Discharge of Capacitors

1. Capacitors are potentially hazardous due to their ability to store electric

charges. A discharge of energy exceeding 10 joules into the human body can
be lethal, while 0.25 joule will give a heavy shock.
2. Capacitors built into equipment should be isolated with barriers or enclosures
to prevent contact with charged terminals. Interlocking devices may be
needed for some systems to ensure that personnel cannot gain access to
hazardous capacitors until they are effectively discharged and grounded.
Warning signs stating the hazards and precautions should be posted.
3. When shutting down equipment for maintenance and repairs, provisions
should be made to effectively and safely discharge capacitors capable of
storing more than 0.1 joule . High energy capacitors should be physically
grounded regardless of the existence of bleeder resistors, dump switches,
interlocks, or other potential de-energizing devices.
4. All high grade capacitors, if left on an open circuit after discharge, will recover
a considerable proportion of the original charging energy which may still
cause serious or even lethal electric shocks. Therefore:
• Each spare or disconnected capacitor, when not in use, should be kept
short-circuited individually by a robust connection.
• Capacitors built into equipment which is not current in use should also
be short-circuited individually.
• New capacitors should also be kept short-circuited when being stored
since they may have been previously energized for test purposes.
5. It is highly recommended that all discharged capacitors carry a label with
wordings such as “WARNING: Keep short-circuited when not in use”
6. Capacitors also pose mechanical, chemical and fire hazards. A faulty capacitor
in a capacitor bank may rupture, sometimes explosively. Depending on the
type of dielectric used, the rupture could lead to a fire or release toxic gases.
Safety measures should be implemented to control these hazards, such as
provision of special fire-suppression and ventilation systems, proper shielding
and enclosure etc.