Today I experienced the worst electric shock my career

[mainline]

A voltstick wouldn't have helped in this case because the circuit was already known to be live, maybe an old type neon screwdriver would have alerted you but if it was water in the bottom that got tipped around internally when you grabbed it then it also might not have tested live before you moved it.

An RCD also isn't protection against shock, it doesn't even reduce the shock at all it only limits the duration. It's going to trip in 40mS but in that time you will still receive 4 pulses of over 300 Volts peak voltage which is way more than enough to put you on your a$$.

Working with gloves on would have helped to some degree. Something else that would help if you keep one hand in your pocket the old fashioned way is LV dielectric shoes to EN20345 sometimes called ESR or EH rated. They're not like the HV linesmans wellington type boots, they look like normal sneaker shoes and I'm not sure why these haven't caught on in the UK. Come to think of it I can't remember them ever even being mentioned on the forum. Might be time to add a pair to your wish list.

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He said it didnt show signs of water ingress and that he got the shock when he grabbed it.
A decent volt stick especially one you are used too would more than likely have shown the metal to be live.

Certainly a decent 2 pole tester would have.

It maybe that there wasn’t a problem with this particular one, it may have been another that had the ingress and was causing the interconnected cpc to go high.

Lesson is if the circuit is energised then check the metal isn’t.

 

[littlespark]

trouble is with a 2 pole tester... youve got to touch the fitting to remove the cover to access the connectors.

no one would think that a light, which is working, and you havent been told already someone got a shock off it.... would have a live casing.

Its easy to say in hindsight that it should have been checked before going anywhere near it.... but accidents happen... and it could have been way worse

 

[JosephandAmber]

I'm glad most of you think I got very unlucky with this one. It's absolutely a lesson learned, but at the same time, I don't feel like I did anything that was seriously bad practice. I cannot believe how lucky I was that the breaker tripped. Being shocked and knowing you cannot let go is seriously scary. I've had minor shocks before (haven't we all) but never one where I was at the complete mercy of a protective device tripping.

 

[nicebutdim]

I'm glad most of you think I got very unlucky with this one. It's absolutely a lesson learned, but at the same time, I don't feel like I did anything that was seriously bad practice. I cannot believe how lucky I was that the breaker tripped. Being shocked and knowing you cannot let go is seriously scary. I've had minor shocks before (haven't we all) but never one where I was at the complete mercy of a protective device tripping.

You didn't do anything a homeowner wouldn't be expected to do, much less the average electrician.

 

[SparkySy]

It sounds like you were very unfortunate to get a shock but lucky that the device tripped and saved you!
And as @nicebutdim says, it's lucky the householder hasn't been a victim of its fault.

Many years ago when I had just finished my apprenticeship I managed to get a huge belt off an immersion heater that was on economy 10 so received random boosts during the day.
It taught me to be incredibly wary with anything metal cased as a result!

 

[mainline]

trouble is with a 2 pole tester... youve got to touch the fitting to remove the cover to access the connectors.

no one would think that a light, which is working, and you havent been told already someone got a shock off it.... would have a live casing.

Its easy to say in hindsight that it should have been checked before going anywhere near it.... but accidents happen... and it could have been way worse

Why would you have to access the connectors ??

 

[davesparks]

A decent volt stick especially one you are used too would more than likely have shown the metal to be live.

It would certainly have made you wary of it.

Certainly a decent 2 pole tester would have.

Only if you had somewhere to put the second probe.

 

[davesparks]

Why would you have to access the connectors ??

To find two points to put your 2 probes on.

 

[mainline]

To find two points to put your 2 probes on.

He would have a decent ground very nearby, ie himself, otherwise he wouldn't have got a shock in the first place.

A decent 2 probe voltage tester like a Fluke 150 will detect L using one probe.

 

[davesparks]

He would have a decent ground very nearby, ie himself, otherwise he wouldn't have got a shock in the first place.

Are you suggesting they hold the second probe and make themself part of the test circuit?

 

[mainline]

Are you suggesting they hold the second probe and make themself part of the test circuit?

I'm suggesting that he grounds the 2nd probe and that there was an obvious ground nearby, as otherwise he wouldn't have had a shock of that magnitude.

A decent 2 probe tester would be of a high enough impedance to not cause anything like the shock he had, even if he did hold the other probe.

Probably no more of a risk than using the unsafe screwdriver type, which relies on making yourself part of it.

 

[LukeD]

I am way too OCD . I tend to wipe out the whole board if possible when dealing with issues outside . Ive seen a guy get wacked good .Turned out previous owner had run some lights from the kitchen ring, not fused etc . Poor quality fitting that started to have problems once the rubbish decking rotted away ! He presumed they where all on the same circuit !

 

[mainline]

I am way to OCD . I tend to wipe out the whole board if possible when dealing with issues outside . Ive seen a guy get wacked good .Turned out previous owner had run some lights from the kitchen ring, not fused etc . Poor quality fitting that started to have problems once the rubbish decking rotted away ! He presumed they where all on the same circuit !

I'm basically the same when it comes to metal and outside lights, especially since that young boy died due to a pub's garden lamp post being live.

 

[TerryB NZ]

A voltstick wouldn't have helped in this case because the circuit was already known to be live, maybe an old type neon screwdriver would have alerted you but if it was water in the bottom that got tipped around internally when you grabbed it then it also might not have tested live before you moved it.

An RCD also isn't protection against shock, it doesn't even reduce the shock at all it only limits the duration. It's going to trip in 40mS but in that time you will still receive 4 pulses of over 300 Volts peak voltage which is way more than enough to put you on your a$$.

Working with gloves on would have helped to some degree. Something else that would help if you keep one hand in your pocket the old fashioned way is LV dielectric shoes to EN20345 sometimes called ESR or EH rated. They're not like the HV linesmans wellington type boots, they look like normal sneaker shoes and I'm not sure why these haven't caught on in the UK. Come to think of it I can't remember them ever even being mentioned on the forum. Might be time to add a pair to your wish list.

Electrical Insulated (1000volt) Safety Trainer SB FO WRU HRO SRC - Enduro

Electrical Insulated (1000volt) Safety Trainer

enduro.co.uk

ROBUSTA FORMIO DIELECTRIC BOOTS - Sparks Workwear Ltd | Online Store

Electrically Insulating technical footwear from Spanish brand Robusta TECHNICAL INFORMATION

sparksworkwear.com

C99H-ISOL47 | Penta Unisex Ankle Safety Boots, UK 12, EU 47 | RS

za.rs-online.com

Little bit off track, but I wear Dewalt work boots that are supposed to be electrically insulated according to the box.
So one day I’m out with a mate clearing a fallen tree from a 4 wire fence with two hot wires. Do the old touch test, first with a piece of grass, then tap with my hand and nothing.
I grabbed the wire and started to get over the fence.
Half way over my hand pushing the hot wire down touched another wire that was not insulated to ground and wack!
I jumped slipped and fell down the bank on the other side and swore like a sailor.
My mate just laughed his arse off.
The fence unit is 10000’s of volts with no current. But the boots obviously work.
So now it’s isolate test and test again.

 

[brianmoooore]

Volt stick always goes in before I do, but in this case there's a possibility that the fitting wasn't live at all until it was picked up and its wiring disturbed.