bthouse
Member
- Location
- St. Louis, MO
I recently was shocked with 480V. I am 4 weeks into my recovery. Haven't been cleared to return to work yet. However, I feel fortunate that my injuries sustained from my brush w/ 480 should heal in another month. What really bothers me is that I'm still not 100% certain how the current entered body the way it did. Here's how it all went down. I was working on an old 2000amp 277/480V outdoor switch gear. We installed a fusable disconnect beside the gear for a new sub-panel located elswhere. I was connecting the disconnect feeders to one of the open lugs on the bus. Why we didn't shut off power and attempted this hot is a whole other story. The disconnect that I was wiring was locked out, tagged out, and fuses were not yet installed. The gear was bottom fed. The neutral and ground bus were bonded together and to the the enclosure frame. The grounded bus was located close to the front of the panel enclosure door. Approx 6" behind the neutral/ground bus was the B phase bus lugs and 6" behind that was the A and C phase bus lugs. I terminated the ground and neutral first. I had on my hot gloves (rated 1000V)
with leather protectors. I had a 10,000V insulated mat beneath me. I was not however wearing an arc flash suit. I know how incredibly reckless and stupid it was not to wear the suit. Trust me. It's a mistake I'll never make again. I was loosening the B hase lug with a plastic socket wrench. I was pulling my hands out of the gear when I got hit. It hit me like a Mack truck. I couldn't see. Everything went white. I wanted to jerk my head back to try and break free. But I was paralyzed. Then everything went black. I don't know how long I was unconcious. When I came to, I was about 3 feet back from the gear. My gloves were still on and in tact. I had a 1/2 dollar sized hole in my forearm. I had no other physical marks on me. I don't know if the hole in my forearm was the entry or the exit. The only thing near that part of my arm was the grounded bus. If my exposed forearm touched the gounded bus it would make sense that my body somehow made a phase to ground connection, right? If my arm was the only thing that made physical contact with a bonded neutral and I was on an insulated mat, how and/or why would current flow through me unless I was completing a circuit? I appreciate any input on the topic. Thanks.
For all of you out there in the field....BE SAFE!!! DON'T EVER LET TIMELINES OR JOB COST INFLUENCE YOUR JUDGEMENT AND DECISIONS PERTAINING TO SAFETY!!!!
with leather protectors. I had a 10,000V insulated mat beneath me. I was not however wearing an arc flash suit. I know how incredibly reckless and stupid it was not to wear the suit. Trust me. It's a mistake I'll never make again. I was loosening the B hase lug with a plastic socket wrench. I was pulling my hands out of the gear when I got hit. It hit me like a Mack truck. I couldn't see. Everything went white. I wanted to jerk my head back to try and break free. But I was paralyzed. Then everything went black. I don't know how long I was unconcious. When I came to, I was about 3 feet back from the gear. My gloves were still on and in tact. I had a 1/2 dollar sized hole in my forearm. I had no other physical marks on me. I don't know if the hole in my forearm was the entry or the exit. The only thing near that part of my arm was the grounded bus. If my exposed forearm touched the gounded bus it would make sense that my body somehow made a phase to ground connection, right? If my arm was the only thing that made physical contact with a bonded neutral and I was on an insulated mat, how and/or why would current flow through me unless I was completing a circuit? I appreciate any input on the topic. Thanks.
For all of you out there in the field....BE SAFE!!! DON'T EVER LET TIMELINES OR JOB COST INFLUENCE YOUR JUDGEMENT AND DECISIONS PERTAINING TO SAFETY!!!!
