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(WNY News Now) – On Friday, October 17th, National Grid hosted a live demonstration in Mayville to inform the public of important safety tips when dealing with electrical incidents.
Mayville, N.Y. – With the seasons changing, National Grid hosted a live demonstration to show what happens when things come into contact with electricity and clarify common misconceptions around electrical safety that the public might have.
They first demonstrated what happens when a tree limb falls onto a power line. The fuse blows, creating a loud noise akin to a gunshot, in order to stop the electric arc and protect the power for the surrounding lines.
In the event that a tree falls and brings down a power line, the ground will become electrified. Some people may think that wearing rubber boots would protect them, since rubber is an insulator, but that is incorrect. It is important to know that attempting to walk on electrified ground would cause a surge of power to rush to the boots, as National Grid demonstrated.
National Grid then demonstrated what would happen if you attempted to touch an electrified fence, using a hot dog as a substitute for a human finger. Your flesh will be burned at the point of entry, causing the electricity to flow through your body until it finds an exit point, which would normally be your foot, which would suffer a similar wound.
They also showcased the importance of making sure that your generator is hooked up correctly to ensure the safety of National Grid workers out in the field. Using a generator that was incorrectly set up, they demonstrated that instead of outputting 120 volts, it would instead output 4,800 volts, which is a significant risk for any National Grid workers who would be in contact with the generator. And if an electric worker is injured because of an improper generator, the liability lies with the homeowner.
Another important thing for residents to know is the importance of contacting National Grid’s “Dig Safe” service before digging into the ground. Workers need to be able to identify where underground power lines are located to ensure that none will be damaged by the digging. As demonstrated, hitting an underground line with a shovel or other piece of equipment is very dangerous.
One last safety tip that National Grid had was regarding ladders. Make sure not to come into contact with any electricity while carrying or standing on a ladder. This is especially dangerous when you are standing on the ground, because the electricity will flow from the ladder through your body as it makes its way towards the ground.
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