Department of Education
National Capital Region
8 SCHOOLS DIVISION OFFICE
MARIKINA CITY
Science
Quarter 1 –Module 9
Electrical Safety Devices
Emmalyn L. Querijero
Imelda N. del Rosario
City of Good Character 0
DISCIPLINE • GOOD TASTE • EXCELLENCE
What I Need to Know
This module was designed and written with you in mind. It is here to help
you master the concepts of electrical safety devices.
After going through this module, you should be able to explain the functions of
circuit breakers, fuses, earthing, double insulation, and other safety devices
in the home. S8FE-Ii-33
Specifically, you are expected to:
1. identify and describe some electrical safety devices at home; and
2. give the importance of these electrical safety devices.
What I Know
Read each question carefully and encircle the letter of the correct answer.
1. Which of the following is an example of a small glass or plastic tube that
contains a piece of wire?
A. Fuse C. Ground wire
B. Safety pin D. Circuit breaker
2. How do circuit breakers work?
A. By having pieces of metal wire that melts when current is low
B. By having pieces of metal wire that melts when current is high
C. By having an electromagnet that will break the circuit if the current is
low
D. By having an electromagnet that will break the circuit if the current is
high
3. Which of the following is NOT one of the purposes of a fuse or circuit
breaker?
A. Prevent electrocution
B. Protect appliances against power surges
C. Prevent metal cases from becoming electrified
D. Allow reducing the power going to an appliance
4. Which of the following safety devices protect people from the current
through any appliances?
A. Fuse C. Circuit breaker
B. Earthing D. Double insulation
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5. Which of the following can interrupt an electrical circuit and absorb the
electrical overflow to protect electrical equipment from extensive damage
from fire or overheating?
A. Fuse C. Circuit breaker
B. Earthing D. Double insulation
6. Which is used to protect you from an electric shock?
A. Fuse C. Circuit breaker
B. Earthing D. Double insulation
7. Which of the following is NOT among the effects of an electrical shock to the
body?
A. Burn C. Nerve damage
B. Death D. Reduce body weight
8. What will you do if a portable power tool is damaged, hot, and sparking?
A. It’s okay to use, as long as it is working
B. Nothing, just continue in using the equipment
C. You can give it to your friends or family members
D. Do not use the equipment and label it damaged
9. What could possibly happen when electrical wires and appliances are
overheated due to the high voltage of electrical current?
A. Burn B. Freeze C. Catch fire D. both A and B
10. Which of the following should be the best action, if you have discovered
that the electrical cord on a computer set has been damaged and parts of
the cord’s insulation are missing?
A. Check to see if the computer set is still working.
B. Make sure that the cord does not come in contact with the floor.
C. Wrap with tape around the damaged area to prevent electrical shocks.
D. Tag the computer set “Out of Service" and notify your parents. Ask a
computer technician to do the equipment maintenance.
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Lesson
Safety Devices
1
Electricity is used in many of the energy services around the house. It is
very important to have various safety devices to protect us from fire and
electrocution.
What’s In
In your home, your parents would always caution you to use electrical
devices properly even before you reached school age. You were told not to touch
electrical outlets or insert anything into it and also not to touch any electrical wires
in the house. What do you think will happen if you touch any “live” electrical
devices? Give 3 possible situations. Write your answer on a separate sheet of
paper.
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
What’s New
Electrical safety devices are located in strategic places in your home like in
the kitchen, bedroom, and living room. Examine the pictures below, can you
identify them? Complete the word/s by filling in the missing letters. Write your
answer on a separate sheet of paper.
1 2
Ou__ __ e __
__ u __ e https://www.flickr.com/photos/86639298@
N02/8560713440
https://www.pxfuel.com/en/search?q=fuse
3
__ o u __ __ e I__ __ u __a__i o __
https://www.pikist.com/search?q=wire+ins
ulation
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4 5
__ __ u __
__ i __ __u i __ __ __ e a __ e __
https://commons.wikimedia.o
rg/wiki/File:NEMA-1-15P-
https://www.uihere.com/free-
plugs-old-new-electric-
cliparts/search?q=circuit+Breake
toy.pngN02/8560713440
What Is It
There are electrical safety devices that we use at home. These safety devices
include: fuse, circuit breaker, earthing, and double insulation. Are you familiar
with these safety devices?
Fuse is an electrical safety device that can
protect an electric circuit from very high electric
current into the power system. Fuse is made up of a
thin strip or strand of metal, whenever the heavy
amount of current is present in an electrical circuit,
the fuse melts and opens the circuit and disconnect the
supply of power. The fuse interrupts the connected
circuit and absorbs the electrical overflow to protect
electrical equipment from extensive damage by fire or
overheating. It is required in electrical systems to
Fuse protect human life and to avoid property damage.
Figure 1. Fuse
https://www.pxfuel.com/en/search
?q=fuse
A circuit breaker is a switching device that
interrupts the fault current and protects from short
circuits or overloads current conditions. They do the
same job as fuses, but they are not destroyed when
activated. A circuit breaker is designed to stop the
incoming electrical flow at the sign of any faults such as
overload. Once the incoming current flow is not
normally in a circuit, circuit breakers can be
automatically or manually reset, unlike fuses that have
to be replaced once used.
Figure 2. Circuit breaker https://www.uihere.com/freecliparts/search?q=circuit+Breaker
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Earthing is also known as groundings and
use to protect you from an electric shock. It shows
the easiest path to the fault current even after the
insulation failure. It protects the electrical
apparatus used in the circuit from short circuits,
high voltage surges ad lightning discharges.
Earthing is a process of transferring the sudden
discharge of the electrical energy directly to the
earth with the help of the low resistance wire.
Figure 3. Transformer earthing
https://www.flickr.com/photos/cowlet/3
6531437
Double insulation is the insulation that
consists of both basic insulation and
supplementary insulation. All the electrical
wiring in a house is insulated by a layer of
rubber or plastic so the bare wire is not
exposed. This is very important for the safety
handle and cuts out the chance of a person to
experience an electric shock. It is one of the
safety devices protecting people from the
current flow through any appliances.
Figure 4. Double insulation
https://www.pikist.com/search?q=wire+insulation
Electrical safety devices precautions:
1. Unusually warm or hot outlets or cords is a sign that unsafe wiring
condition exists. Unplug any cords or extensions immediately.
2. The risk of electric shock is greater in areas that are wet or damp. Switch off
the main source to avoid electric shock and dry these areas.
3. Label all circuit breakers and fuse boxes properly.
4. Do not use outlets or cords that have exposed wiring. Do not touch a person
or electrical apparatus in the event of an electrical incident. Always
disconnect the power source first.
5. Always check or inspect the power line or circuit connection before using
especially when something went wrong on any of the devices.
6. Avoid octopus connection- plugging many gadgets and appliances to a
single extension wire. This may cause sparks and cord overloading.
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What’s More
Activity 1: Stay Safe!
Objectives:
1. Explain what a short circuit is; and
2. Explain the reason behind some safety practices in the use of electricity.
What you need:
2 connecting wires
2 dry cells in a battery holder (same materials used in module 8)
1 bulb with socket
Safety Precaution: Be careful! Please do this with the supervision of your parents.
Procedure: Remove about 2 cm
insulation from the ends of the
connecting wires.
1. Construct a simple circuit
using the bulb, 2 batteries, and
connecting wires with exposed
parts you made in step 1.
2. Make the exposed parts of the
wire touch momentarily. Do not
keep them in contact for so long. Figure 1. A circuit with exposed wires
3. Draw the setup and trace the path of the current when exposed parts of the
wires touch each other. Use a separate sheet for your answer.
Guide Questions: Write your answer on a separate sheet of paper.
1. What happened to the bulb when the exposed wires momentarily touched
each other?
2. What was the effect on the current when a short circuit occurred?
3. Why do short circuits cause fire?
A short circuit happens when the exposed parts of the electrical wires
touch one another. When the exposed wires were made to touch, a shortened path
was provided for the current, called short circuit. Thus, the path has been
shortened, a current will no longer take the path through the bulb. Short circuits
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are dangerous especially with the high line of voltage in our houses which is 220
volts and 1.5 volts for a dry cell. This means that a large amount of current
produced can generate a lot of heat that could start a fire.
This will be avoided if we properly follow the electrical installation design of
electrical engineers because they could estimate the current requirements of
appliances and electrical devices that the owners intend to use.
When there are too many
appliances in your home and you
plugged into one outlet called
octopus wiring (the figure is shown
below) the loads are effectively
connected in parallel and
overloading may also occur. What do
you think will happened once the
overloading happened? Is
overloading safe or not?
Figure 2. Octopus wiring
What I Have Learned
Complete the following statement by choosing the appropriate word from the
following word bank. Write your answer on a separate sheet of paper.
Word Bank:
FUSE OCTOPUS WIRING
EARTHING CIRCUIT BREAKER
SHORT CIRCUIT DOUBLE INSULATION
1. __________ is a device used to protect from short circuit.
2. __________ is an insulation that consists of both basic insulation and
supplementary insulation.
3. __________ is a device that can protect an electric circuit from too many flows
of an electric current into the power system.
4. __________ is the process of transferring the sudden discharge of the
electrical energy directly to the earth by the help of the low resistant wire.
5. __________ occurs when an electrical circuit wires are exposed or damaged.
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What I Can Do
Read the following questions carefully. Answer the questions briefly. Write your
answers on a separate sheet of paper.
1. Why do we get shocked when we touch “live” electrical wires?
2. Why do birds sitting on an electric wire do not get shocked?”
Additional Activities
Draw if you think the following statements are correct and if you
think the statements are not correct. Write your answer on a separate sheet of
paper.
1. Electrical shock can cause damage to tissue, muscle, and internal organs.
2. The longer a person is exposed to an electric shock, the lesser the risk of serious
injury.
3. The greater the body’s resistance to electricity, the less amount of harm to the
person.
4. Double insulations in appliances protect users from electrical shock.
5. When sparks and smoke started, you are still allowed to continue the use of
electrical devices.
Posttest
Read each question carefully and encircle the letter of the correct answer.
1. Which of the following is an example of a small glass or plastic tube that
contains a piece of wire?
A. Fuse C. Ground wire
B. Safety pin D. Circuit breaker
2. How do circuit breakers work?
A. By having pieces of metal wire that melts when current is low
B. By having pieces of metal wire that melts when current is high
C. By having an electromagnet that will break the circuit if the current is
low
D. By having an electromagnet that will break the circuit if the current is
high
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3. Which of the following is NOT one of the purposes of a fuse or circuit
breaker?
A. Prevent electrocution
B. Protect appliances against power surges
C. Prevent metal cases from becoming electrified
D. Allow reducing the power going to an appliances
4. Which of the following safety devices protect people from the current
through any appliances?
A. Fuse C. Circuit breaker
B. Earthing D. Double insulation
5. Which of the following can interrupt an electrical circuit and absorb the
electrical overflow to protect electrical equipment from extensive damage
from fire or overheating?
A. Fuse C. Circuit breaker
B. Earthing D. Double insulation
6. Which is used to protect you from an electric shock?
A. Fuse C. Circuit breaker
B. Earthing D. Double insulation
7. Which of the following is NOT among the effects of an electrical shock to the
body?
A. Burn C. Nerve damage
B. Death D. Reduce body weight
8. What will you do if a portable power tool is damaged, hot, and sparking?
A. It’s okay to use, as long as it is working
B. Nothing, just continue in using the equipment
C. You can give it to your friends or family members
D. Do not use the equipment and label it damaged
9. What could possibly happen when electrical wires and appliances are
overheated due to the high voltage of electrical current?
A. Burn B. Freeze C. Catch fire D. both A and B
10. Which of the following should be the best action, if you have discovered that
the electrical cord on a computer set has been damaged and parts of the
cord’s insulation are missing?
A. Check to see if the computer set is still working.
B. Make sure that the cord does not come in contact with the floor.
C. Wrap with tape around the damaged area to prevent electrical shocks.
D. Tag the computer set “Out of Service" and notify your parents. Ask a
computer technician to do the equipment maintenance.
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DISCIPLINE • GOOD TASTE • EXCELLENCE
10 City of Good Character
What I Can Do
Birds’ bodies (tissues, cells) are not great
conductors and they are not often on the
ground either.
Bird offers greater resistance to the electricity
passing through it than the power cable, so
the electricity will travel through the power What's More
cable. As long as the birds don’t touch
anything else, such as the ground or another Guide Questions:
power cable, they will continue to sit up
there. 1. The bulb will not lit, because the path
has been shortened and the current will
no longer take the path going to it.
2. The line of a current will increases
Additional Activities abnormally in a large amount while the
voltage decreases to a low amount and
1. it may cause excessive heating which
may start fire or explosion.
2.
3. Short circuit may cause fire due to large
3.
amount of current passing through the
4. line of a circuit.
5.
What I Have Learned
1. CIRCUIT BREAKER
2. DOUBLE INSULATION
What’s New
3. FUSE They are electrical safety devices that can
protect people for electric shock, fire or in
4. EARTHING death.
5. SHORT CIRCUIT
Answer Key
Answer Key
D 10.
C 9.
D 8.
D 7.
B 6.
C 5.
A 4.
C 3.
B 2.
A 1.
What I Know
References
BOOK
Campo, Pia C. et al. Science – Grade 8 Learner’s Module. First Edition. Pasig City:
Department of Education, 2013.
WEBSITES
https://www.circuitglobe.com
https://www.synergyinsurance.net
https://www.grainnet.com/electricalsafetydevices
https://isphysicsreal.weebly.com/functions-of-safety-devices.html
https://www.energyeducation.ca/encyclopedia/Electrical_safety_devices
https://www.arc-flash-clothing.com/electrical-safety-devices
http://www.sciencemadesimple.co.uk/curriculum-blogs/physics-blogs/why-dont-
birds
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Development Team of the Module
Writers: Emmalyn L. Querijero
Imelda N. Del Rosario
Content Editors: Mary Ann N. Taway
Jacqueline L. Tabujara
Jessica S. Mateo
Language Editor: Zeny P. Toco
Cover Illustrator: Arriane Joy F. Isorena
Reviewers: PNU External Validators
Layout artist: Jemwel Dela Paz
Management Team:
Sheryll T. Gayola
Assistant Schools Division Superintendent
OIC, Office of the Schools Division Superintendent
Elisa O. Cerveza
Chief, CID
OIC, Office of the Assistant Schools Division Superintendent
Jessica S. Mateo
EPS-Science
Ivy Coney A. Gamatero
EPS – LRMS
For inquiries or feedback, please write or call:
Schools Division Office- Marikina City
Email Address: sdo.marikina@deped.gov.ph
191 Shoe Ave., Sta. Elena, Marikina City, 1800, Philippines
Telefax: (02) 8-682-2472 / 8-682-3989
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