Electricity as an energy source was an ever-important discovery that powers many of the devices, homes, and megastructures we use and see in our lives today.
At the time of its invention it was a luxury, today it is a necessity like water, clean air, and food. Electricity has a major role to play in our everyday spheres of lives. However, due to its form, electricity can also be a cause of great pain if handled inappropriately. The human body can suffer severe damage in case an electric current pass through it within a rapid time span.
It has been recently observed by various safety experts that a lot of accidents have taken place inside homes, offices, factories, and construction sites where electricity was the cause of either a fatality, serious injury and/or asset damage.
Through simple interventions, accidents like these can be prevented. Residual Current Device (RCD) and Earthing and Grounding are two of the most common ways through which we can protect our premises from any sort of electrical mishap.
RCDs are commonly used in the distribution panel or in conjunction with socket outlets and it constantly monitors the electric current flowing through one or more circuits. Its purpose it to protect the circuit as well as the human actors involved.
If it detects electricity flowing down an unintended path either due to a short circuit or through a person who has touched a live part, the RCD will switch the circuit off very quickly, significantly reducing the risk of death or serious injury. RCDs are also not too expensive and cost around Rs. 3000-4000/unit.
Similarly, another way to keep the premises safe is to have earthing and grounding infrastructure inside living or working premises. In an electric wiring system, the earth or ground is a conductor that provides a low barrier path for the earth to prevent hazardous voltages affecting the devices. The term earthing and grounding means connecting the electrical system and equipment to the ground by using a suitable conductor.
Earthing the premises increases the safety of electrical appliances, prevents electrical shocks, and eliminates excess, dangerous electricity before it can harm a person. The earthing wire is designed to be the fastest, easiest way for electricity to pass into the ground and prevent injury.
By adopting these relatively simple and easy actions, we can not only prevent any untoward electrical incidents but also keep ourselves, our loved ones, and our appliances safe.
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