Safety Moment
3 ELECTRICAL SAFETY DEVICES – SAFETY MOMENT
Working with electricity has become a vital part of our everyday lives. Knowing how an electrical safety
device works and what it protects is critical knowledge. Here are three common electrical safety devices.
1. Circuit Breaker:
- Designed to protect the wiring in a building.
- Detects a fault in the wiring and interrupts the
flow of current.
- A circuit breaker may “trip” when an electrical
receptacle has become overloaded. One can
reset the circuit breaker to restore current
flow. (Note: Make sure that the circuit is no
longer overloaded before resetting the circuit
breaker).
- If the circuit will not reset by turning all the
way off and back on, contact an electrician.
2. Surge Protector:
- Designed to protect electrical devices from
voltage spikes (ex. a lightning strike).
- Attempts to block the voltage supplied to a
device above a safe threshold.
3. Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI):
- Designed to reduce the risk of electric shock.
- An electric shock to a person may cause their
heart to stop or cause skin burns.
- A GFCI measures the flow of current out of
the circuit and back into the circuit. If these do
not match, the GFCI stops the circuit.
- Should be tested at least once a month.
Photo References:
Website: http://www.sterlinghomeinspections.com/sterling-home-inspection-blog/2013/5/23/whats-so-special-about-my-electrical-panelWebsite: http://www.lifefone.com/lifefone-surge-protector.html
Website:http://www.homedepot.com/p/Leviton-SmartLockPro-15-Amp-GFCI-Duplex-Outlet-with-Red-Black-Buttons-White-R72-N75990RW/203425810
October 26, 2015
Safety Moment - 3 Common Types of Electrical Safety Devices
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