Electricity and children

Hi Everyone,

Not exactly metalwork related except that metal conducts electricity pretty well....


A little while back I was involved in investigating an electric shock at a school. This is not the same incident I mentioned a few months ago. Another more recent one.

Most adults are at least a bit electricity smart. If they get a shock they tend to stay away from the "bitey" bits.

Not so children. Great fun to touch the "bitey" bit, see how long they can hang on to it, perhaps to the point they pass out and collapse. Push another child's hand onto the live part, just for fun. Over a few days lots of children can get new experiences. Thoughts about safety, like, pre-existing heart conditions for example, don't register with them. Completely in the moment of having fun, what could go wrong???

This is the third time I've noted this sort of behaviour, with children, during a shock investigation.

Those who know their OHS will be aware that after so many near misses you will get a minor injury, after so many minor injuries you will get a serious injury and after so many serious injuries you will get a death. Fortune smiled on those three occasions and no-one was seriously hurt.

Today is Father's Day. For those of you with young children perhaps it would be a good day to sit down and explain the dangers of electricity. It might ensure you have a great many more happy father's days.

Something to think about.....


Cheers

The Beryl Bloke