Larry2
05-04-2008, 04:16 AM
When I was a teen, a ham radio mentor taught me to only work on transmitting gear with one hand in your pocket and while wear rubber sole shoes. The point was that lethal voltage was contained inside. You never allowed another part of your body to complete the circuit accidentally while probing voltages. Instinct might cause one to rest the free hand on the enclosure while the other hand holds the probe. Hence the advice to put your free hand in your pocket. It was a matter of developing a safe habit that is second nature.
The point wasn't so much that you have one hand in your pocket but the concept that you never have both hands touching the gear. The risk is not only electocution, but risk of injury from one's reaction to a shock. People are hurt or even fall from the roof tops when they receive an unexpected jolt.
I learned to hold both test leads with one hand, or better yet connect the meter and then activate the circuit under test once out of harms way.
I watched tonight in horror while a utility company worker serviced a mercury vapor lamp out front. He was outfitted with a fiberglass bucket boom to keep him safe from earth connection. He grabbed one test lead in each hand and probed the circuit to assure it was live. He had at least 240 volts potential and possibly 480 VAC, 60 Hz between the meter probes while holding one meter probe held in each hand.
I know probes are insulated to a kv or more and they should be safe if they are new and in good condition. What if there is a circuit fault and the voltage is way higher than expected? (Remember, there was a complaint about the lighting circuit that caused the service visit) What if the meter leads are worn or there's a temporary loss of balance causing one to grab the earthed structure with a free hand to gain balance?
Good habits last a lifetime. I would like to hear other safe work rules around this gear. We all have different mentors.
The point wasn't so much that you have one hand in your pocket but the concept that you never have both hands touching the gear. The risk is not only electocution, but risk of injury from one's reaction to a shock. People are hurt or even fall from the roof tops when they receive an unexpected jolt.
I learned to hold both test leads with one hand, or better yet connect the meter and then activate the circuit under test once out of harms way.
I watched tonight in horror while a utility company worker serviced a mercury vapor lamp out front. He was outfitted with a fiberglass bucket boom to keep him safe from earth connection. He grabbed one test lead in each hand and probed the circuit to assure it was live. He had at least 240 volts potential and possibly 480 VAC, 60 Hz between the meter probes while holding one meter probe held in each hand.
I know probes are insulated to a kv or more and they should be safe if they are new and in good condition. What if there is a circuit fault and the voltage is way higher than expected? (Remember, there was a complaint about the lighting circuit that caused the service visit) What if the meter leads are worn or there's a temporary loss of balance causing one to grab the earthed structure with a free hand to gain balance?
Good habits last a lifetime. I would like to hear other safe work rules around this gear. We all have different mentors.