complacency

[calumr135]

Hi all, I am just wondering how many people including myself (not anymore) do not fully isolate a circuit before working?. For instance when I come across a lighting circuit that is looped in the switches and not in rose, (in the rose for the most part is just switch live,neutral and earth,In those cases I have never really bothered switching off at the consumer unit I thought the switch would be and for the most part it is until that one time I mentioned on a post not that long ago, since then I fully Isolate circuits I'm working on and double check everything because next time I may not be as lucky as I was.

Out of curiousity how many people work live? whether they are just lazy or just too complacent?
Have you every seen or met any people that do/have done this?
I saw a rather alarming comment from someone who claimed to work live all the time, I asked him/her why? they said "I can't be bothered going to the fuseboard its usually too high up and too much running up and down the stairs", "I just get on with it" they said.

It begs the question tho, how many people get complacent or lazy when working with electrics and don't do as many checks as they probably should?

comments welcome

 

[John D v2.0]

The least complacent people I saw were the dno guys. Their job is working on live service cables up to 11kv.
They followed the process of jointing a 3 phase cutout meticulously, everything was done methodically, only one conductor was exposed at a time and while wearing proper gloves.
Compare that to most people's version of working live and you'll realise what is the unnecessary risk and what is the necessary.

 

[JohnW2]

The least complacent people I saw were the dno guys. ... They followed the process of jointing a 3 phase cutout meticulously, everything was done methodically, only one conductor was exposed at a time and while wearing proper gloves. Compare that to most people's version of working live and you'll realise what is the unnecessary risk and what is the necessary.

Indeed, although I have to say that I was rather surprised, a few years back, when I watched them replace (live) most of the feed (16mm² singles) to my neighbour's house, by joining the cables which run along my wall, deeply beneath the wisteria .

In terms of the OP's question, the important thing to realise that many (maybe most) of us have, in our time, probably done things, and taken risks, which even we would not really regard as sensible (often the total opposite!) and which we certainly would never be seen suggesting that anyone else should even be thinking of doing. ... and not only in relation to electrical matters.

Kind Regards, John

 

[ban-all-sheds]

And sometimes in relation to them, which when looking back make you go ")*$&$( I can't believe I did that, what a (£*$&#"

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Hi all, I am just wondering how many people including myself (not anymore) do not fully isolate a circuit before working?

FYI - unless as well as turning the breaker off you also open up the CU and disconnect the neutral conductor(s) for the circuit, it still is not "fully isolated".

 

[JohnW2]

And sometimes in relation to them, which when looking back make you go ")*$&$( I can't believe I did that, what a (£*$&#"

Exactly.

Kind Regards, John

 

[EddieM]

or just plain stupidity, like poking around in the back of an old valve telly with an uninsulated screwdriver. that hurt.

 

[phatboy]

The least complacent people I saw were the dno guys. Their job is working on live service cables up to 11kv.
They followed the process of jointing a 3 phase cutout meticulously, everything was done methodically, only one conductor was exposed at a time and while wearing proper gloves.
Compare that to most people's version of working live and you'll realise what is the unnecessary risk and what is the necessary.

I have seen similar here, when they replaced the service head in my house. 2 guys, full PPE. One did the work, and the other passed tools and observed. The most interesting part was how the one doing the work told the other guy before each action he took, by name, and the other confirmed he understood, by name. I suppose there aren't any second chances with that sort of work!

 

[JohnW2]

or just plain stupidity, like poking around in the back of an old valve telly with an uninsulated screwdriver. that hurt.

Been there, done that and got several t-shirts

The most dangerous TV I remember playing with in my youth was one in a floor standing mahogany cabinet whose model number was, if I recall, "TV1" (maybe Bush, or Phillips). Unlike virtually every other CRT TV I've ever seen, the EHT for the CRT was not derived from the line output transformer (hence very low current-supplying capacity) but was produced by a full-blown mains-driver PSU, with voltage doublers/triplers etc. (a bit like modern microwave ovens), capable of producing a very lethal amount of current.

Kind Regards, John

 

[EddieM]

Been there, done that and got several t-shirts

The most dangerous TV I remember playing with in my youth was one in a floor standing mahogany cabinet whose model number was, if I recall, "TV1" (maybe Bush, or Phillips). Unlike virtually every other CRT TV I've ever seen, the EHT for the CRT was not derived from the line output transformer (hence very low current-supplying capacity) but was produced by a full-blown mains-driver PSU, with voltage doublers/triplers etc. (a bit like modern microwave ovens), capable of producing a very lethal amount of current.

Kind Regards, John

well I have no idea what voltage I touched or what current that was carrying, but it was enough to "throw" me several feet across the floor and cause me heart arrhythmia for the rest of the day (very dangerous I know) so now I am not complacent at just how hard electricity can bite and how unpleasant it is.

 

[JohnW2]

well I have no idea what voltage I touched or what current that was carrying, but it was enough to "throw" me several feet across the floor and cause me heart arrhythmia for the rest of the day (very dangerous I know) so now I am not complacent at just how hard electricity can bite and how unpleasant it is.

I have to say that I do not recall having ever been literally 'thrown' anywhere, but I certainly had a few significant (and definitely unpleasant!) shocks 'back then' (50+ years ago), and fortunately lived to tell the tale. Some of the equipment I built back then had voltages into what we now call "HV", with HT voltages in excess of 1500V (DC).

Kind Regards, John