Download ELECTRICAL SAFETY DEVICES

ELECTRICAL SAFETY DEVICES
GFCI: A ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) can help prevent
electrocution. If a person’s body starts to receive a shock, the GFCI senses
this and cuts off the power before he/she can get injured.
GFCIs are generally installed where electrical circuits may accidentally
come into contact with water. They are most often found in kitchens, bath
and laundry rooms, or even out-of-doors or in the garage where electric
power tools might be used.
FUSE: A fuse is a safety device to prevent excess current flowing in an electric circuit. It consists
of a thin metal wire of low resistance and low melting point.
When an electrical appliance or some other piece of electrical
equipment becomes faulty, therefore allowing an excess electric
current to flow through its circuit, this causes the wire inside the
fuse to melt and thus break the flow of current.
Fuses, by design are a one-time-use protective device - once
they are used ("burn out"), they're worthless.
CIRCUIT BREAKERS: When an electrical appliance becomes faulty or
ground fault exists, excess electric current would flow through the circuit and
produce a large amount of heat. A circuit breaker also has a rating: if the
electric current is over a certain value, the circuit breaker will "TRIP"
(disconnecting power) automatically to break the flow of current in order to
protect the electrical appliance - and its service wiring - to help prevent a
home fire.
LIGHTNING ROD: The lightning rod, which Benjamin Franklin invented in
1749, is a metal pole mounted atop a building that draws lightning's
electrical charge away from the structure. The rod is attached to an
aluminum or copper cable that's connected to an underground conductive
grid. This allows the electricity to dissipate harmlessly. Because lightning
tends to strike the tallest object in the vicinity, lightning rods must be taller
than any buildings or other objects in the area. If installed properly, a
lightning rod will carry a lightning bolt's electrical charge through the path of
least resistance along the cable into the ground, reducing the risk of fire or
heat damage from the strike.
SURGE PROTECTOR: A surge protector (or surge suppressor) is an appliance designed to
protect electrical devices from voltage spikes. A surge protector attempts to limit the voltage
supplied to an electric device by either blocking or by shorting to ground any unwanted voltages
above a safe threshold.
The terms surge protection device (SPD), or transient
voltage surge suppressor (TVSS), are used to describe
electrical devices typically installed in power distribution
panels, process control systems, communications
systems, and other heavy-duty industrial systems, for the
purpose of protecting against electrical surges and
spikes, including those caused by lightning. Many power
strips have basic surge protection built in; these are typically clearly labeled as such. However,
power strips that do not provide surge protection are sometimes erroneously referred to as
"surge protectors".
GROUND PLUG: The purpose of the grounding plug is mainly to prevent electrical shocks to the
user of the appliance. Also helps keep the appliance from being damaged.
The purpose of the grounding pin or prong is to connect the metal casing and any metal parts
inside the appliance straight back to ground independently to the neutral wire.
Then, if ever the metal casing or any metal parts inside the
appliance become electrically "hot" or "live" because of an
equipment failure, accidental damage - or some other cause
of a malfunction - the direct path back to ground will in effect
produce an immediate short circuit that will make the fuse or
circuit breaker, that is protecting the circuit supplying current to the appliance, to operate to
break the supply of current.
By doing so, it helps to prevent electrical shocks to the user of the appliance.