Electricity Can Be Deadly In Damp Environments
Many electrical accidents occur in damp environments, e.g. the bathroom. For example, a hair dryer on a wet sink can cause electric shocks if the conducting wires are exposed to have damaged insulation or if the wires get damp.
Water in contact with the un-insulated electrical wires provides a conducting path for current. As the human body can only withstand an alternating current of about 80 mA, a large current will cause burns, uncoordinated contraction of the heart muscles, or even death.
Therefore, electrical appliances should be kept in dry places and handled with dry hands, and the electrical appliances in the bathroom should be properly maintained and circuit boards regularly checked to prevent any electrical faults.
What is Double Insulation?
Some household appliances use two-pin plugs instead of three-pin plugs. For such appliances, there is no earth wire. These appliances use double insulation to protect users from electric shocks.
Double insulation is a safety feature that can be used to replace the earth wire. Appliances that have double insulation usually use a two-pin plug, as only the live and neutral wires are required.
Double Insulation provides two levels of insulation:
Appliances with double insulation typically have non-metallic casings, such as plastic, so that people don’t get an electric shock even if there’s current present in the internal components of the circuit as non-metallic materials doesn’t conduct electricity.
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