Lake Goers be Warned - Dangers of Electric Shock Drowning

Mike Holt Enterprises Electrical News Source

As an electrician, you have a responsibility and an opportunity to help educate the public, and to do your part to help keep lakes and marinas safe for swimmers.

Two additional deaths have been reported since our newsletter on Electric Stock Drowning, two weeks ago. Last week 11-year old Kayla Matos died after being electrocuted in a backyard lagoon in New Jersey. A day earlier, in Ohio, a 19-year-old was electrocuted and drowned trying to save his dad and dog who were both being shocked by an undetected electrical current. It's a danger that you can't see, and you can't smell. Usually by the time you feel it, the current can paralyze the body's skeletal muscles, inhibiting the ability to swim or move one's limbs (i.e. electrically induced cramp). The outcome in many cases is the drowning death of an otherwise healthy individual.
What you should know The NFPA and ESFI (Electrical Safety Foundation International) are joining forces to remind people about the potential electrical hazards in swimming pools, hot tubs and spas, on board boats, and in the waters surrounding boats, marinas and launch ramps. Read the article and watch the video. It contains Tips for swimmers Tips for pool owners Tips for boat owners Circulate this information to your friends, family and customers - it's still mid-summer and thousands of people are getting out of the heat by jumping into the water!	The National Electrical Code New to the 2017 NEC: Article 555 has been expanded to apply to all docking facilities, including those at one-, two-, and multifamily dwellings, and residential condominiums. 555.3 requires the overcurrent protection device(s) that supply marinas, boatyards, and commercial and noncommercial docking facilities must have ground-fault protection not exceeding 30 mA. 555.24 requires a warning sign at boat docks or marinas. WARNING - POTENTIAL SHOCK HAZARD - ELECTRICAL CURRENTS MAY BE PRESENT IN THE WATER.


The Electric Shock Drowning Prevention Associaton (ESDPA) reminds us to never use codes and standards (nor any other sensing device) as a "Green Light" for swimming. Codes and standards will protect most people who accidentally end up in the water but they cannot be expected to protect swimmers near AC sources. And some devices are currently being marketed to alert a dock owner of voltage present in the water. These are fine to alert the owner of a dangerous situation requiring immediate attention for safety. But these are reactive, not predictive devices. Anyone in the water when the light turns from green to red could be injured or worse. Download Mike Holt's free PDF Article 555, based on the 2017 NEC Additional Resources: Electric Shock Drowning: Causes and Prevention by G.S. Cargill III Electric Shock Drowning FAQs (ESDPA) Marina Ground Fault Leakage Current by Ed Lethert (Mike Holt newsletter May 11, 2017)

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Comments

How does one physically identify or locate the various water related elevations from which the electrical datum plane is determined? If the owner doesn't do it properly, they could be in trouble.

Since we may be talking about liability issues here arising from implementing the NEC: ex: owner's transformer caused an electric shock - was it below the electrical datum plane?; I suggest that a licensed land surveyor be hired (especially for commercial operations) to identify and locate the appropriate water level (s) from which to determine the electrical datum plane.

I might also suggest that accepted water level terms be used for discussions (see various NOAA publications). I submit that if the NEC may not be using the correct term, the appropriate NEC panel be queried as to what is really meant and how to derive it.

One thing to remember, if a person gets electrocuted in the water and drowns, there will more than likely be a law suit and the finger pointing will begin. And the location of the electrical datum plane may play a big roll in determining who is at fault.

A licensed professional surveyor would be a big asset to answer the judge's question - where was the electrical datum plane and who located it and how?

iblittljn June 29 2017, 2:29 am EDT

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