Welder electroquted Sad...

[MossRoad]

I've been bit by 120, 240, 208, and a couple others... all more than 20 years ago and all in metal cabinets that wires had rubbed and made the cabinets 'hot'. None of them were fun. No physical damage. Darn lucky to not get it worse. I now have a habit of checking the cabinet to ground with a meter before working on things.

I've also been shocked with an arc welder. Kneeling on a piece of work, clothes soaked from sweat, putting in a new stick without turning off the welder. Not pleasant. Don't do that anymore. Again, that was years back.

I suggest anyone interested in learning welding take some welding classes at your local community college, or from a professional welder. Well worth the investment. :thumbsup:

 

[TomSeller]

I recall showing an electrician where to terminate wires and for some stupid reason I reached out and touched two phases of a 480V live circuit. Fortunately I was wearing rubber soled shoes and it was finger to finger. It bit pretty good, about like 120V to a good ground which I have done more times than I care to admit. Those were back in the day of working circuits hot. I knew many old timers who tested voltage with their fingers. "Yeah, that is 480".

 

[aczlan]

I would say the real reason for fewer electrocutions is the 2 small round electrode holes recessed into the wall . They are about 1/4 the size of our blade configuration so it's that much easier to stick the knife, wire or whatever in it.

That and the newer "europlug" is designed so that the metal part of the pins is inside the socket before it gets energized (as seen below):

Source: Europlug - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Aaron Z

 

[Dave M7040]

My story is going to tell you a lot about my age (old). Isolation transformers. They were installed in most bathrooms before the days of GFCI receptacles, usually in the light over the mirror where there was a two prong plug to provide power for an electric razor. I saw them in an industrial environment where we would have to work inside large steel tanks. A 110 volt to 110 volt transformer was placed just outside the entrance to the tank to provide power for lights and hand tools like grinders. The idea with an isolation transformer is that you cannot get a shock by touching a hot wire and a ground such as the tank as the only current path available on the isolated side of the transformer is if you touch both wires of the transformer which is unlikely in an accident situation. Without the isolation transformer, the whole steel tank becomes a path to ground and you are surrounded by it. In your home, the faucets are a path to ground (with metallic plumbing) if you do not have the isolation transformer. Welding machines that incorporate a transformer act like an isolation transformer but unfortunately the ground clamp is not insulated and what you are welding is connected to the isolated side of the welding transformer.
I hope we get some real details of the accident so we can all learn and be safer.
Dave M7040

 

[k0ua]

I doubt we ever know what happened to the unfortunate weldor.

 

[Soundguy]

I am aware of the small milliamp needed to cause cardiac arrest but it just isn't there for a properly functioning welding machine. .

I wonder if it was a fault in t he power cord side of the weling machine...

 

[IslandTractor]

I doubt we ever know what happened to the unfortunate weldor.

I suspect OSHA will put considerable effort into the investigation. This is exactly the sort of thing that justifies their existence. If there is a lesson to be learned they need to dig it out.

 

[Soundguy]

I doubt we ever know what happened to the unfortunate weldor.

sadly...

 

[tcartwri]

That and the newer "europlug" is designed so that the metal part of the pins is inside the socket before it gets energized (as seen below):
View attachment 392557
Source: Europlug - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Aaron Z

They also switch virtually every wall socket in your home. So the socket isn't usually hot when you plug something in.

 

[roadhunter]

Working on floating boat docks getting shocked is pretty common for the guys doing the welding. Its' really fun when you are welding away and then a wave crashes into you completely submerging you and your weld for a couple of seconds.