• Electrical and Nuclear Safety

Some notes on Electrical and Nuclear Safety for the Fluor meeting on Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Safety Rules are simple, otherwise they can't be effective

BUT:

they need still to be applied without exception

• (even when in a hurry)

When working with electricity:

• AC 50/60 Hz is more dangerous than DC

  • -->Nikola Tesla versus Thomas Edison but in fact all electricity can be dangerous

• The electric chair (AC) seems to be more gruesome than hanging.

  • (see: wikipedia War Of Currents)

Low voltage may be dangerous, when working with a 12V DC car battery, because the short circuit current is very high

• Keep the plus pole isolated
• Connect the Minus pole after connecting the Plus pole
• Disconnect the Minus pole before disconnecting the Plus pole
  • (the risk of a short is much larger when the Minus pole is connected to
    • the entire uninsulated frame of the car. . .)
• When using tools watch out for shorting both poles
• Do not wear metal wristwatch or rings

Lithium-Ion batteries (cellphone, laptop) may overheat or explode

• when not handled or operated very carefully
  • There are no AA format Li-Ion batteries
• You cannot buy a general battery charger for Li-Ion
• You can only use factory replacement batteries

Medium voltage (220V):

• Disconnect the main fuse before working on light bulbs etc
• Keep the main fuse in your pocket while working
  • (or place a lock)
• Use wires/cables with undamaged isolation
• All new houses have all wall sockets with earth, for computers

High voltage (1kv) (switchyard):

• When it is not earthed, it is not dead
  • (applies also to capacitors inside a TV . . .) (applies also to metal tools and ladders in a HV laboratory)
• Keep one hand in your pocket
• Do not climb over a fence in a switchyard
• Do not climb onto power transformers

Very high voltage (e.g., 500 kV) to avoid tickling sensations

• Do not point up with hands/fingers
• Do not wear sandals on grass under overhead lines
• Do not carry irrigation pipes or other large metal structures

Electrical Storm:

• Do not seek shelter under a tree
• Near a tree or mast, stand with feets together

Nuclear:

(I am not authoritative on nuclear subjects; this is just something I find interesting)

• Do not get near "critical mass":

  • Do not pile up 10 kg of plutonium (wikipedia on Critical Mass)

  • Do not place Beryllium reflectors around uranium/plutonium

    • see: wikipedia on criticality accidents

  • (several PhD level researchers died in the Manhattan Project)
• Uranium/Plutonium isn't very dangerous, unless inhaled/digested
  • (soldiers claims 40 years after Hiroshima / Nagasaki)

    see the first chapter of Killing Our Own, The Disaster of America's Experience with Atomic Radiation