Difference Between a Circuit breaker and safety switch

Did you know that a lot of people don’t know the difference between a circuit breaker and a safety switch. A lot of older houses still only have circuit breakers at their switchboards. A lot of people think they are safety switches as they look very similar. The main difference is a safety switch has a little test button on it and a circuit breaker does not.

A safety switch in most cases will detect if a person is getting an electric shock and shut off. A circuit breaker will not detect this and will not shut off. A circuit breaker only protects the wire a high current and safety switches are designed to protect people at a very low current.