10 Dumb Things Smart People DoWhen Testing Electricity

These Two Meters Are Good to 600 Volts This Meter Did Not Survive4,160 Volts!

1. Replace the Original Fuse with aCheaper One

If Your Digital Multimeter Meets Today’sSafety Standards, It’s Fuse Is A SpecialSafety Sand Fuse Designed To PopBefore An Overload Hits Your Hand.

When You Change Your DMM Fuse, BeSure To Replace It With the Correct andAuthorized Fuse.

2. Use a Bit of Wire or Metal to GetAround the Fuse All Together

That May Seem Like A Quick Fix IfYou’re Caught Without An Extra Fuse.That Fuse Could Be All That Ends UpBetween You, A Spike Headed YourWay, And Your Life.

3. Use the Wrong Test Meter for theJob

It’s Important To Match Your DMM ToThe Work Ahead.

Make Sure Your Test Tool Holds TheCorrect Cat Rating For Each Job YouDo, Even If It Means Switching DMMsThroughout The Day.

4. Grab the Cheapest DMM on theRack

You Can Upgrade Later, Right? MaybeNot, If You End Up A Victim Of A SafetyAccident Because That Cheap Test ToolDidn’t Actually Contain The RequiredSafety Features to Protect You.

Look For Independent LaboratoryTesting.

5. Leave Your Safety Glasses in YourShirt Pocket.

Take Them Out. Put Them On. It’sImportant.

Ditto Insulated Gloves And Flame-resistant Clothing.

6. Work on a Live Circuit

De-energize The Circuit Whenever Possible.

If The Situation Requires You To Work On ALive Circuit

Use Properly Insulated Tools

Wear Safety Glasses And/Or A Face Shield AndInsulated Gloves

Remove Watches Or Other Jewelry

Stand On An Insulated Mat

Wear Flame-resistant Clothing, Not Regular WorkClothes.

7. Fail to Use Proper Lockout/tag-out Procedures.

Know Your Company’s Lockout/TagoutPolicies And Procedures By Memory

Use Proper Lockout/Tagout ProceduresEach And Every Time

8. Keep Both Hands on the Test

Don’t! When Working With Live Circuits,Remember The Old Electrician’s Trick.

Keep One Hand In Your Pocket. That LessensThe Chance Of A Closed Circuit Across YourChest And Through Your Heart.

Hang Or Rest The Meter If Possible.

Try To Avoid Holding It With Your Hands ToMinimize Personal Exposure To The EffectsOf Transients.

9. Neglect Your Leads

Test Leads Are An Important ComponentOf DMM Safety.

Make Sure Your Leads Match The CatLevel Of Your Job As Well.

Look For Test Leads With DoubleInsulation, Shrouded Input Connectors,Finger Guards And A Non-slip Surface.

10. Hang On To Your Old TestTool Forever

Today's Test Tools Contain Safety Features

Unheard Of Even A Few Years Ago

Features In Todays Tool Are Worth The

Cost Of An Equipment Upgrade And A

Lot Less Expensive Than An emergency

Room Visit

Understanding Safety VoltageCategories

Category IV

Three-phase At Utility Connection, AnyOutdoor Conductors Refers To The “Origin Of Installation”, I.E., Where

Low-voltage Connection Is Made To Utility Power

Electricity Meters, Primary Overcurrent ProtectionEquipment

Outside And Service Entrance, Service Drop FromPole To Building, Run Between Meter And Panel

Overhead Line To Detached Building, UndergroundLine To Well Pump

Category III

Three-phase Distribution, IncludingSingle-phase Commercial Lighting Equipment In Fixed Installations, Such As

Switchgear And Polyphase Motors

Bus And Feeder In Industrial Plants

Feeders And Short Branch Circuits, DistributionPanel Devices

Lighting Systems In Larger Buildings

Appliance Outlets With Short Connections ToService Entrance

Category II

Single-phase Receptacle ConnectedLoads Appliance, Portable Tools, And Other Household

And Similar Loads

Outlet And Long Branch Circuits

Outlets At More Than 10 Meters (30 Feet) FromCAT III Source

Outlets At More Than 20 Meters (60 Feet) FromCAT IV Source

Category I

Electronic Protected Electronic Equipment

Equipment Connected To (Source) Circuits InWhich Measures Are Taken To Limit TransientOvervoltages To An Appropriately Low Level

Any High-voltage, Low-energy Source DerivedFrom A Highwinding Resistance Transformer, SuchAs The High-voltage Section Of A Copier

Excellent Resources on MeterSafety

Fluke Library Safety Literature

www.fluke.com/library/safety

Examples of Papers on Meter andMeasurement Safety on the Fluke Web Site ABC’s of electrical measurement safety

Choosing the right fuse can be a lifesaver

Safety considerations for making live measurements

Testing your test leads for electrical safety

Safety considerations for making live measurements

Does your meter measure up? Testing your meters for safety

Creating an electrical safety program

Industrial Plant Incident

Temporary Transformer Installation

Resulted From Hurricane Frances September 2004

4160 Volt Secondary Feeders and Bus Connections

Secondary Feeder and Bus Work

New Fluke T5-1000 Meter

Actual Meter Involved in Incident

600 volt meter

Close Up of Bottom of Meter

Victim’s Safety Glasses

Meter Battery Under theAnti-Condensate Heater

Shadow of Meter

Equipment Involved

Shirt, Meter, Meter Test Leads and Safety Glasses

Sadly, This One Testing Mistake Cost The Electrician His life

Thanks To Fluke For SupportingInformation Used In this Presentation