ABSTRACT
Incorporate electric shock prevention mechanisms that protect against painful or potentially life-threatening electric shocks. Alternating current-powered devices can become dangerous if a live wire contacts a conductive surface. One way to protect users from getting shocked by a faulty device is to build in a ground-fault circuit interrupter mechanism. Electrically grounded circuits also provide protection because they add a third wire—the ground wire—that provides a low-resistance path for electricity to flow safely to the ground in the event of a short circuit. Another way to protect against electric shock is to double-insulate a device so that a live wire cannot transfer electricity to the outer casing that users touch. For example, an appliance manufacturer can put a second layer of insulation around already-insulated wires. In Europe, double-insulated products that do not have a grounding wire must include the IEC double-square symbol on its label.
