Safety Awareness in Electrical Engineering

It is important for students studying to become electrical engineers to be aware of electrical safety measures and hazards. There are several severe, even life-threatening hazards that one could encounter when among electrical equipment. Two main dangers related to dealing with electrical equipment shocks and burns are overloading outlets with too many devices, and neglecting to implement the usage of a Ground-Fault Circuit Interrupter. While outlets are designed to handle multiple plugs, it is crucial to know that they do have limitations as far as what they are capable of supporting. Various dangers can occur by overloading an outlet. Risks of electrical fires are increased when two or more appliances are plugged in at once, or when extra electricity is required by means of an extension cord. This is also the reason why major appliances such as refrigerators and dryers should be plugged directly into their own outlet; they are heavy power users. Although most homes and appliances have fuses as a form of safety to prevent fires, people should still be aware of the amount of power can be placed on each outlet or circuit. A safety procedure that could potentially be life-saving is the usage of a ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI). It protects people from electrical shocks by monitoring the amount of current flowing in a circuit (from hot to neutral), and thereby locating a loss of current. If it senses an imbalance, the circuit trips fast enough to prevent an electrical accident because it cuts off the electricity right away. Since ground-fault is the most common electrical shock hazard, it is an essential part to any home or work environment. While it typically will still give off a shock, the shock will be much less harmful than without the GFCI put in place. In conclusion, harm due to electricity can be