Electrical Hazards

Electricity usually travels in a closed circuit through a designated conductor such as a wire or cable. A circuit is like a circle with no breaks or gaps to stop the flow of electricity. Electricity will always seek to complete the circuit. When certain conditions are present, a person can accidentally become a part of that circuit. Then the electricity uses the person's body to complete its circuit path, because the human body is a good conductor of electricity. When this occurs, the person receives an electrical shock.

Electrical shock can cause mild discomfort or death. The severity of injury from electrical shock depends on three things:

• Amount of electrical current flowing through the body
• Length of time the person remains a part of the current
• Path of the current through the body

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