First electric shock

[Chrisuk]

Some of the regulars will know I'm in training...slightly confused...all day today I've been sleeving the cpc because none at all had any on and putting connector blocks in choc blocks..15mins before leaving I have my head above the ceiling...power on since where we are working are open and they don't want a third of the store in darkness from killing the mcb.

Had the connector block between finger and thumb..carefully putting it the choc block when I heard it cracking..was tightening the screws when I got a belt.

So I'm thinking could it arc...I didn't see anything...just felt it.....or Is it more likely I just had a brain fart and my thumb touched some exposed conductor?

I
Least I know the rcd kicks in fast

 

[Pete999]

You are correct pete sorry I will get back on track, but you should see her ffs :38:

Got one of my own thanks, not a pretty sight first thing are they?

 

[davesparks]

real? there are times when you cannot turn the power off, it is best practise to not touch copper unless you know its not connected to anything.

if you are working in a control panel you cant just turn them off because it can cause very bad consequences.
we work in hospitals/ metal wards etc and there not places that can be done out of hours

But the places you work will surely have procedures in place to ensure you are working safely and that the patients are kept safe.
I can't imagine they don't operate a permit to work system?

 

[Marvo]

My thoughts are pretty much as Trev said

Yes! When there is a means of isolation then it should be used unless there are incredibly good reason not to. The store owner not wanting the place dark is not a good reason.
How would he/she/the company have reacted if you had been blown off whatever you were standing on and injured yourself or been killed? With the HSE crawling all over them and your employer that excuse would not wash.
Get your gaffer to rig some temporary lighting so that you get to go home at the end of the day, not to a hospital or mortuary. You're a trainee, you probably don't want to question your employer or rock the boat by going against what those above you in the food chain say but for your own sake mate tell this clown that what he's asking you to do is dangerous

Working live should never be a convenience thing, only as an absolute necessity and only if competent to do so and only following a thorough risk assessment and only with the correct equipment and safety procedures in place.

 

[jaypp]

Hi Chris. Agree with previous post re. safe working practices although, we've all (I guess) been guilty at some point. If the lights need to be on, can you not isolate, disconnect at a point, leaving some to give light and then work on next few, livening up a few at a time? You will become used to everyone moaning about losing power or lighting, but as said in prev post there are ways e.g. temp lights, run a lead etc. Just say sorry, we can't work live it's a danger to me, you and anyone else who enters your premises.

 

[Silly Sausage]

Just thought Chris, what did anyone say when you killed the lights?
And if they did, what were their comments about the fact that they went off because you nearly electrocuted yourself?

 

[trev]

I've now got a video running in my imagination of you getting blown off the steps and landing on some old granny while the shopkeeper moans about light levels.
Hopefully that will never happen

 

[uksparks]

landing on some old granny

Well it would be better than landing on an old tranny!

 

[R G]

I just don't know what sort of guy would put a lad at risk , Its all well and good putting yourself at risk , even thats wrong , but a lad who doesn't have the experience , to send him up there and start messing with live circuits is to me beyond comprehension , I would sooner put myself at risk than the lads , I wonder what sort of guy this is ..

 

[shanky887614]

I just don't know what sort of guy would put a lad at risk , Its all well and good putting yourself at risk , even thats wrong , but a lad who doesn't have the experience , to send him up there and start messing with live circuits is to me beyond comprehension , I would sooner put myself at risk than the lads , I wonder what sort of guy this is ..

acording to the post they mentioned they were supposed to put a chockbox over the connector so shouldn't have needed to touch it anyway ( personally I always wrap connector in a bit of tape, cover any copper/screws, or you can get a shock if it touches anything)

 

[R G]

acording to the post they mentioned they were supposed to put a chockbox over the connector so shouldn't have needed to touch it anyway ( personally I always wrap connector in a bit of tape, cover any copper/screws, or you can get a shock if it touches anything)

What are you saying, the earth wire required sleeving therefore had to be disconnected to do this , this is on a live circuit and also the connector blocks constitute exposed live parts , at the very least he could have got a shock of the earth wires with any stray return currents in the circuit,,,

 

[johnsparks23]

We've all done it. Learn from it and be more careful in future. If you'd fallen of the steps, smashed up some stock, fallen on your head and needed an ambulance. You'd be in the brown stuff now and not laughing about it.

 

[Virtus Lucem]

Are you saying the earth was crackling?

 

[DRG]

There will almost always be someone working in a position above managerial wise trying to push you on to get the job done and meet target etc. However there is no excuse for trying to persuade someone (especially an inexperienced and vulnerable trainee) to work live.

I sympathize in the sense that you probably wont feel confident and/or want to cause any confrontation by refusing to do so but you need to take a step back and thing it's literally a case of your life on the line.

 

[Engineer54]

How things have changed!! lol!! During my time in the industrial sector, working live was part and parcel of being an electrician. By the sound of it, most of you would cringe at the things we were expected to do, to keep the lines/plants running. We were actually taught how to work live during the latter part of our apprenticeships, complete with fully insulated tool kits...

No it wasn't just a case of jumping into things willy nilly, ...any and all precautions were taken that could be taken, and you never worked live alone, but work live we did and on a pretty regular basis as well...

 

[DPG]

How things have changed!! lol!! During my time in the industrial sector, working live was part and parcel of being an electrician. By the sound of it, most of you would cringe at the things we were expected to do, to keep the lines/plants running. We were actually taught how to work live during the latter part of our apprenticeships, complete with fully insulated tool kits...

No it wasn't just a case of jumping into things willy nilly, ...any and all precautions were taken that could be taken, and you never worked live alone, but work live we did and on a pretty regular basis as well...

We used to send children up chimneys to clean them as well. Some things deserve to be left in the past though. The old days are only the 'good old days' when it suits eh. Daz