ELECTRICAL SAFETY IN THE OFFICE: WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW...for philippine electrical concerns..inquiries and orders: email us: SAFEELECTRICAL2013@GMAIL.COM

Electrical Safety Around the Office

Work safely!

Electrical safety is just as important in offices as it is in other workplace environments. The risks caused by equipment such as photocopiers, fax machines, computers and even kettles, vacuum cleaners, heaters, fans, and desk lamps is low compared to most other workplace hazards, but if there is no inspection or maintenance procedure in place there is a greater chance the equipment could become dangerous. Guelph Hydro recommends that every office has a safety procedure in place when it comes to electricity.

Electrical safety in the office

A nominated and trained person or team should be designated to carry out visual checks of all electrical equipment in the office at set and regular intervals. By looking for and correcting visible signs of damage or faults, most electrical accidents can be prevented.

Staff should be trained to be aware of electrical safety and to report equipment which is not working properly to their manager or supervisor.

Prevent electrical accidents in the office

Regularly inspect office equipment by unplugging it and visually inspecting for signs of:

• Damage such as cracking in the cable covering, the plug casing is cracked or the pins are bent, or the coloured insulation of the internal wires is showing. If you find any of these faults, promptly disconnect and replace the cord or equipment.
• Equipment being used in conditions where it is not suitable, such as a wet or dusty workplace.
• Damage to the outer cover of the equipment or obvious loose parts or screws; and
• Overheating (burn marks or staining).
• In addition to physically inspecting equipment, cables and cords should be tucked away so they do not present tripping or slipping hazards or can be cut by sharp desk or drawer edges or rolled over by chair legs.
• Ensure that the electrical load of equipment such as computers, printers, scanners, faxes, shredders and telephones is spread over several circuits.
• If you are using extension cords as a permanent source of power, consider having additional circuits installed by a qualified electrician. To find a qualified electrician, please visit the Electrical Safety Authority website.
• Place electric cords where there is air circulating to prevent overheating.
• Keep electrical cords away from radiators, space heaters and/or other heat sources.
• When unplugging equipment pull on the plug, not the cord.
• Plug office electronics in a surge protector device.
• Ensure grounded (3-prong) appliances and equipment are plugged into grounded outlets.
• Protect office electronics from the possibility of food and beverage spills. Electrically powered machines may become live to the touch after having liquid spilled on them.
• Ensure all electrical equipment bears the mark of a nationally recognized testing laboratory such as Underwriters Laboratories of Canada (ULC) or Canadian Standards Association (CSA ) approved, or both.
• Ensure electrical panel doors are freely accessible and unblocked by furniture or clutter.
• In addition, dispose of unsafe equipment or poorly maintained appliances including old coffee makers, radios, lamps, space heaters and other equipment that are often brought into the office by employees. These items can often develop electrical shorts and create fire or electrical shock.
• If electrical equipment malfunctions or gives off a strange odour, disconnect it and call the appropriate maintenance personnel.

Portable space heaters

Portable electric space heaters are often used by employees to provide additional heat during the colder months. Unfortunately, space heaters also increase the risks of fire and electric shock if they are not used properly.

Guelph Hydro recommends that employers educate employees about safe space heater practices to reduce the risks to employees and facilities.

• Employees should be required to obtain approval from a supervisor or facility manager prior to using a space heater at work.
• All space heaters should have the certification of either Underwriters Laboratories of Canada (ULC) or be Canadian Standards Association (CSA) approved, or both.
• Keep heaters at least three feet away from anything that can burn, including papers, clothing and rugs.
• Keep space heaters out of high traffic areas and doorways where they may pose a tripping hazard.
• Plug space heaters directly into a wall outlet. Do not use an extension cord or power strip, which could overheat and result in a fire.
• Do not plug any other electrical devices into the same outlet as the heater.
• Operating space heaters should never be left unattended. They should be turned off and unplugged at the end of the work day or whenever the employee leaves the room

FOR PHILIPPINE ELECTRICAL INQUIRIES CONCERNS AND ORDERS:  

EMAIL US: SAFEELECTRICAL2013@GMAIL.COM

FOR PHILIPPINE ELECTRICAL INQUIRIES CONCERNS AND ORDERS:  

EMAIL US: SAFEELECTRICAL2013@GMAIL.COM

ABOUT: Isolated-ground Receptacles email us: safeelectrical2013@gmail.com

Isolated-ground Receptacles

Take The Electromagnetic Noise Out Of Your Audio System

By Timothy Thiele, About.com Guide

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Isolated-ground receptacles have their uses in today's home. They are used to provide power to and protect circuit feeds, like those that have sensitive electronic devices attached to them. Quite often, electromagnetic noise becomes a problem in a regular ground wire's system and this noise is transmitted though audio systems. This can also effect picture quality on television screens. Quite often this noise results in a humming or buzzing sound.

Wiring an isolated-ground receptacle isn't all that difficult. You'll need a three wire NM cable with a ground wire. The black wire connects to the brass-colored terminal, the white wire connects to the silver-colored terminal, the bare ground wire connects to the box ground screw, and the red wire will connect to the isolated-ground receptacle's ground screw. This ground screw is unlike those on other receptacles. What I mean is this ground screw is not physically connected to the grounding plate, only to the rounded ground holes of the two receptacle slots.

Now, don't forget to place some green phasing tape on the red wire at each end to indicate it is indeed a ground wire, not a hot wire. Wire color coding is important so that everyone that works on the circuitry has an idea of what each wire is being used for. Phasing the wire tells everyone that this wire is a ground wire and, since it is a converted red-colored wire, it likely has a special use.

Isolated-ground receptacles are orange-colored receptacles with special markings. If you look closely at the face, you'll notice a green triangle on it. This symbol indicates that the receptacle has an isolated ground.

In the electrical panel, the bare ground wire and the green-taped red wire both connect to the ground buss. Sometimes there will only be a neutral buss, but this is bonded to the case of the electrical panel. This allows the neutral and ground connection to be at the same potential, making this connection a combination neutral/ground connection. If at all possible though, a ground connection directly to the grounding buss, which is connected to a ground rod, is preferred. This special ground connection between the isolated-ground receptacle's ground connection and the electrical panel's grounding or neutral bus, provides a dedicated ground path for electricity to flow without electromagnetic interference.

AC Automatic Voltage Regulator

AC Automatic Voltage Regulator

Addtime：2010-9-20        Show：116

AC AUTOMATIC VOLTAGE REGULATOR Most of us heard about the word of “AC voltage regulator” in our daily lives. We know that it is equipment attached to the television, to our computer or to the deep freezer. Here we shall go deep into the working, specifications, and utilities of an automatic voltage regulator.  SCR Voltage Regulator Servo-motor Automatic AC voltage regulator or AVR is a wonderful invention of science, which is an electric device designed to regulate a constant voltage in a settable level. The main working of an AVR depends upon the laws of electromechanical physics. It is consist of many active and passive electrical components like adopters, capacitors, diodes and thermostats. There are many functions of an automatic voltage regulator. AVR or automatic voltage stabilizer can be used with lot of electric appliances for various reasons. The basic functions of the automatic voltage regulators are: First and foremost, it is used as a rectifier and as a potential divider. Rectifier is also an electric device used to convert the alternate current (A.C) to direct current (D.C) for further electric processing. Most of the electric appliances require a direct current for their working and can’t work on alternate current. Regarding potential dividers, they are electric devices used for the break out of input voltage to bring it to a desired output voltage as per the requirements. Thus while using an automatic voltage regulator we can make use of a rectifier and a potential divider at the same time. Means you can save money because you will have to buy a single AVR or automatic voltage regulator instead of purchasing a potential divider and a rectifier for your electric appliances. There are many appliances in our homes which need stable electric power for their running and there might be some damage to the whole electric appliance if there comes any variation in the input current and voltage. Sometimes this may be fatal also but electricity is a very merciless killer. To avoid any mishap to the electric appliances and to us also, which may arise due to any variation in the voltage or current supply, a voltage stabilizer is essential to be used a complement to other electric devices. AC Automatic voltage regulator AVR can also be used in amplifiers. Amplifiers are other electric devices that compare the sensing voltages to the reference voltages and help to amplify the effect. You might have seen amplifiers attached to your home sound systems which boost up the sound effects. The actual sound quantity will be lower but if the same input is given to an amplifier, the resultant sound quality and quantity just increases to multiples of the input waves. The basic running procedure in them is the difference of provided voltages. AC Automatic voltage regulators help in maintaining a desired voltage for the generators within specified limits. Thus automatic voltage regulator is also the important part for our amplifier to work. The previous analog/servo-types of automatic voltage regulators are now replaced by digital AVR. These types of automatic voltage regulators are higher in functionality and performance. They are equipped with self functioning controls and start up functions which make them very useful and easy to handle. Digital converters increase their precision levels. Simplified operating switches make them very precise than human handlings. If any fault occurs in the functioning of the automatic voltage regulators, self diagnostics technique detects the fault in no time. This leads to more security of the function. The maintenance tool helps in maintaining an online monitor. Reduced number of parts and wiring in these typically modern automatic voltage regulators make them more reliable. Automatic changes are easily dealt with the help of full duplex control systems. The NeoPower voltage regulators have different sizes. There are automatic voltage regulators which are so small that they can be easily placed on a small printed circuit board. They are portable and easy to handle. Some automatic voltage regulators are very gigantic in size. They may cover a volume of a small house sometimes. Thus there is a tremendous variety in the automatic voltage regulators and each has its own specifications. The variation of AVRs can be judged by the names of automatic voltage regulators. Each name indicates its specific functioning and differences from others and there are more than fifty names to an automatic voltage regulator. Regarding the prices of automatic voltage regulators, it goes the natural way. If you will buy a smarter one, it will cost you more and you will buy an older model with normal functioning, it will cost you less. But keep in mind that whether an AC automatic voltage regulator costs less or high, it becomes irrelevant when it comes to the importance of an AVR in our daily lives.

How to Install a Low Voltage Electrical Wall Box

By Chris Deziel, eHow Contributor  , last updated April 06, 2013

 
 
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A 12-volt junction box provides support for the wall plate.

Enclosing your electrical connections in a junction box protects your home from a fire in the event the connection fails, and the electrical code requires a box at every 120- or 240-volt connection. Connections for wires carrying less than 30 volts don't have the same potential to create fires, however, so the main purpose of a 12-volt wall box is to support the cover plate. It isn't really a box at all, but a bracket that you anchor to the drywall. You can use it for phone, cable TV and speaker wires as well as for wires for 12-volt lighting fixtures.

Things You'll Need

• Torpedo level
• Ruler
• Drywall saw

Show (1) More

Instructions

1. • 1
     Place the front of the bracket against the drywall at the installation location. Set a torpedo level on the top edge and adjust the box to center the bubble. Poke a pencil through the reference hole near each of the corners and make a mark on the wall. Remove the bracket.
   • 2
     Draw lines between the marks to form a rectangle, using a ruler and a pencil. Double-check the level of the top and bottom lines. If they aren't level, the cover plate for the box will be askew.
   • 3
     Cut around the rectangle, using a drywall saw. Remove the cutout.
   • 4
     Fit the bracket into the hole and turn the screws in front clockwise, using a screwdriver. The mounting brackets will automatically align against the back of the drywall as you do this, and tightening the the screw will secure the bracket.

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How to Install a Low Voltage Electrical Wall Box

By Chris Deziel, eHow Contributor  , last updated April 06, 2013

 
 
• Share
 
 
• Print this article

A 12-volt junction box provides support for the wall plate.

Enclosing your electrical connections in a junction box protects your home from a fire in the event the connection fails, and the electrical code requires a box at every 120- or 240-volt connection. Connections for wires carrying less than 30 volts don't have the same potential to create fires, however, so the main purpose of a 12-volt wall box is to support the cover plate. It isn't really a box at all, but a bracket that you anchor to the drywall. You can use it for phone, cable TV and speaker wires as well as for wires for 12-volt lighting fixtures.

Things You'll Need

• Torpedo level
• Ruler
• Drywall saw

Show (1) More

Instructions

1. • 1
     Place the front of the bracket against the drywall at the installation location. Set a torpedo level on the top edge and adjust the box to center the bubble. Poke a pencil through the reference hole near each of the corners and make a mark on the wall. Remove the bracket.
   • 2
     Draw lines between the marks to form a rectangle, using a ruler and a pencil. Double-check the level of the top and bottom lines. If they aren't level, the cover plate for the box will be askew.
   • 3
     Cut around the rectangle, using a drywall saw. Remove the cutout.
   • 4
     Fit the bracket into the hole and turn the screws in front clockwise, using a screwdriver. The mounting brackets will automatically align against the back of the drywall as you do this, and tightening the the screw will secure the bracket.

Rea

How to Calculate Three Phase Amperage

By W D Adkins, eHow Contributor

 
 
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Three phase circuits are often used for power transmission and large motors.

Three phase power circuits are often used in power transmission lines and large electric motors because they allow lower line voltages and provide a smoother flow of electricity. A three phase circuit consists of three alternating current conductors combined into a single power line. Each conductor is 1/3 cycle out of phase with the other two. Calculating three phase amperage or other electrical values is a little more complicated than for conventional circuits because a "power factor" must be incorporated into the computation.

Things You'll Need

• System manual
• Power reading
• Calculator

Instructions

1. • 1
     Consult the operating manual or manufacturer's specifications for the line voltage.
   • 2
     Look at the power consumption indicator for the system. Everyday appliances and motors don't usually have a power consumption indicator. However, the large systems that rely on three phase power circuits routinely come with readouts. Make a note of the scale. Due to the size of the systems, the reading may be in kilowatts rather than watts. If so, multiply by 1000 to convert kilowatts to watts.
   • 3
     Divide the power consumption in watts by the line voltage multiplied by the power factor to find the amperage. For three phase circuits the power factor is the square root of 3. If your calculator doesn't have a square root function, use 1.73 as an approximation of the square root of 3. For example, a three phase circuit using 25,000 watts of power and a line voltage of 250 will have a current flow of 25,000/(250 x 1.73), which is equal to 57.80 amperes.

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