18. ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT
18. Electrical equipment
Incorrect use of electrical equipment or defects in the equipment may cause overheating
and start a fire. At shipyards, the most typical reasons for fires caused by electrical
equipment are mentioned in the following list:
equipment incorrectly earthed
faulty cables
fuses that have the wrong capacity
hot arc and sparks
placing the welding handle during the break in such a way that wire feeding
starts unintentionally leading to overheating of wire
an electrode left in the holder during the break with the power switched on
loose cable connections
An electric shock is always dangerous. The severity of the electric shock to
someone depends on the amount of current flowing through the body, or body
part, and its pathway through the body.
The electric shock can cause:
Injuries to the body (e.g. burns, muscle injury)
Disorders in the vital function of the body (heart)
Indirect accidents, such as falls resulting from being frightened by an electric
shock or arc.
There is always risk of electrical accidents if defective equipment is being used.
Check the condition of the equipment and its suitability for the work.
Safety Extra Low Voltage (Protective Extra Low Voltage)
When the voltage is low enough, even dry skin can deter its flow through the body in
case of contact. Therefore, for safety reasons a low voltage (less than 50 V AC or les
than 120 DC) is often used. This voltage is called protective extra low voltage (PELV)
or safety extra low voltage (SELV). In confined conductive spaces it is necessary to use
electrical equipment with PELV.
Protective insulation
Protective insulations impede any direct contact of current with the exposed parts of
the equipment, even when the actual operational insulation fails.
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