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Are static shocks harmful?
I work on a plastic moulding machine and when the product comes off I catch and stack it. I get shocks everytime I touch the product, this means that if 3 units are coming off the machine every 3 seconds I am getting shocked every single second and I work for 4 hours a shift. I dont know how many shocks that is but its a blooming lot . Most of the shocks are just little fizzy ones but every so often it will be a belter.
No best answer has yet been selected by aka pixi. Once a best answer has been selected, it will be shown here.
For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.Thanks for that gammaray. The machines are earthed though and I still get shocks. I dont get half as many if I stand up the entire time and I also get them in my tummy if I stand too near the table :(
Its pretty worrying that my fingertips could end up permanently numb though, that would mean I would have difficulty typing and not be able to use the internet properly waillllllllllllllllllllllllllll
aka pixi
I'm a union H & S rep and agree with the advice given. If you can, always try to put H & S issues to your bosses in writing (e.g. e-mail) as well as speaking to them, and keep a copy. They are duty bound under the law to consider your complaint/request and the written evidence often acts as an extra incentive to them to rectify the situation.
Sorry to disagree Eddie51, but I would think in your case you were trying to stop the build up of a static charge on your body, hence the conductive footware.
What aka pixi is trying to do is stop the static charge which already exists on another object from transfering to her body, what you need to do is insulate your body from the ground with insulated footwear so that the charge cannot earth itself through your body and make sure that the static discharge passes into something on your hands (gloves) which do have a excellent connection to ground.
Static can kill. On Britain's roads very many years ago there used to be steam-driven lorries. The drive from the engine to the rear axle was by chain, (looked like a huge bicycle chain). These truck built up a very big static charge, and several drivers were killed when they stepped down from the cab. This resulted in a regulation whereby the trucks had to be fitted with a chain, fixed to the chassis, that dragged along the ground and allowed this static to continually discharge.
The last report I know of regarding the above was when the driver of such a truck didn't realise that the discharge chain had broken off. The weather was very dry, and he apparently had no problem until he stepped onto the metal foot-scraper mat at the entrance to a roadside cafe. The resulting shock killed him. This was near Dundee, back in the 1950s.
Today, in marine helicopter rescue, an earthing wire is lowered with the rescuer. This wire discharges the considerable static generated in the helicopter through being the first thing to touch the sea or the metalwork of the vessel in distress. In offshore survival training, it's drummed home that you never ever reach up to grab this wire...you could be killed.
While a healthy person can withstand a fair amount of static shock, one must remember that anyone with any sort of heart problem might end up in serious trouble.
This definitely is a H&S issue. Remember that under H&S law, if you injure yourself through a risk that you know about, and have ignored, you have committed a criminal offence!
wow heathfield that is really scary. Thanks for the H + S advice too. I mentioned the worst of the machines today to the manager, so hopefully it wont be long before its sorted. I was also told by one of the girls today to make sure I keep my feet flat on the floor. Im not very tall so when I am sat down only the tips of my toes are on the floor. As i get less shocks when I'm stood up than when Im sat down maybe this could be something to do with it too.