Electric shock Definition and 26 Threads

Electrical injury is a physiological reaction caused by electric current passing through the body. The injury depends on the density of the current, tissue resistance and duration of contact. Very small currents may be imperceptible or produce a light tingling sensation. A shock caused by low and otherwise harmless current could startle an individual and cause injury due to jerking away or falling. Stronger currents may cause some degree of discomfort or pain, while more intense currents may induce involuntary muscle contractions, preventing the person from breaking free of the source of electricity. Still larger currents result in tissue damage and may trigger ventricular fibrillation or cardiac arrest. Consequences of injury from electricity may include amputations, bone fractures and orthopedic and musculoskeletal injuries. If death results from an electric shock the cause of death is generally referred to as electrocution.
Electric injury occurs upon contact of a body part with electricity that causes a sufficient current to pass through the person's tissue. Contact with energized wiring or devices is the most common cause. In cases of exposure to high voltages, such as on a power transmission tower, direct contact may not be necessary as the voltage may "jump" the air gap to the electrical device.
Following an electrical injury from household current, if a person has no symptoms, no underlying heart problems, and is not pregnant further testing is not required. Otherwise an electrocardiogram, blood work to check the heart, and urine testing for signs of muscle breakdown may be performed.Management may involve resuscitation, pain medications, wound management, and heart monitoring. Electrical injuries affect more than 30,000 people a year in the United States and result in about 1,000 deaths.

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  1. Z

    Understanding Electric Shock in Floating-Neutral and Floating-Ground Scenarios

    Hello, let's say the AC generator and the washing machine, with a live metal frame due to a fault, are floating-neutral and floating-ground. These are many combinations where both get and get not bonded/grounded. Can anybody tell us in which case the person gets an electric shock when touches...
  2. anissbenthami

    Human Resistance vs. Circuit Conductors

    Have you ever wondered why you can get an electric shock when touching a circuit, even though the human body has a higher resistance than the conductors in circuits? It goes against my belief that electricity always follows the path of least resistance.
  3. kma

    Can wet hair cause an electric shock if it gets into outlet/power cord

    Hi I have a very random question I would like to ask. Say if someone just got out the shower and either plugged something into the wall, or plugged a high voltage power cord into a device. In the process of doing so a small clump or strand of their wet hair manages to get into the socket or the...
  4. TechTree

    Why did a 230v electric shock not hurt?

    Okay here's an example of what not to do when working with 230v... So I was about to repair some outdoor lights so I went to the circuit breaker panel and switched off all the power in that area for safety. I began to remove the light and disconnected the wires, then I was about to install the...
  5. P

    Medical Eddy Current Hazards: Magnetic Field & Human Body

    Suppose a 10k Gauss 3in diameter sharp magnetic field is made & collapses completely thru a standing human human body somewere made by an external electromagnet.. The electromagnet is held horizontally and not vertically against body. Is this hazardous? Can it become hazardous after some...
  6. G

    Skin effect and electric shock question

    recently i saw a thread where skin depth was mentioned (I guess in one of my own threads) and then it got me thinking, well imagine we have a rather thick wire thick enough so that for a given frequency there is almost no current running in the middle of the wire due to skin effect. let's take...
  7. H

    Plasma ball electric shock mystery

    Plasma ball has a high voltage. Why don't we get an electric shock when we touch it?
  8. F

    Will this man get an electric shock

    If a properly insulated man touches with one hand +ve terminal of a 120 V battery and with another hand -ve terminal of (Edit: an another) 120V battery (two batteries are totally isolated, not connected in any way) then will he get electrical shock ? ( I am guessing , not). But if -ve terminals...
  9. hackhard

    Can Concrete Conduct Enough Electricity for a Shock to Be Felt?

    if i touch the live (single phase) wire , i will get a shock.But current will have to flow through the body , via the floor , walls of the building , and into the Earth . But cement has electric resistance higher than 1gigaohm so rms current = 220 v / impedance impedance > 1 giga ohm so rms...
  10. adisabeba

    I get a shock when touching water pipe

    I am living in an apartment and suddenly we started to get an electric shock, at random, when touching a water tap. Since I am an Electrical Technician, I started my research on the origin of the problem, and after carrying out a series of tests I found out 'at the end' that turning off all...
  11. E

    Potential Difference and electric shock

    Electricity travels from higher potential to lower potential then why don't we get an electric shock while holding aa high potential wire without touching the Earth ( we are also at lower potential)
  12. G

    Do birds on transmission lines experience electric shock?

    Gruxg has posted a thread on November 4, 2012, titled as "If you touch a live wire without touching the ground, do you get an electric shock?". I think that this thread would deserve more consideration as it discusses an essential subject but unfortunately it is closed for further replies, so I...
  13. S

    Why Am I Getting Electrical Shocks from Water and Water Pipes?

    Hello everyone... Help me out.. I installed a geyser 3 weeks back which has a rating of 15A and I connected it to a 32A MCB. This is connected to a 16A separate MCB in the main board. Whenever I turn on the geyser, it works for some 10mins and then turns off without water getting heated. I...
  14. J

    Which is the problem with electric shock?

    Which is the problem when a human being is electrocuted: the high voltage and/or the high current? What the high voltage make in the body human (such as brain, heart and other organs)? What the high current make in the body human (such as brain, heart and other organs)?
  15. R

    Electric shock via ground that becomes live.

    Was reading a crane-operations manual and it had a Section on what to do if your boom accidentally contacted overhead electrical wires. It advised not trying to step out of the cab (of course); but in case of imminent danger advised jumping out (makes sense). The interesting part came after...
  16. P

    Why is electric shock more dangerous with wet hands in welding operations?

    in welding operation , you never hit by electric shock,why?
  17. N

    Why Can We Experience An Electric Shock From Neutral

    I have always been under the impression that the "Live" conductor was the most dangerous conductor. The Live carries 120V (US) 240V (UK) and the Neutral carries 0V, but yet it is still possible to get an electric shock from a Neutral :confused: Why is this possible? Is it because it is...
  18. A

    Why do we get electric shocks when there is no potential difference?

    so i have learned that potential difference always occurs between points which have some common node that is if you have two circuits which don't have anything in common there will not exist any potential difference between any two points my question is why do we get electric shock when we touch...
  19. R

    Is it the Resistance or Capacitance of Earth that Causes Electric Shock?

    Say you touch the hot wire and a piece of plumbing simultaneously. Then current flows through the hot wire, through you, to the ground, and I assume (though I'm not sure) to where the ground wire is tied to the neutral wire (at the breaker panel). But is the current in the ground mainly through...
  20. Terocamo

    Why do we need an Earth wire in our appliances?

    I was reading about current electricity and some how I came across the idea that a circuit of no earthed point will not cause any electric shock. I wonder if it is right cause if it is, why do we need an Earth wire in our appliance. I am also suspicious because if the circuit is not earthed...
  21. E

    Electric Shock Effects: Current vs. Power

    Impact of electric shock on human body is above all with electric current, not with electric power. The dead limit is somewhere 100 mA. Why current and not power? The main effect of electric shock are on heart and thermal efect. Obviously, thermal efect is by electric power, so it is not the...
  22. P

    Why the Neutral Wire Causes No Electric Shock

    Why the neutral wire (the cold) does not cause an electric shock?
  23. P

    Physics Help: Calculating Electric Shock Voltage/Current

    Physics help, urgent! Homework Statement The damage caused by electric shock depends on the current fowing through the body; 1 mA can be felt and 5 mA is painful. Above 15 mA, a person loses muscle control, and 70 mA can be fatal. A person with dry skin has a resistance from one arm...
  24. wolram

    Electric Shock Causes Ticking Tooth - What Could it Be?

    I just had an electric shock, not a lethal one, it just burnt one finger a bit, but now i have a tooth that is going tick tick all the time, it is annoying and is hard to ignore. Any one have an idea why??
  25. zoobyshoe

    Preventing Static Electric Shocks: Tips and Techniques

    Every time I get out of my truck and touch the door to shut it, I get a zinger of a static electric shock. It's getting very annoying. I'm suspect I'm charging myself by rubbing against the seat cover as I get out. Anyone have any ideas how to stop this?
  26. U

    Does Home Grounding Protect from Electric Shock?

    If a very large amount of power was grounded say in house and all the taps for example were connected to the same circuit would somebody touching a tap get any sort of eletric shock. I have heard that some peoples TVs etc explode when their house gets hit by lightning even though they have...
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