Occupational Health and Safety - Essay Example

The current causes fibrillation of the heart and pumping activity of the heart gets disorganized with deadly effects in its wake. In addition, when current passes through the brain, it can result in unconsciousness and permanent brain damage (Fish, 2008). Electric current can produce deep and severe burns of the skin due to power dissipation across the body’s electrical resistance. Therefore, apart from the frequency of voltage that causes the shock, other conditions that can aggravate the problems of electric shock include wetness of the skin (wet skin has lower resistance than dry skin), amount of surface contact area and contact pressures and the duration of shock – all of which are directly proportional to the effects of electric shock (Fish, 2008).