Electrical Safety Issues Research Articles

Invisible threats: An investigation of electrical hazards and safety practices among residential electricity consumers

Understanding electrical hazards and implementing safety measures is paramount to protecting lives and property. Therefore, this research investigates electrical hazards in households and safety measures taken by residents in Sokode–Etoe, Ghana. The primary objective is to identify gaps in knowledge regarding electrical hazards among domestic electricity consumers and offer recommendations to enhance safety and mitigate the risks. The data were systematically collected from 200 participants, including both homeowners and tenants, using a structured questionnaire. The results were presented using Likert scale analysis, sample t-test, binary logistic regression analysis, involving statistical hypothesis testing of predictor variable coefficients, Importance-Performance Map Analysis (IPMA) and Necessary Condition Analysis (NCA). Participants showed a high awareness of electrical hazards, yet demonstrated a weaker grasp of safety practices, correct emergency procedures, and infrequent testing of wiring systems by homeowners. The predominant electrical accident that emerged was electrical shock. Most homeowners have not engaged certified electrical inspectors for a decade, reflecting uncertainty about the safety protocols in place. Furthermore, respondents expressed a degree of uncertainty regarding the safety measures implemented in their households concerning electricity usage. This study underscores the pressing need to raise awareness and promote safe electrical practices in residential environments. Such an educational initiative could utilize a variety of communication channels, social media influencers, renowned personalities, customised mobile applications and other platforms. This research stands out as the inaugural investigation offering a comprehensive examination of the hazards related to energy consumption and safety precautions in Ghana. It focuses on an often-overlooked demographic of electricity users in Ghana, shedding light on domestic electrical safety issues and the growing hazards.

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Lightning not only destroys insulation as an abnormal voltage is induced in the electric circuit, but the current flowing at this time also causes a fire and acts as a factor that promotes the deterioration of parts. Recently, PV power generation devices are spreading from outside the city center to the inside of the city such as houses, apartments, and public offices, so electrical safety issues are emerging. In particular, among the failures of photovoltaic power generation facilities, surge failure accounts for 20% of the total failure rate, and during photovoltaic power generation, tens to hundreds of [A] of energy is emitted, leading to electrical safety accidents through electrical damage to inverters and connection boards. In addition, the frequency of lightning strikes and damage caused by lightning strikes are increasing along with torrential downpours due to extreme weather caused by global warming. In this paper, we intend to study the lightning protection operation system in line with the recent increase in the occurrence of lightning strikes and the resulting increase in electrical safety accidents and the need for safety measures in renewable energy facilities.

FluoRa - a System for Combined Fluorescence and Microcirculation Measurements in Brain Tumor Surgery.

In brain tumor surgery it is difficult to distinguish the marginal zone with the naked eye. Fluorescence techniques can help identifying tumor tissue in the zone during resection and biopsy procedures. In this paper a novel system for combined real-time measurements of PpIX-fluorescence, microcirculation and tissue grey-whiteness is presented and experimentally evaluated. The system consists of a fluorescence hardware with a sensitive CCD spectrometer for PpIX peak detection, a laser Doppler system, optical probes, and a LabView software. System evaluation was done on static fluorescing material, human skin, and brain tumor tissue. The static material indicates reproducibility, the skin measurements exemplify simultaneous fluorescence and microcirculation measurement in real-time, and the tumor tissue showed PpIX peaks. These decreased over time, as expected, due to photo bleaching. In addition, the system was prepared for clinical use and thus laser- and electrical safety issues were considered. In summary, a system for multiparameter measurements during neurosurgery was successfully evaluated in an experimental environment. As a next step the system will be applied in clinical brain tumor biopsies and resections.

Analyzing the cause of human electrical accidents using Swiss Cheese model

Purpose This study aims to explore the factors influencing electrical accidents. Here, the authors aim to understand and model the causes of electrical accidents at multiple levels. Design/methodology/approach In the study, the authors have tried to put causes of accidents in the electricity distribution segment, in the framework of the Swiss Cheese model. Delphi kind of expert survey was conducted to find the Cheese Slice (level) and the causes (holes) for electrical accidents. Inputs from a hundred experts having more than five years of experience in electrical utility companies have been used to find Cheese Slice and holes, to explain the occurrence of an electrical accident. Findings Effective training for safe work practices, safe knowledge and closer supervision would go a long way to plug the holes in the Cheese Slice in human factors. The difference in perception of managers, supervisors and workers on the importance of various causes of electrical accidents are also presented and discussed. Research limitations/implications This research is based on expert opinion and survey where respondent perception is reported. Actual accident data has not been used here. Practical implications The holes or causes of accidents at different levels (Cheese Slice) have been identified for plugging or removal for better safety. Social implications Electrical energy is widely used, and therefore, electrical safety is a social concern and also improving it is a social need. Originality/value The study contributes to electrical safety issues in the electrical utility sector.

Influence of individual psychophysical characteristics of the worker on electrical accidents

The article discusses the risks and factors of electrical safety that affect the working person. Electrical injury, in comparison with other types of industrial injuries, is a relatively small percentage, however, in terms of the number of injuries with severe and fatal outcomes it takes the leading place. That is why the utmost attention must be paid to the issues of electrical safety. You need to understand how electric current affects the human body, the conditions for falling under dangerous voltage, measures to protect against electric shock. The article is of great practical importance both for those interested in electrical safety issues and for employees of enterprises in the mining and energy industries.

Review of Wireless Charging Systems for Autonomous Underwater Vehicles

Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) are increasingly used for undersea exploration. The endurance of AUVs is limited by the onboard energy storage among which the battery systems dominate. Various underwater recharging methods are employed to increase the AUV range and autonomy. Currently, contact-based underwater recharging utilizes the wet-mate connector technology that requires a high-precision AUV docking, and is prone to electrical safety issues. To overcome these limitations, underwater wireless recharging techniques for AUVs have been explored in recent years. Wireless charging offers a safe and reliable method for autonomous power transfer between a charging station and a vehicle. This article reviews the state-of-the-art inductive wireless power transfer (IWPT) solutions for underwater applications and discusses the engineering challenges of the IWPT system design. Underwater environmental factors, such as seawater conductivity, temperature, pressure, water currents, and biofouling phenomenon, impose constraints on IWPT systems. A comprehensive review of AUV energy storage systems, docking methods, IWPT system control methods, and compensation networks is presented in this article. Based on the main operational and constructional principles, the AUV IWPT systems are categorized as loosely coupled transformers and resonant IWPT systems. Each of the categories is illustrated through their main design principles and implementations reported in the literature so far. Technical challenges, such as integration of IWPT system into an AUV hull, interoperability, alignment and retention issues, docking station sinking and stability, the design of pressure-tolerant charging electronics, data transfer, and the battery operation in the underwater environment are discussed in this article too. The article is concluded with the best practice overview of designing an IWPT system for AUVs.

Prophylactic Approach to Industrial Electro-Traumatism Taking into Account Individual Psycho-Physical Peculiarities of Worker Taking into Account Network Digitalization

The article assesses electrical safety in electrical installations, considers the risks and factors affecting a working person. Electrical injury, compared with other types of industrial injuries, is a relatively small percentage, however, the number of injuries with severe and fatal outcomes occupies a leading place. That is why electrical safety issues need to be given the closest attention. To ensure safe working conditions during the operation of electrical installations, it is necessary to know how electric current acts on the human body, conditions of exposure to hazardous voltage, protection measures against electric shock. The topic of the article is of great practical importance both for those interested in electrical safety issues and for employees and enterprises of the energy industry.

Electrical Safety of Plug-In Electric Vehicles: Shielding the Public from Shock

This article discusses fundamental electrical safety issues, especially protection against electric shock, for those interacting with electric vehicles (EVs). The safety of users may be challenged by the vehicle's increased operating voltages, at different frequencies, possibly making the protection against direct and indirect contacts more complex. The article examines vehicles' electrical safety under both normal operating conditions and in the case of electrical and/or mechanical failure. Safety during charging in reference to different charge modes is also discussed. Furthermore, solutions are proposed for improving safety in light of applicable technical standards and the evolution of the technology.

District Heating Safety Issues: Interactions Between Grounding Systems and Thermal Installations

The structure of a district heating network lends itself to interactions among the grounding system of the generating plant, and those of the users, with the possibility that hazardous induced voltages may occur on the latter. Hazards are possible due to the bonding of the heating system pipes to customers grounding systems, as well as to possible high values of fault currents. These electrical safety issues due to grounding electrode interactions have been so far poorly treated in technical literature. District heating pipes are generally dielectrically separated in segments by means of insulating joints. A deeper analysis of such joints shows that the hot water circulating in the pipes may bypass their insulation, rendering the effectiveness of the dielectric separation strongly dependent on the joint geometry, and on the water electrical conductivity. The authors propose possible schemes for the hot water pipes connections, and discuss their efficiency based upon the electrical configuration of the generation plant. An experimental verification procedure to assess the electrical safety of the district heating system is also proposed.

Electrical Safety of Aeronautical Ground Lighting Systems

Aeronautical ground lighting (AGL) systems have been developed to deliver warnings and status indications to pilots and maneuvering area vehicle drivers on runways. Their role in preventing the hazard of runway incursions, present in the aviation industry, is therefore crucial. AGL systems basically consist of a primary series lighting circuit, which is supplied at constant current and high voltage (e.g., 5 kV), and AGL transformers supplying ground lights at their secondary sides. Protection of persons against electric shock in AGL systems cannot be conveyed by disconnection of supply as ground faults would cause the out-of-service of the lighting system, thereby compromising the safety of aerodromes; alternative protective measures are therefore employed. In this paper, the authors examine the electrical safety issues present during maintenance of AGL systems, often performed live in order to guarantee the continuity of the service. Experimental measurements on AGL isolating transformers have been also reported in this paper, and possible solutions to improve the electrical safety of operators are proposed.

Double-SOI Wafer-Bonded CMUTs With Improved Electrical Safety and Minimal Roughness of Dielectric and Electrode Surfaces

Despite myriad potential advantages over piezoelectric ultrasound transducers, capacitive micromachined ultrasound transducers (CMUTs) have not yet seen widespread commercial implementation. The possible reasons for this may include key issues of the following: (1) long-term device reliability and (2) electrical safety issues associated with relatively high voltage electrodes on device surfaces which could present an electrical safety hazard to patients. A CMUT design presented here may mitigate some of these problems. Dielectric charging is one phenomenon which can lead to unpredictable performance and device failure. Using a previously published 1-D model of dielectric charging, we link minimal dielectric surface roughness with minimal dielectric charging. Previous studies of Fowler-Nordheim tunneling suggest that minimal-surface-roughness electrodes could lead to minimal transdielectric currents (and, hence, slower dielectric charging rates). These principles guided our device architecture, leading us to engineer near atomically smooth electrodes and dielectric surfaces to minimize dielectric charging. To provide maximum electrical safety to future patients, CMUT devices were engineered with the top membrane serving as a ground electrode. While multiple CMUT elements have not been individually addressable in most such designs to our knowledge, we introduce a fabrication method involving two silicon-on-insulator wafers with a step to define individually addressable electrodes. Our devices are modeled using a finite-element package. Measured deflections show excellent agreement with modeled performance. We test for charge effects by studying deflection hysteresis during snapdown and snapback cycles in the limit of long snapdown durations to simulate maximal-dielectric-charging conditions. Devices were also tested in long-term actuation tests and subjected to more than 3 × 10 <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">10</sup> cycles without failure.

Chinese Drywall Liability

This article presents an overview of the defective Chinese drywall product liability including a timeline starting when complaints were received by the Florida Department of Health in June 2008. The overview of the rapidly evolving product liability also discusses the factors that contributed to drywall demand and the production of synthetic gypsum as well as the common allegations that have been made against various drywall defendants and the actions and information provided by the Consumer Product Safety Commission—the federal agency tasked with leading the investigation into drywall complaints, potential health risks, and electrical and fire safety issues. Lastly, available corporate disclosures are summarized for drywall liabilities. The drywall problem has spurred much activity from homeowners, builders, contractors, suppliers, and drywall manufacturers. Much investigation has been done and more is in process, and initial findings and results are just being made available. That said, it is too early to tell the magnitude of the liability in which many facts remain unknown, and it is uncertain when the drywall problem will abate.

Training and qualifying your employees

Procedures alone cannot provide an improvement in electrical safety performance. Personnel who are exposed to electrical hazards must understand the basics of electrical hazards and safe work practices in order to implement the procedures. Training and qualifying your employees on these issues can be difficult and confusing. This article outlines a process for training employees on electrical safety issues. It will define qualified in terms that will satisfy the requirements of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and NFPA 70E of the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) and also define the steps to meet the requirements of being qualified. The information contained in this article is the result of training the author has performed with electricians and nonelectrical personnel. The information is based upon the interpretation of the author. Employers should review the information and compare it to their interpretation of the regulations.

Network-Based Modeling and Simulation of Future Vehicle Electrical Systems

Today's vehicle electrical systems supply a large number of essential driving functions. Due to the increasing system complexity reliability of electrical energy and safety issues become increasingly significant. Safety-relevant systems like driver-assistance and drive-by-wire take over vital tasks. Safety concepts, reliability, availability and fault diagnosis of vehicle electrical power supply must be therefore thoroughly designed. The powernet of the future should be able to adapt to different system situations or failures. In this paper modeling the powernet is represented by different descriptions like a topology graph or a state description. The modeling and analysis techniques shall contribute to design future vehicle electrical systems with regard to reliability, availability and safety.

The generation of 25.05 T using a 5.11 TBi2Sr2CaCu2Ox superconducting insert magnet

A 25.05 T magnetic field was generated by a 5.11 T superconductingBi2Sr2CaCu2Ox insert magnet within a 19.94 T resistive magnet. TheBi2Sr2CaCu2Ox magnet is constructed using fully reacted powder-in-tube conductor and insulated stainlesssteel reinforcement. Three concentric sections are used to minimize the total stress in theBi2Sr2CaCu2Ox conductor: two double pancake stacks and an outer layer-wound section. The insert coiloperates at 4.2 K in a 0.168 m diameter cryostat fitted to the resistive magnet. Here weprovide an overview of the design and construction of the insert and the results of self-fieldand in-field testing. Mechanical and electrical safety issues, related to testing in a largeresistive magnet, are discussed.

Benchmarking safety

All of general industry in the United States, represented by the participants in the IEEE/IAS Petroleum and Chemical Industry Committee Technical Conference (PCIC), is regulated by the federal government to have an electrical safety program. The Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) documents that drive the electrical safety of employees in the workplace is written in performance language. Companies trying to conform are having difficulties with the prescriptive means to comply. Emerging electrical safety issues are difficult to answer since they involve both technological and cultural changes. Many of the electrical-safety-related work practices and most all of the electrical-safety-by-design features that improve electrical safety escalate the cost of electrical equipment and facilities. Employers generally want to do the "right thing" and will do so, even if the cost is higher, if they are convinced that others are also "going the extra mile." Benchmarking can provide the direction and the support needed to convince industrial company business managers when more complicated and expensive features can really enhance electrical safety for the employee workplace. The results of questionnaires circulated and discussed in meetings to benchmark electrical safety over the last year are presented. Present understanding and acceptance reinforces the impression that further dialogue is needed on this subject.

Residential PV systems—electrical safety issues and installation guidelines

This article addresses the electrical safety of photovoltaic (PV) systems. It points out the different physical properties of PV generators in comparison to conventional power sources like the public grid. It is written with a strong reference to the international standard IEC 364, ‘Electrical Installations of Buildings’ (IEC = International Electrotechnical Commission) and draws very much on recent developments in Germany.