Electrical Hazards
- Mains electricity is potentially lethal – potential differences as small as 50 volts can pose a serious hazard to individuals
The risk of electrocution is indicated by hazard signs but other risks which would not be signposted are listed below
- Common hazards include:
- Damaged Insulation – If someone touches an exposed piece of wire, they could be subjected to a lethal shock
- Overheating of cables – Passing too much current through too small a wire (or leaving a long length of wire tightly coiled) can lead to the wire overheating. This could cause a fire or melt the insulations, exposing live wires
- Damp conditions – If moisture comes into contact with live wires, the moisture could conduct electricity either causing a short circuit within a device (which could cause a fire) or posing an electrocution risk
- Excess current from overloading of plugs, extension leads, single and multiple sockets when using a mains supply - If plugs or sockets become overloaded due to plugging in too many components the heat created can cause fires