One bad thing that comes along with the convenience and other benefits brought by technology are the electric hazards that may occur despite your observation of some safety measures. Take note that most automated devices today are powered by electricity and once they are mishandled, they could turn either into a destructive device or into a killer machine. Among the most common electrical hazards are ignition of fire and explosion. For the users, the usual concern is the risk of electric shock, which could be as worst as serious injury or even death.
What Happens When a Person Gets Electric Shocked?
Electric shock basically occurs when a person gets contact – whether directly or indirectly – with any electrically energized object that is commonly in the form of a “live wire”. This makes the sufferer’s body act as part of the electric circuit in which electric current flows through it and a voltage drop is received by his body. The sufferer usually reacts in a surprise upon getting electrically shocked as a result of the electric current that has flown through his skin surface that touched the energized object. Most people’s instinct is to immediately let go of the certain object. However, when the contact is with a highly energized metal, there is a possibility that the shocked victim will lose control of his body and so he gets stuck and eventually suffers from severe injury.
How Electric Shock Becomes Lethal?
The skin surface that gets contact with the live wire usually gets burned and its severity basically depends on the current and voltage rating of the circuit as well as on the duration of the contact. In worst cases, getting electric shocked could affect the heart’s rhythm and thus, ventricular fibrillation takes place. It happens when the electric current is large enough to be able to cross the victim’s chest. Other than that, extreme electric shock could also result to neurological effects, which takes place once current reaches the brain and causes interference with the victim’s nervous control, especially over the heart and other cardiorespiratory organs. Either way, the sufferer could lose his life unless immediate remedy is applied on him.
What to Do to Save the Life of an Electric Shocked Person?
It is never advisable to attempt pulling the electrically shocked person away from the live wire because when you do, you might suffer from the same situation and it could even be worse. That’s why the most recommendable action is to immediately find a safe way to shut down the electric system or circuit that the victim gets contact with. Once the victim gets away from the live wire, you must instantly apply cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and/or make use of an automated external defibrillator (AED) to attempt to recover the his heart rhythm.
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