so  that  personnel  do  not  expose  themselves  unneces- sarily  to  injury  or  occupational  health  hazards.  Most accidents  can  be  prevented  if  personnel  are  alert  to causes  and  take  appropriate  remedial  action. Failure  to  test  and  inspect  equipment  for defects, or failure to remedy all defects found by tests and  inspections. Electrical Safety Education Electrical Safety Training Any failure to follow electrical safety rules or pro- cedures may result in mild to severe shocks. In some cases,  death  may  even  result.  As  a  leading  FC,  you have   safety-related   responsibilities   that   may   be grouped  into  the  following  three  general  areas: 1.  Division  Responsibilities:  Division  responsibili- ties include ensuring that all personnel in the division are aware of and observe all safety precautions, espe- cially  those  precautions  regarding  electrical  safety. 2.  Nonelectrical  Rating  Responsibilities:  Nonelec- trical  rating  responsibilities  are  ever  increasing,  as more  and  more  electronic  equipment  is  used  in  the various  jobs.  As  an  FC1  or  FCC,  you  will  automati- cally be considered an expert on electrical safety pre- cautions.  Therefore,  you  have  a  responsibility  to educate the personnel whose primary duties are non- electrical  about  these  precautions. 3.  Petty  Officer  Responsibilities:  As  a  petty  of- ficer,  you  have  the  same  responsibilities  as  all  other petty  officers  in  enforcing  all  safety  precautions. Electrical  safety  education  is  a  must.  You  cannot expect personnel to observe a safety precaution unless they  are  fully  aware  of  the  dangers  involved.  There- fore, one of your first duties is to ensure that all per- sonnel  in  the  combat  systems/weapons  division  are aware of the dangers and the safety precautions neces- sary  to  combat  those  dangers. Safety  precautions  depend  to  some  extent  on  the type  of  ship  involved.  Some  ships  necessarily  have particular precautions that must be strictly observed, but  which  are  not  applicable  to  other  types  of  ships. Therefore,  you  should  ensure  that  all  personnel  read and  understand  all  safety  precautions  pertaining  to  the electrical and electronic equipments on your own ship. Safety  precautions  for  personnel  in  nonelectrical ratings  should  include  information  concerning  elec- trical  shock  and  precautions  they  must  observe  when using  electrical  equipment,  either  aboard  ship  or ashore. Facts to be stressed to all personnel, both electrical and nonelectrical rating personnel, concerning electric shock  should  include  the  following  cautions: Electrical Shock Causes Voltages  as  low  as  30  volts  can  be  fatal. Nearly  all  shipboard  electrical  shocks  are  caused in  one  or  more  of  the  following  ways  (all  these failures  may  be  summarized  as  neglecting  applicable safety   precautions): Unauthorized  use  of,  or  unauthorized  modifi- cations  to,  equipment. Failure  to  observe  applicable  safety  precau- tions in the use of equipment or in working on or near energized   equipment. Failure  to  repair  equipment  that  is  known  to be  defective  and  has  previously  given  users  a  mild shock. The  dangers  from  electric  shock  are  much greater  aboard  ship  than  ashore. There  is  little  middle  ground  between  a  slight tingle  and  a  fatal  shock. Fundamentally, current, rather than voltage, is the criterion  of  shock  intensity.  The  passage  of  even  a very small current through a vital part of the human body  may  cause  death.  The  voltage  necessary  to  pro- duce the fatal current depends on such factors as the body  resistance,  the  contact  condition,  and  the  path the  current  takes  through  the  body. 2-9