The necessity of wearing insulated shoes in electrical work

Dear friends, today I want to talk to you about the personal protective equipment for electricians-insulated shoes. When it comes to insulated shoes, you may not be unfamiliar with them. They are all worn by electrical workers and are protected against electric shock. You know Are there any harms to the human body caused by electric shock, and how do insulated shoes work? Let me speak slowly.

Let's first understand what are the damages to the human body caused by electric shock?

According to the situation of human body injury caused by electric shock, it can be divided into electric shock and electric injury according to its different nature.

1. Electric shock: Refers to internal injuries caused by electric current flowing through the internal organs of the human body (such as the heart, lungs and brain, etc.), destroying the normal work of the human body's heart, lungs and nervous system, and even endangering human life. Most deaths from electrocution are caused by electric shocks.

2. Electrical injury: also called electrocautery, which refers to the injury to the human body caused by the thermal, chemical or mechanical effects of electric current. Electrical injuries often occur on the outside of the human body, such as arc burns, current passing through a certain part of the human body to cause injury to the local body, leaving scars on the body, and energized metal melting and splashing under large currents to cause skin damage.

So how do insulated shoes prevent electric shock? Under normal circumstances, there are two forms of electric shock caused by our human body becoming a part of the current loop: electric shock in direct contact with the power source, and electric shock in which the body does not directly contact the power source. In these two forms, how do insulated shoes prevent electric shock accidents?

The contacts that are in direct contact with the power supply are divided into single-level contact electric shock and bipolar contact electric shock

Single-level contact and electric shock: When the human body touches the live wire, it forms a loop with the earth and an electric shock accident occurs. This situation is mostly accidents, and it is also the most common type of direct contact with electricity.

Bipolar contact electric shock: that is, the human body is in contact with the live wire and the neutral wire at the same time to form a loop without passing through the ground, so the insulated shoes do not work at this time. This kind of electric shock is mostly suicide or homicide, and the probability of occurrence is small.

In the prevention of electric shock from direct contact with the power supply, insulated shoes are mainly used to insulate the human body from the ground, prevent current from passing through the human body and the ground to form a path, thereby avoiding single-stage contact and electric shock.

The forms of electric shock that the body does not directly contact the power supply are divided into step voltage and arc electric shock

Step voltage: that is, the human body enters the potential distribution area around the ground current location, and due to the voltage difference between the two feet, it forms a loop with the earth and an electric shock accident occurs.

Arc electric shock: that is, the human body is close to high-voltage equipment, and the equipment discharges through the air to make the human body part of the current loop. When the current passes through the human body, it causes an electric shock accident.

In the prevention of electric shock where the body is not directly in contact with the power supply, the main function of insulated shoes is to prevent the high voltage within the test voltage range from harming the human body and the current passing through the human body to form a path between the human body and the earth, thereby avoiding step voltage electric shocks and reducing electric arc shocks. s damage.

Therefore, choosing qualified quality and wearing insulated shoes correctly can prevent most electric shock accidents from happening. Electricians who perform electrical work must not rely on self-confidence or greed to save trouble. They must wear protective equipment as required to ensure their own life safety.