Every year in India, thousands of people are killed or injured from
contact with electricity. Some of these people are just young
children. The more you know about how electricity works, the better
you can keep yourself, your friends and your family safe. Let us
know.
In your home electricity runs the lights,
television, toaster, and more. ItÂs hard to even imagine what
your life would be like without it.
ItÂs easy to see what electricity does for us, but what IS
electricity? Electricity is a form of energy. Energy is
power the power to do and move things, and to make things work.
Electricity begins with atoms. Atoms are tiny particles that are
too small to see. Atoms make up everything around us.
The center of the atom has at least one proton and one neutron.
At least one electron travels around the center of the atom at
very great speed. An outside force, called voltage, can push
electrons from atom to atom. This movement of electrons produces
electricity. We have found many ways to harness electricityÂs
power and use it.
When you want to use electricity, you plug an
electrical appliance, toy, or tool into the tiny holes in an
outlet. Does electricity come from the tiny holes? Well, yes and
no.
Electricity travels in a circuit that begins at a power plant. A
thick coil of wire spins inside giant magnets at the plant,
moving the electrons in the wire and making electricity flow.
The power plant sends electricity through a grid of power lines.
First, big transmission wires on tall towers carry electricity
to places called substations in different neighborhoods. These
substations contain equipment that reduces electricityÂs voltage
so it can travel on smaller power lines that branch out down
streets, either on overhead power lines or lines that are buried
underground.
Overhead and underground power lines carry electricity to
transformers on poles or on the ground, where the voltage of
electricity is reduced again so people can use it safely.
(Transformers and substations contain equipment that is very
dangerous to touch; thatÂs why they have warning signs on them).
From transformers, electricity travels into buildings through
wires called service drops. These connect to a meter box, which
measures how much electricity is being used, and to all the
wires that run inside walls to outlets and switches.
When you plug something in and turn it on you complete
electricityÂs circuit. Electricity flows from the wires in the
wall, through the plugÂs metal prongs, and through the appliance
cord to the motor of the appliance. Then it flows back through
the appliance cord to the outlet and out to the wires and into
the grid again.
So, while electricity doesnÂt actually come from the little
holes in outlets, it is waiting inside the outlet to be used Â
much like water waits in pipes for you to turn on the faucet and
let it flow.
A Conductor is a material that
electricity can flow through easily.
Metals (such as copper and
aluminum) are good conductors. ThatÂs why electrical wires are
made of metal. All the wires that lead from power plants, to
substations and transformers, and finally into buildings have
metal inside them for electricity to travel on.
Water is another great conductor. Because your body is mostly
water, electricity can also travel easily through you. (Warning:
if electricity travels through you itÂs likely you will be
seriously hurt or even killed.)
Electricity travels at the speed of light. At 186,000 miles per
second, it gives you no time to react! You canÂt move faster
than electricity, so you just have to stay out of its way.
Electricity does not travel easily through
certain materials like special rubber, plastic, and glass. These
materials are known as insulators and they are used to keep
electricity from leaving the wires it travels on.
Electrical plug and section of cord showing insulation of inner
wires. Insulators keep electricity from leaving power lines.
Glass, plastic, or ceramic insulators high up on power poles
keep electricity from traveling down the pole to the ground. If
an insulator breaks, or a power line becomes disconnected from
the insulators that hold it up, the line can fall to the ground
and energize the area around it with a lot of electricity. If
you touch a downed line  or even the ground near the line  you
could be hurt or killed. If a power line falls on a car and you
touch the car and the ground at the same time, you would also
get a shock.
Insulating materials also keep electricity inside appliance
cords. Rubber or plastic insulation around the cords keeps the
electricity in the wires and prevents you from getting a shock.
If this insulation is broken or wears off, the electricity can
come through and shock you. Also, if you overload an outlet by
plugging in too many things, cord insulation can overheat and
melt, causing a shock and fire hazard.
Electricity is always trying to get
to the ground. Like all good travelers, electricity takes
shortcuts whenever it can. If something that conducts
electricity gives electricity an easy path to the ground,
electricity will take it!
Water and metal are some of the best
conductors for electricity. Because your body is mostly water,
you are a great conductor, too! So if you touch an electric
circuit and the ground at the same time, you will become
electricityÂs easiest path. Electricity will flow through you,
and you could be seriously hurt or killed.
You donÂt have to be touching the ground directly to conduct
electricity. You could also be touching something that is in
contact with the ground, like a tree or a ladder.
Water is an excellent conductor.
You can become electricityÂs path to the ground if you are
touching water that touches electricity. Electricity would
travel through the water and through you to the ground.
This is
why itÂs so important to keep all electrical appliances away
from water, and to make sure your hands are dry and you are not
standing in water when you touch anything electrical. ItÂs also
the reason no one should ever use water on an electrical fire,
but should use a multipurpose fire extinguisher instead.
Appliances have protective insulated cords
and coverings to keep you from contacting the electricity
inside. ItÂs important to use appliances and cords the way they
were designed to be used so you donÂt damage the insulation or
contact live electrical parts. If a live wire inside an
appliance, toy, or power tool touches the inside of the device
and you touch the device, it would be like touching a bare live
wire. You cannot tell from the outside if there is a problem
inside, so you should always act as if there were danger of
shock.
You can never tell when contact with
electricity will be fatal, but you can be sure it will always
hurt.
Electric shock can cause muscle spasms, weakness, shallow
breathing, rapid pulse, severe burns, unconsciousness, or death.
In a shock incident, the path that electric current takes
through the body gets very hot. Burns occur all along that path,
including the places on the skin where the current enters and
leaves the body.
ItÂs not only giant power lines that can kill or injure you if
you contact them. You can also be killed by a shock from an
appliance or power cord in your home.
Have you ever wondered why the birds that sit
on power lines donÂt get electric shocks? ItÂs because the
electricity is always looking for a way to get to the ground,
but the birds are not touching the ground or anything in contact
with the ground.
If you touched a power line while you were in contact with the
ground (or standing on a ladder or roof) electricity would
travel through you. And if your kite or balloon got tangled in a
power line and you touched the string, electricity could travel
down the string and into you on its way to the ground. Both
situations would mean a serious shock!
Have you ever wondered why people who work up on power lines
donÂt get shocked? Utility workers are trained to work with
electricity. They wear special insulated boots, hardhats, and
gloves, and use special insulated tools that help prevent shock.
It would be a bad idea to climb a power pole and imitate them Â
and possibly fatal!
Electrical fires are different than other
fires. Because water conducts electricity, throwing water on an
electrical fire can cause the fire to get larger. Here is what
to do:
1. NEVER use water on an electrical fire.
2. Tell an adult to turn off the main power to the house.
3. If the fire can be put out safely, tell an adult to use a
proper chemical fire extinguisher. If the fire cannot be put out
safely, leave the house and take everyone with you.
4. Call 101 or any emergency number and tell them it is an
electrical fire.
If someone has been shocked, thereÂs a chance they may still be
in contact with the source of the electricity. Do NOT touch the
person or anything he or she is touching. You could become part
of electricityÂs path and be shocked or even killed! Take these
three steps:
1. Tell an adult to turn off the main power to the house.
2. Call for help (usually 101). Tell them it is an electrical
accident.
3. When the victim is not in contact with the source of
electricity and youÂre sure there is no danger, tell an adult to
give first aid for electrical injury. This may include CPR.
4. DonÂt touch burns, break blisters, or remove burned clothing.
Electrical shock may cause burns inside the body, so be sure the
person is taken to a doctor.
Trees near power lines are dangerous! When a
tree grows close to a power line, it can create shock hazards,
power outages, and fires.
If you climb a tree near a power line and touch the power line,
electricity will go through you and you can be hurt or killed
If a tree branch falls on a power line, it can cause a power
outage. Electricity will go off in any homes or businesses
served by the power line until the electric utility can remove
the branch and fix the line.
Circuits do not always turn off when a power line falls into a
tree or onto the ground. Even if they are not sparking or
humming, fallen lines can kill you if you touch them or the
ground nearby. Stay away and tell an adult immediately.
If a tree branch touches a high-voltage power line, electricity
from the line can make the branch so hot it catches fire. From
there, the fire can spread to nearby trees, plants, or
buildings.
Do you like to climb and play in trees? Follow these tips to
help keep yourself and your friends safe:
1. Never climb in or play in trees that are growing next to
power lines.
2. Never touch a power line with your hand or with any other
object, whether you are in a tree or on the ground.
3. Tell an adult if you see trees growing close to high-voltage
power lines or contacting these lines. (High-voltage lines are
the ones at the very top of power poles.)
4. If you see a power line that has fallen into a tree or onto
the ground, stay away and tell an adult immediately. Even if
they are not sparking or humming, fallen lines can kill you if
you touch them or the ground nearby.
5. Tell an adult if you see someone trimming a tree next to a
high-voltage power line. Certified professional tree trimmers
are the only ones allowed to do this.
6. Plant only trees that will not grow tall or wide enough to
contact nearby power lines.