Can 120 Volts Kill You?

The phrase “It’s only 120v! It can’t kill you!” has been around for years, and many veteran electricians don’t think twice about working live 120-volt circuits. But, in today’s episode of Electrician U, Dustin shares with us some electrical safety tips and shows us what 120v can do to the body!

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In the construction industry we hear that phrase frequently. In lieu of turning off the power to something to be worked on, we will tend to leave the breaker on and just work it live. Whether it’s machismo, laziness, or even fear of our employer demanding we just do it is no reason NOT to turn off a circuit(s) and do it safely. For most circumstances, there is no reason not to de energize a circuit! No one should work on live electrical circuitry unless they have been properly trained in how to do it AND have the proper PPE in place. If you don’t have the proper training and proper PPE/tools, the risk of electrical shock and electrocution rises dramatically.
There is a difference between the terms Shock and Electrocution. Shock is defined as “a sudden discharge of electricity through a part of the body”. Electrocution is defined as “the injury or killing of someone by electric shock”. Another common misconception is that it is not the voltage, but rather the current that kills. In fact, it is the resistance from your body introduced into an electrical circuit that does it. The resistance the body offers differs depending on which body part you introduce into the circuit. Entering and leaving through a finger, while definitely not feeling great, PROBABLY wont kill you as there are no major organs in the path and the resistance is low. But, if you were to have electricity pass from one arm to the other, your heart and lungs are in that path, making for a very dangerous situation!
10ma of current can cause ventricular fibrillation in the human heart and current above 10ma can cause skin burns or death. Given that the amperages we work on are well above that amount, you can start to see the seriousness of working on live circuits. Also, wet skin is more conductive than dry skin. Since most of us sweat while we are working, that means our skin is usually not completely dry. And since the internal portion of our body is mostly fluid, having electricity run through it is very dangerous. Water by itself is not a great conductor. Start adding minerals/electrolytes to it and it becomes very conductive. In Dustin's example, 120v introduced into regular water didn’t result in anything happening. But when electrolytes were added we saw a rise in current flow and the water even started to boil. When he introduced 120v to the chicken (to simulate the muscles within the human body), we could see the damage almost instantly!
The NFPA 70E is a great document to review for electrical safety. There are a multitude of tables that show the boundaries for live electrical circuits. It also discusses the required PPE for energized electrical circuits. Normal electrical hand tools are NOT designed to protect us from electrical shock. There are specific tools that are made to withstand live electrical circuits. Look at the packaging and/or on the tool itself to see if it’s rated for energized work.
We hope this has been an insightful look into electrical safety! Leave us a comment in the comments section and let us know. Please continue to follow Dustin Stelzer and Electrician U as we are constantly updating our content to assist our followers in becoming the best electricians that they can be.

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