shock from ballasts, emergency lights, ungrounded wires,

[fleetfeet]

I survived a 277v shock the other day. I was on a 30 ft scaffolding and took a gut wrenching shock. Without going into detail about what happened, I just wanted to seek information on shock hazards from seemingly safe conditions. Mysteriously, I've seen electricians getting shocked from neutral (ungrounded wire), ballasts, and emergency lighting during what appeared to be safe settings. This subject is hardly covered enough in relation to it's consequences. Working with gloves, one hand and proper platforms only offer a degree of safety. Wouldn't it be nice to know the potential dangers on all levels. Getting shocked is common and inevitable with aggressive workmanship.

 

[hurk27]

Re: shock from ballasts, emergency lights, ungrounded wires,

By fleetfeet:

shock hazards from seemingly safe conditions

First!
Around energized equipment and wires there is no safety this is why we must always try to work while NOT energized, It's a must!

Mysteriously, I've seen electricians getting shocked from neutral (ungrounded wire), ballasts, and emergency lighting during what appeared to be safe settings.

What's the mysterious about it? When you remove the return current path back to the source, and then you make contact between the return wire (Fixture load neutral) and a neutral or grounded metal that will provide a new path back to the source you become part of that path, And since your body will draw allot less current than the fixture you will receive the full voltage minus a few Millivolts because of the voltage drop of the fixture, but you will receive most of it.

Again this is why we should not work hot!

Never ASSUME That a circuit is not enerjized!
Use some sort of pretested voltage detector to double check that it is in fact DE-ENERJIZED!

And last but most of all:
TREAT ALL CIRCUITS AS THEY ARE LIVE!!!

This means that you should try to not make any contact with any wires, terminals, busses, or any thing that if by accedent someone turned on a breaker would cause you to be electrocuted!

The next shock could kill you?

[ September 27, 2004, 01:39 AM: Message edited by: hurk27 ]