Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

KSEB cautions against accidents during rain

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Electricity Board has asked the people to be alert for accidents involving electricity which are likely to increase because of the rain.

An official press note said here on Sunday that the chances of the snapping of power lines due to the falling of branches of trees were very high in the State. Even though the Board conducted repairs before the commencement of the summer rains and cut down branches touching lines, accidents could be fully averted only with the people’s participation.

If a person came into contact with a power line, electricity entered his body through the point of contact and was transmitted to the ground. Electricity upset the beat of the heart if it passed through it. The condition which was known as fibrillation could lead to death if immediate attention was not available. If the power line came into contact with the hand, the muscles of the hand contracted and led to the tightening of the grip on the line. It was not possible to loosen the grip on one’s own.

The Board wanted the people to take special care when they ventured out in rain. On no condition should they touch snapped lines. Even if they saw someone picking up the line and shifting it to a safer place, they should remember that it could become live even after that. It could become live from small generators installed without authorisation, inverters and other lines in the vicinity.

The sub-stations were fitted with equipment to switch off the power in the event of the snapping of high voltage lines. But they could malfunction due to technical reasons and if the snapped line did not have adequate contact with the ground. According to the rules, the power to even switched off lines should be switched on to find out whether the fault was of temporary nature. It could also be repeated several times. Electrocution was possible even without contact from high voltage lines. The people should not therefore even go near such lines. The Board asked the people to inform the authorities as soon as they saw a snapped line and to take steps to prevent anyone from going near it till the Board personnel came. It would help in the saving of precious human lives.

The KSEB asked the people to use a dry bamboo or stick to remove the line if someone came into contact with it. Nobody should touch him before that and before the power was switched off. A person who suffered electric shock should be given immediate first aid if his breathing had stopped. Specialised treatment had to be made available if the functioning of his heart had stopped. Medical aid should be provided at the earliest.

The Board asked the people to cooperate fully with those who came to cut down ‘touchings.’ They should also inform the authorities if they saw any dangerous touching.

Special care should be taken when handling materials like antenna and flag posts near power lines. The stay wires of power lines, the wires used for supporting service lines, metallic lines for hanging clothes and fences could become dangerous. The TV cable could conduct electricity even when there was no power supply to the house. The insulation could malfunction in the presence of wetness in the case of refrigerators, heaters and iron boxes with metal body. Power could reach their body at such times. The danger could be reduced if they were earthed using a three-pin plug. The Board asked the people to get the earth wires in houses examined by an expert and ensure that they were functioning properly. If the people had any further doubts, they could get them cleared by contacting the following helplines of the KSEB: 9446008007, 9446008179 and 9446008180.

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