Effects of Electric Current on Human Body: Electrical Safety Guide
Electrical energy used in offices, workplaces, and
homes can cause serious injury to people from electric shock.
Electricity tends to form an easier closed path from power sources to the
device and back to the power source, this is called an electrical closed
loop. The current always tries to move or terminate the circuit with
the shortest path.
Effects of Electric Current on Human Body |
Effects of Electric Current on Human Body
When the human body
encounters electrical energy, it serves as a conductor and forms the
closest path to complete the circuit by grounding, resulting in an electric shock or burn affecting the nervous system and contracting the muscles,
so the heart can stop beating cause heart failure.
The severity of
electrical injuries depends on the amount of current flowing through
the body, the shortest current path, the duration of contact, and the frequency
of the current.
Human Resistance to Electric Current
Body Area/Condition |
Resistance in Ohms |
Dry Skin |
1,00,000 to 600,000 |
Wet Skin |
1000 |
Internal Body (Hand to Foot) |
400 to 600 |
Ear to Ear |
About 100 |
Effects of current on a Human Body
Type of Current |
Effect |
||
AC 50Hz |
DC |
AC 10,000 Hz |
|
0-1 mA |
0-5 mA |
0-9 mA |
No Sensation |
1-8 mA |
6-55 mA |
10-55 mA |
|
9-15 mA |
60-80 mA |
60-80 mA |
Painful shock |
16-20 mA |
80-100 mA |
80-100 mA |
Some loss of muscle control |
20-45 mA |
100-350 mA |
- |
Severe shock and loss of muscle control |
50-100 mA |
400-800 mA |
- |
Possible heart failure |
Over 100 mA |
Over 800 mA |
- |
Usually fatal |
Severity of Electric Shock
The severity of injuries
sustained in any given case due to electricity depends upon the following
factors:
- Type (AC or DC) of the current
- Frequency of alternating current
- Amperage of current
- Circuit voltage
- Path of the current through body and duration of electric shock
- Resistance of the subject
- Phase of cardiac cycle at which the current passes
- Electrical quantities associated with human injury
- Wet body
You may find affiliate
links in this article. This means that if you click on a link and purchase any
of the products on this page, we may receive a commission, at no additional
cost to you, It does not affect our knowledge sharing, opinions or reviews. Everything
we do is benefit for you as the reader, so all our knowledge sharing, reviews
are as honest and unbiased as possible.
No comments
Please don't add links in the comments, they will be treated as spam comments