One of very common Electrical Engineering safety related questions in about volts. In this article Electrical Engineering XYZ shares how many volts are dangerous volts for humans.
In industry, 30 volts is generally considered to be a conservative threshold value for dangerous voltage. The cautious person should regard any voltage above 30 volts as threatening, not relying on normal body resistance for protection against shock. That being said, it is still an excellent idea to keep one’s hands clean and dry, and remove all metal jewelry when working around electricity. Even around lower voltages, metal jewelry can present a hazard by conducting enough current to burn the skin if brought into contact between two points in a circuit. Metal rings, especially, have been the cause of more than a few burnt fingers by bridging between points in a low-voltage, high-current circuit. Also see our article on top 10 PPE’s here.
Also, voltages lower than 30 can be dangerous if they are enough to induce an unpleasant sensation, which may cause you to jerk and accidently come into contact across a higher voltage or some other hazard.
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Important to know: The real measure of shock’s intensity lies in the amount of current (amperes) forced though the body, and not the voltage. It is sometimes suggested that human lethality is most common with alternating current at 100–250 volts; however, death has occurred below this range, with supplies as low as 42 volts.
The current flow will depend on resistance. As a precaution one should be careful even if they are dealing with 1 volt.
References and Further Reading:
Also see:
- Electrical Motor Controls and Protection Handbook
- Instrument Transformer Safety
- Variable Frequency Drives