BANGKOK, June 25 (TNA) – A tragic incident involving a 14-year-old student who died from electrocution at a water dispenser in a school in Trang province has highlighted the urgent need for stricter electrical safety measures in schools.
This type of cold water dispenser is common in many schools across the country. To prevent such incidents, these machines should be equipped with leakage circuit breakers, which can detect problems and prevent electric shocks.
However, many schools have not installed these safety devices. An electrical engineering expert has weighed in on the situation.
Asst. Prof. Dusit Suksawat from the Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering at King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang explained that electrical leaks often occur in water dispensers that have been in use for a long time. The insulation of the cooling equipment deteriorates over time, causing electrical voltage to leak into the metal or aluminum casing, posing a risk of electric shock to anyone who touches it.
Ignoring the inspection of the equipment’s lifespan can turn seemingly safe electrical outlets into hazardous areas. Additionally, electrical leaks are invisible to the naked eye and can go unnoticed without leakage circuit breakers.
It was also revealed that there are no laws mandating safety inspections for electrical systems in schools, as schools are not covered by the Building Control Act. This means that the electrical equipment in schools is not inspected by expert engineers.
Recently, the Office of the Basic Education Commission (OBEC) has ordered an urgent inspection of water dispensers in educational institutions nationwide, to check the lifespan of the installed units and cease using those that are expired. Water dispensers must meet the standards set by the Thai Industrial Standards Institute (TISI) and must have automatic circuit breakers installed.
The incident involving the 14-year-old boy is not the first of its kind. Similar tragic events have occurred in the past due to the presence of these types of water dispensers in schools.
In 2014, the Faculty of Engineering at King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang initiated the “Safety Duck” project, which produced and distributed leakage circuit breakers to hundreds of schools for use with water dispensers. A survey conducted at that time found that many schools nationwide did not have leakage protection systems installed.
In addition to implementing technical safety measures, the professor also emphasized it is also crucial to raise awareness about electrical safety among students and school staff. This includes educating them on how to identify potential electrical hazards, how to use electrical equipment safely, and how to respond to an electrical accident. -819 (TNA)
