Electricity May Be Dangerous

Quite a lot of people have had severe shocks from the electric wires in a house. The wires seldom carry current at a voltage higher than 230, and a person who touches a bare wire or terminal may suffer no harm if his heart is strong and his skin is dry. But if the hand is wet, he may be killed. Water is a good conductor of electricity and provides an easy path for the current from the wire to the body. One of the main wires carrying the current is connected to earth, and if a person touches the other with a wet hand, a heavy current will flow through his body to earth and so to the other wire. The body forms part of an electric circuit.The current contracts muscles, and if the hand is holding the wire, it may be quite impossible to remove it so as to pull it away from the wire and break the circuit. The best thing that you can do for a person who is suffering from an electric shock is first to switch off the current at once if possible and then to pull him away from the wires quickly. You should wear dry gloves while you are doing it or pull him off by some dry part of his clothes so as to avoid getting a shock yourself. Then give him artificial respiration. If this is done quickly, his or her life may be saved.

When we deal with wires and fusescarrying electric current, it is best to wear rubber gloves. Rubber is a good insulatorand will not let the current pass to the skin. If no rubber gloves can be found in the house, dry cloth gloves are better than nothing. Never touch a bare wire with the hand, and never, in any circumstances, touch a water pipe and an electric wire at the same time.

We all use electricity in everyday life but sometimes forget that it is a form of power and may be dangerous. At the other end of the silent wire there are great generators driven by turbines turning at a high speed. You should remember that the power they generate is enormous. It can burn and kill, but it will serve us well if we use it wisely.

Questions for discussion:

1. Why do people often get severe shocks from the electric wires in a house?

2. What is the scientific base for electric shock?

3. How can we help a person who is suffering from electric shock?

4. What instructions must be performed when working with electric current?

5. Give your own view on the following: «Electricity can burn and kill, but it will serve us well if we use it wisely».

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