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Good afternoon all, today I experienced a near death electric shock. This happened on a single phase domestic property!
I was carrying out a few minor jobs for a customer: one of them was to install a new flood light to an old brick store in their back garden.
The brick store was fed via a 2.5mm SWA cable spurred off a ring main. This was connected to a twin socket which was then spurred off to an un switched FCU feeding a light switch / fluorescent light and a 1.5mm going to the existing outside light. (Technically wrong as it was a spur off a spur).
Here is where the fault lies with myself.
Rather than isolating the whole circuit (the whole house is on a single ring main and customer was working from home) I instead disconnected the 1.5mm live to the outside light from the FCU in order to give me some light to work with inside the store. All tested and proved dead between line and cpc.
After disconnecting the outside light and poking the cable feeding it back through the wall I then commenced installing a new flood light.
Returning inside the store to install a junction box to both the cable feeding it and the flex of the flood light I received an electric shock that I was stuck to for 15 seconds. I could not let go of the cable (had neutral in left hand and CPC in right) I was screaming for help and honestly thought I was a goner. I ended up making the decision and jumping / falling backwards resulting in everything electrical coming off the wall with me (Neutral had welded itself to my hand) but was able to free myself from the circuit.
I stumbled back inside to get help and had the customer call me cab to A+E.
I was in absolute bits, after 22 years in the game this was terrible and all resulted from a simple error from the previous ‘electrician’.
I had a glass of water and calmed myself and the customer down. I explained to him that I was fine and would go to the hospital later as I was really angry and as with any electrician wanted to know what went wrong.
Looking at the consumer unit I realised that there was only one ring main and the consumer unit had been altered from a 17th edition board to allow for that circuit to be placed on the main switch side still on a 32amp mcb. All I can assume is that there is a fault on that circuit which the previous electrician has got around. That raised my suspicions but still why the shock?
After very cautiously entering the store shed I then tested and soon realised that the live and neutral from the socket into the FCU had been wired up reversed which meant the live I pulled out of the load side was actually the neutral leaving the circuit still partially energised.
I basically had a hold of the live and cpc conductor which I was stuck to and am lucky to be here typing this message. I should’ve tested between neutral and earth too which would of tested voltage present.
It’s amazing how little protection MCB’s give the user in terms of electric shock (obviously they’re for overload only).
My message to all of you out there is test everything, I’ve either been really unlucky today or have gotten a bit complacent.
I've since been seen by a doctor and have had my heart tested, I’m fine. Just a small entry burn from the live and very shaken up.
Take care
I was carrying out a few minor jobs for a customer: one of them was to install a new flood light to an old brick store in their back garden.
The brick store was fed via a 2.5mm SWA cable spurred off a ring main. This was connected to a twin socket which was then spurred off to an un switched FCU feeding a light switch / fluorescent light and a 1.5mm going to the existing outside light. (Technically wrong as it was a spur off a spur).
Here is where the fault lies with myself.
Rather than isolating the whole circuit (the whole house is on a single ring main and customer was working from home) I instead disconnected the 1.5mm live to the outside light from the FCU in order to give me some light to work with inside the store. All tested and proved dead between line and cpc.
After disconnecting the outside light and poking the cable feeding it back through the wall I then commenced installing a new flood light.
Returning inside the store to install a junction box to both the cable feeding it and the flex of the flood light I received an electric shock that I was stuck to for 15 seconds. I could not let go of the cable (had neutral in left hand and CPC in right) I was screaming for help and honestly thought I was a goner. I ended up making the decision and jumping / falling backwards resulting in everything electrical coming off the wall with me (Neutral had welded itself to my hand) but was able to free myself from the circuit.
I stumbled back inside to get help and had the customer call me cab to A+E.
I was in absolute bits, after 22 years in the game this was terrible and all resulted from a simple error from the previous ‘electrician’.
I had a glass of water and calmed myself and the customer down. I explained to him that I was fine and would go to the hospital later as I was really angry and as with any electrician wanted to know what went wrong.
Looking at the consumer unit I realised that there was only one ring main and the consumer unit had been altered from a 17th edition board to allow for that circuit to be placed on the main switch side still on a 32amp mcb. All I can assume is that there is a fault on that circuit which the previous electrician has got around. That raised my suspicions but still why the shock?
After very cautiously entering the store shed I then tested and soon realised that the live and neutral from the socket into the FCU had been wired up reversed which meant the live I pulled out of the load side was actually the neutral leaving the circuit still partially energised.
I basically had a hold of the live and cpc conductor which I was stuck to and am lucky to be here typing this message. I should’ve tested between neutral and earth too which would of tested voltage present.
It’s amazing how little protection MCB’s give the user in terms of electric shock (obviously they’re for overload only).
My message to all of you out there is test everything, I’ve either been really unlucky today or have gotten a bit complacent.
I've since been seen by a doctor and have had my heart tested, I’m fine. Just a small entry burn from the live and very shaken up.
Take care
