HomeElectricalPower SystemShocking probability in power line | Lovely Romeo power line

Shocking probability in power line | Lovely Romeo power line

Today we are going to discuss about shocking probability in power line for various positions. The human body is a conductor of electricity. The relationship between electricity and man is no less than that of Romeo and Juliet. One question that comes to mind is that if you touch the power line with your bare hands, will it shock you? Different people have different doctrines in this regard. Some people have interpreted this according to the cause of the birds not electrifying  even after they are sitting on the power line.

What does reality actually say? Today I will try to clear this issue. The following is an explanation based on the total four positions of a person in the power line :

One hand of the person is in the live line and the person’s legs are directly or indirectly attached to the ground & Shocking probability in power line

Shocking probability in power line

       One hand of the person is in the live line and the person’s legs are directly or indirectly attached to the ground 

In this case the body of the man must be electrified. Because one of his hands is attached to the conductive part and the foot to the ground (the roof of the house) to form a complete circuit. Note that if the power line is 132 KV or above, it is likely to be electrified even if it is 5-10 feet away without touching.

If the person’s two hands touch two live lines without connecting to the ground & Shocking probability in power line

Shocking probability in power line

 If the person’s two hands touch two live lines without connecting to the ground

This position is very dangerous. This is because the line voltage between the two lines is almost twice times higher than the phase voltage between the live line and the ground.

As We know that,

Many of us think that, equal voltage exists in two lines. As such, the voltage difference should be zero. This is a completely wrong idea in case of AC current as there is phase difference between voltage and current in AC. But This idea is perfect for DC voltage as there is no phase difference between voltage & current in DC.

One hand in a live line without the connection to the ground and the other hand in the air Shocking probability in power line

 One hand in a live line without the connection to the ground and the other hand  in the air

This position is very similar to the position of the bird while sitting on the power line. But in case of  humans this is different fact.

The body size of birds is very tiny compared to humans. So its capacitance is low. On the contrary, the capacitance of human body is higher than bird.

So in this case the human body will work like a shunt capacitor.

Note that the capacitance of the human body is 3pF. So in this case, the possibility of getting shock is maximum.

If the person’s two hands touch a live line without a ground connection 

Shocking probability in power line

     If the person’s two hands touch a live line without a ground connection

This position is perfectly matched with the bird while sitting on its feet. But in this case, the person is not safe. Because the legs of birds are bony.

So the resistance of it’s feet is much higher than that of a conductor. And we know that electricity always wants to go through a path with little resistance. Everyone wants to walk on a smooth path without jam. So electricity flows ignoring the body of the bird.

But the human body is fleshy and watery. So the resistance of human body is less than conductor. So electricity will also flow in the human body from the electric conductor.

If 200 amperes of electricity flows in a live line, then 0.01 amperes of electricity will flow in the human body which can be dangerous for the human body.

Real examples for shocking probability in power line

In 1974, a boy jumped from a tree house in Colorado and fell into a high-power transmission line. Then he touches a live line with both his hands. Although he didn’t die, the boy’s hands were burned and paralyzed.

From the above discussion it is evident that the mutual contact between electricity and the human body is like the union of milk and mango.

So we should be careful about this. Moreover, power companies have to be very careful while installing poles or towers.

The distance from the building to the pole should be at least 30 feet, especially while installing poles inside residential areas. Otherwise, an unintended accident will be happened at any time.

Read another interesting post

Why stones are used in Substation instead of Sand or Grass?

What would happen if an electric power transmission line wire falls into a river?

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Anika
Anika
Anika Tanzim Rodoshi is a content writer for Voltage Lab. She is doing her Bachelor in English literature from Chittagong University.
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