Final answer:
The risk of scaffolding being too close to electrical lines is an increased risk of electrical shock. Safety measures, such as distance from power lines, use of circuit breakers, and special precautions for microshock-sensitive individuals, are essential for electrical safety on work sites.
Step-by-step explanation:
The risk of scaffolding being too close to electrical lines is an increased risk of electrical shock. This is because scaffolding can conduct electricity, and if it comes into contact or too close to high-voltage lines, it can result in a pathway for electricity to reach workers, leading to severe injuries or fatalities.
Electrical safety is crucial on work sites to prevent such hazards. For example, one important aspect of electrical safety is ensuring that power transmission lines are not live before maintenance, which is why linemen perform a final check by touching the line with the back of the hand. This practice is adopted because the muscles contracting from an electric shock would pull the hand away rather than grabbing the wire, which could occur if the palm were used.
Additionally, devices such as circuit breakers and fuses play a role in preventing shock hazards by interrupting larger currents that represent a hazard, but they are not designed to react to the small currents that can still cause harm to the human body. It's also important to note that things like wet skin and bodily fluids significantly decrease the resistance of skin to electrical current, making shocks more severe. This concern extends to hospital environments where microshock-sensitive patients require even more stringent protection as currents as low as 0.1 mA can result in dire consequences like ventricular fibrillation.