safety from surges
Do not overlook surge suppression. In fact, power surges cost US companies billions of dollars every year.
Surge protection devices can help in preventing these losses by shielding against small power spikes that can damage electrical devices. They can even offer protection against major power surges that are less frequent but more serious.
Choose the surge protection devices based on the supply voltage, rate of power surge occurrence, expected magnitude and the number of phases in the power circuit.
You must provide electrical protection in all forms to protect your employees. Having the right electrical safety measures will not only prevent accidents but also reduce costly downtime and equipment damages.
