The operation of safety switches involves several key steps to ensure electrical safety. First, there is continuous monitoring of electrical parameters or safety conditions, such as a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) constantly monitoring the current balance between the hot and neutral wires. Second, the system detects anomalies like current imbalance, excessive temperature, or unauthorized access to a dangerous area; for instance, an interlock switch can detect if a machine guard is opened. Third, the actuation step involves the switch mechanism disconnecting the electrical circuit, which could be a mechanical action, such as pressing an emergency stop (E-Stop), or an automatic response, like a circuit breaker tripping. Fourth, there is complete isolation of the electrical power to ensure safety, with the switch keeping the circuit open and the power cut off until the unsafe condition is resolved. Finally, the resetting step allows the safety switch to be reset manually or automatically to resume normal operation after addressing the unsafe condition; for manual switches, this often involves a physical action to reset the mechanism.