REDUCING ELECTRICAL HAZARDS IN SURFACE MINING.

Major hazards and unsafe practices that contribute to electrical hazards are identified. Recommendations for reducing electrical accidents are directed toward preventing equipment contact with overhead lines, preventing maintenance related accidents, and defining system protection techniques. Statistical data obtained from electric shock experiments on animals have been fitted to equations for predicting minimum threshold values of ventricular fibrillation for humans. An analysis was made of existing grounding systems (ungrounded, solidly grounded, and resistance grounded) to assess their relative performances from the standpoint of personnel safety.