Being Electrocuted

[Vapor]

Has anyone (else) noticed that some people can take an electric shock whilst others just die? Serious question, after an incident got me thinking: on a building site, some old cables were unearthed that I was about to test for live when a Polish labourer brushed his back hand against the potentially live cable to test it. He reckoned that whilst he had seen someone electrocuted, he himself had had a few near misses and never been much affected. It can't just be boots? I am a multi-trader and I have been shocked 3 times and I have to admit I was surprised to have been so insignificantly affected.

Another time, I came under the aim of a laser 2020 speed gun, on a motorbike, which tickled my back so incessantly that I accelerated off and had to argue a speeding ticket.

 

[Top Cat]

Come on you know me by now.

Bit of catnip, would that calm you down?

That's true where are you going to rub it!:hurray:

 

[ian.goddard57]

Shocks scare the hell out of me. Stripped out a bathroom on a plumbing job about a year ago. after removing tiles I ran my open palm across the wall to check how good the plaster was. I got a wack. Turned the consumer unit off and on closer inspection someone had some grey tape over live bare wires. I couldn't believe it. Wont do that again.

 

[ExArmy]

british army still teach back of the hand test as standard, i still do it all the time before i touch any bare copper if theres any doubt as to wether or not it's live (even though i have just proved it dead) as you can't always trust bloody machines!

 

[DaveyLe_Spark]

Worst belt i've had to date was off my sister in laws cooker. End of a long hard and hot day in a loft i still had the element to replace. Having replaced it i flicked everything on with all the covers off to check it. All warming up i switched the cooker off...........on the cooker itself leaving the isolator on. D'OH! Upon screwing on the back plate the back of my hand touched the terminals and WHACK!! It was quite funny, they were all sitting down eating dinner, jumped out of their seats. I put the cooker back together and went to put the RCD back in but low and behold it was the MCB which tripped, saving me from boiling myself. So much for RCD protection eh!

 

[Strima]

british army still teach back of the hand test as standard, i still do it all the time before i touch any bare copper if theres any doubt as to wether or not it's live (even though i have just proved it dead) as you can't always trust bloody machines!

I used to teach that when checking for overheating vehicle components. What nugget is teaching that with electrics?

 

[ipf]

i got whacked sitting on a kitchen sink trust me it hurt like hell

Why not use........forget that.

 

[johnboy6083]

i trained as a spatrk inthe royal engineers, andi was never once told to check for dead with my hand. Check electric fences yes, but never anything else.

 

[Top Cat]

i trained as a spatrk inthe royal engineers, andi was never once told to check for dead with my hand. Check electric fences yes, but never anything else.

No you Pi** on electric fences to check them!

 

[Knobhead]

If I’ve been working with a gang on switchgear maintenance that I’d done the isolation on. The last thing I’d do is the back of my hand on each open cable and bus bar, seeing is believing for the other lads. Only got bitten once, isolated a fixed capacitor bank and was a bit impatient!

Maybe “the last thing” wasn’t the best way of phrasing it!

 

[ExArmy]

i trained as a spatrk inthe royal engineers, andi was never once told to check for dead with my hand. Check electric fences yes, but never anything else.

i was in the royal signals, it was part of the procedure for powering up a comms vehicle, written in books and the lot! when i look back, i think even the people teaching the subject didn't really know what electricity was about.

 

[acvc]

I was going to post a thread about the worst shock you have ever had but never did it.

My worst shock was about 20 years ago. C/U in basement that was flooded with a foot of water. Old Wylex board, took the cover off put test lamp on L - N incomer, no light. Thought to myself i will just take off the plastic covers on L -N incomer. 1st time the lecky actually grabbed me and i could not let go! Because i had had so many shocks i could still think so i sat in the water and used my legs to push myself away! It felt like minuets but probably about 10 seconds i was getting an electric shock from one hand to another across my chest! Basically the terminals were loose in L - N terminals so did not light up test lamp! I didn't like it but maybe a lot of people would have died from the same situation.

But hey i'm a cat so another life gone!

Top Cat. I'm going to remember that: where possible not to check for voltage on the grub-screws of terminations and connections as they may be loose, but try to go for the solid bits or bare cores of the cables. That goes down in my book as a Very Top Tip. Thanks.

 

[Top Cat]

Top Cat. I'm going to remember that: where possible not to check for voltage on the grub-screws of terminations and connections as they may be loose, but try to go for the solid bits or bare cores of the cables. That goes down in my book as a Very Top Tip. Thanks.

Thanks ACVC i will take that as a compliment not a p**s take!

 

[acvc]

No joke! Thanks!

 

[Spazz]

Worst belt i've had to date was off my sister in laws cooker. End of a long hard and hot day in a loft i still had the element to replace. Having replaced it i flicked everything on with all the covers off to check it. All warming up i switched the cooker off...........on the cooker itself leaving the isolator on. D'OH! Upon screwing on the back plate the back of my hand touched the terminals and WHACK!! It was quite funny, they were all sitting down eating dinner, jumped out of their seats. I put the cooker back together and went to put the RCD back in but low and behold it was the MCB which tripped, saving me from boiling myself. So much for RCD protection eh!

Check your RCD times and RCD trip current - might be time to replace it!

 

[Strima]

No you Pi** on electric fences to check them!

Many moons ago when I was a young squadlet we were on yet another pointless exercise on Salisbury Plain, nobody gave a crap and we just meandered round whilst the officers did their jolly jape thing. Anyway the section Cpl decided to go for a ****, he unzipped and started to let the waters flow with not a care in the world. I called to him that it was an electric fence to which he told me to F off as he haven't got a jolt as he'd checked it and it was fine. having grown up around fences like that I might have told him it was on a repeating timer, lessons learnt.

Anyway he ended up sitting on his arse with sore bits and we had a smoke break whilst he recovered. Then we decided to take a short cut over the fence, so he nicely uses his weapon butt to hold the fence down whilst we all step over. This bloke was a bit of an idiot as we were issued Sterling SMG's which had a metal butt fitted. Got another smoke break out of it... :lol: