Originally Posted By: jtedesco This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
In the interest of Electrical Safety:
Wearing Jewelry in the Field?
I have noticed where some people are wearing all types of body jewelry and when I saw a few electrical installers who where let off at a job site from a big truck near the border, I wondered if anyone has had the same experiences and what they have done?
I am sure that OSHA has some objections to this or calls for some protection to be worn if someone refuses to remove their rings.
I believe that wearing no jewelry while working near energized parts is the safest way, especially when inspecting the interior of a panelboard.
Originally Posted By: Greg Fretwell This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
I have never worn any metal since I saw a ring that got across a 150 amp bus at THREE volts. It damn near burned the guy’s finger off.
At that time I was wearing a ring and a stainless steel watch. I put both in my pocket and never wore them again. I still have the “no metal” policy today. It does make it a little easier getting on a plane these days.
When you start thinking about any “line” voltage the whole idea boggles the mind. We all look at the charts that show the number of milliamps that will kill you and the discussion of skin resistance but that all goes out the window when you attach electrodes to your body. You can get a fatal shock from as little as 20-30 volts if you are directly coupled to the juice.
Sorry for the sermon but one of the "other duties as assigned" for an IBM IPR was the annual safety course.
Originally Posted By: Charles Palmieri This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Joe
the old saying familiarity breeds contempt comes to mind! Rings (nose, ear, finger, etc.) are catch points as well as conductive. How many times on a site ascending or descending ladders or scaffolding have extremities been caught resulting in lost man hours or worse. When I was in the Navy, A shipmate was working on top of an aircraft changing a light. His dog tags (necklaces are as dangerous) drifted into the socket and he got a nice tattoo (little dots)around his neck. Fortunately that was the extent of the damage luckily he didn’t fall.
Originally Posted By: jmcginnis This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Speaking of the Navy… I was in the Seabees and one fellow working on a scaffolding 30 feet in the air, experienced a shock from a metal case 1/4 inch drill that had a high resistance short to the drill casing. The drill was in his right hand and the wedding ring on his left hand was firmly welded to the I beam he was holding onto for leverage. We had to cut the ring off because he ended up passing out and hanging from his ring finger. He survived because someone had good sense to kick the plug out when they saw him shaking. He suffered a severe burn on his ring finger but was lucky the finger was ripped off from the weight of his body. Obviously, this was in the days before GFCIs.
Originally Posted By: Guest This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
I have a lovely permanent scar where my wedding ring used to reside before it got caught between the positive terminal and ground on a car. It got hot, it hurt and it ruined the ring. I haven’t replaced it.