Today I experienced the worst electric shock my career Discussion ThreadToday I experienced the worst electric shock my career Electrical Advice
Today, I experienced the most severe electrical shock of my career. Fortunately, I'm here to write about it. I've been replaying the situation in my mind, analysing what I could have done differently to prevent it. The most crucial takeaway is this: ALWAYS ASSUME ALL EXTERNAL METAL LIGHTS ARE LIVE UNTIL PROVEN OTHERWISE.
Here's what happened:
The customer has garden lighting with GU10 spike lights, some of which weren't functioning and showed visible signs of water ingress. We went outside, and I asked the customer to turn the lights on to identify which ones were still working. She switched them on, and a few of the GU10s lit up. The customer then asked what I would replace them with, so I opened a box containing a new GU10 spike light. She noticed the spike seemed a bit short, and I explained that I could order extensions or possibly reuse the spikes from her existing lights. To demonstrate, I picked up one of the existing GU10 spike lights that was functioning and showed no visible signs of water ingress. As I reached out to grab the spike to unscrew it, I suddenly became part of the circuit. My hand immediately clamped around the light, and I was paralysed by the shock. I distinctly remember feeling utterly helpless as the current surged through my body. I let out a terrible scream and collapsed towards the ground. I'm not sure how long I was in contact with the light, but it felt like several seconds. Suddenly, the power cut off, and I was able to release my grip. I turned pale, and the customer was utterly shocked.
After sitting down and ensuring I was okay, I went to inspect the RCD, which I believed had saved my life. To my surprise, the only circuit that had tripped was a non-RCD protected 10Amp Type B MCB. I had tripped the overcurrent device!
I suspect that as I fell towards the ground, the light made contact with the soil, allowing enough fault current to flow, perhaps?
I felt both embarrassed and angry that the circuit wasn't RCD protected.
To...
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Today I experienced the worst electric shock my career for the original thread on Electricians Forums
Today, I experienced the most severe electrical shock of my career. Fortunately, I'm here to write about it. I've been replaying the situation in my mind, analysing what I could have done differently to prevent it. The most crucial takeaway is this: ALWAYS ASSUME ALL EXTERNAL METAL LIGHTS ARE LIVE UNTIL PROVEN OTHERWISE.
Here's what happened:
The customer has garden lighting with GU10 spike lights, some of which weren't functioning and showed visible signs of water ingress. We went outside, and I asked the customer to turn the lights on to identify which ones were still working. She switched them on, and a few of the GU10s lit up. The customer then asked what I would replace them with, so I opened a box containing a new GU10 spike light. She noticed the spike seemed a bit short, and I explained that I could order extensions or possibly reuse the spikes from her existing lights. To demonstrate, I picked up one of the existing GU10 spike lights that was functioning and showed no visible signs of water ingress. As I reached out to grab the spike to unscrew it, I suddenly became part of the circuit. My hand immediately clamped around the light, and I was paralysed by the shock. I distinctly remember feeling utterly helpless as the current surged through my body. I let out a terrible scream and collapsed towards the ground. I'm not sure how long I was in contact with the light, but it felt like several seconds. Suddenly, the power cut off, and I was able to release my grip. I turned pale, and the customer was utterly shocked.
After sitting down and ensuring I was okay, I went to inspect the RCD, which I believed had saved my life. To my surprise, the only circuit that had tripped was a non-RCD protected 10Amp Type B MCB. I had tripped the overcurrent device!
I suspect that as I fell towards the ground, the light made contact with the soil, allowing enough fault current to flow, perhaps?
I felt both embarrassed and angry that the circuit wasn't RCD protected.
To...
Read more
Today I experienced the worst electric shock my career for the original thread on Electricians Forums
