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ELECTRICAL SAFETY IN AUSTRALIAN HOSPITALS AND PROPOSED STANDARDS
Author(s) -
Loughman J.,
Watson A. B.
Publication year - 1971
Publication title -
medical journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1326-5377
pISSN - 0025-729X
DOI - 10.5694/j.1326-5377.1971.tb50595.x
Subject(s) - electrocution , medical emergency , hazardous waste , medicine , risk analysis (engineering) , computer science , engineering , waste management
Electrocution of hospital patients, especially those connected to monitoring equipment, is now recognized as a significant problem, The source of lethal currents is usually earth‐leakage, which may be hazardous with wiring procedures conforming to present safety standards. Modern diagnostic procedures may provide direct electrical access to the heart and consequently permit minute currents to cause death. The source of such current levels may be so obscure that death can occur when a patient is connected to equipment which is not necessarily switched on. There are a number of methods of protection available, none in Itself complete, but together forming an effective system. Normal safety standards such as exist today are inadequate, and we present the standards that we have prepared to control this problem in our hospital group.