Shock - 120V vs 480V Electrocution

Dhitzfelder said:

Heard a story of someone killed by a multimeter. Apparently, he was testing his resistance, and punctured both thumbs with the leads. without skin, your internal resistance is low enough that a 9 volt battery will give you a lethal shock...

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Seems like a stretch. You can lick a 9V battery and it does barely more than tingle.

My uncle worked in a union shop as the supervisor on a job.
he worked with an electrician that tested 440 circuits by licking his thumb and touching the wire.
the guy threw a fit when he was given a warning, he had been doing this for 30 years. 3 days later he was sent home for a week for doing the same thing.
the Monday he came back, he was electrocuted testing the 440 volt circuit his way with his thumb.

think about your body, you have 2 possible paths
on the outside, you have skin which has resistance, maybe sweat that has salt, wet clothes, good path.
on the inside you have muscle, tissue, blood composed of 98% water, salt, and other minerals. Excellent conductor.

it doesn't matter if its a 9 volt battery, 120, 240,277, 440,480, you MUST respect power sources! if you don't, you get careless.
the goal of everyone needs to be the following: come to work, keep your mind on what you are doing, watch out for co-workers, finish the day's work, and go home safe. I cannot post the pictures of electrical shocks, but you can google electrical shock pictures.

james

rupej said:

Seems like a stretch. You can lick a 9V battery and it does barely more than tingle.

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I can start a fire with a 9V battery... have done it many times. I've also had one come in contact with my key ring in my pocket and burn my thigh... (only once though).

When I was young, about 7 or 8, at a party one uncle showed the others there about 2 D cells and steel wool. Stretch light gauge steel wool until it can contact the battery ends and LOTS of sparks.



3 volts would have burned very much or started a nice fire.

When I first started the electrician that I trained under would put his finger in a light socket to test if the power was on. Thank god I have mover way past that.
Understand this all voltages will pass a current through the humane body. there are many thigs that need to be considered.
You can get shocked on 24V most times you don't feel it at that level
500VDC of the DC Buss used to supply cranes in the old mills will not give you a second chance to regret the mistake
DC will clamp your mussels and hold you there at least AC will break when cycle passes through zero.
I was told when I started if in doubt use the back of your hand at least it should through you clear.
I have gotten nipped on 480A and 750VDC on a drive buss a few times usually I can feel it before I actually make contact.
I have worked on substations with 66KV feed lines. on a damp day I could feel the static voltage flouting around.
the real problem is the current that goes through you heard I think ii heard someplace that 10ma to heart will kill you. Most of the current will travel over your skin and just burn you.
I have a good friend that got across a 14K line on while working o a pole. burned him bad. The fall from the pole restarted his heart he spent months in hospital still not right. A family member last year was electrocuted while working on solar panel installation. He was burned badly and dose not expect to go back to work ( No lock out tag out somebody else closed the switch while he working on the wires)
Every body please be careful out there, one slipup could be you last and final.

jraef said:

There is no difference in safety, there is only luck and there is no qualitative difference in the level of death one might experience from either one if luck fails you...

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This is my favourite thing I've read all day