This is a question I can probably answer fairly well, as I was electrocuted in my job as an electrician years ago. My scars serve as reminders that electricity is serious business and I should not take any chances to get it done. Neglecting to do electrical work properly can lead to death.
It went as follows: I was late at night working on a 100A panel outside of a house, adding pipe and wiring to the live panel. I was unable to access the main panel that fed this panel to disconnect power. To complete the relatively minor task, I decided to live in it so that I would not have to go back to this job again. I used my insulated screwdrivers to disconnect the panel bus’s feeder wires and bent the conductors so that they were far away from my work in the panel. I secured the conductors with black tape and began the task. The second error I made was working in a live panel at 630 pm. It was already dark and the afternoon sun was shining into my area. The sun was heating the glue in my black tape as I worked in the lower section of the panel. After about an hour of work, the black tape came off. The bare copper conductor ends of both (L1 and L2) 240v conductors are now pointing at me. One is in my shoulder area, the other into my chest.
The electrocution. Here’s my story about being “hung up” or electrocuted on 240v. It took me a while to understand what was happening. I had never been electrocuted before in my past work. In fact, it was only when you pull away that you were “shocked”. It was uncomfortable to get a shock, but this was on a completely different level. It was only a matter of seconds before I realized that I was being electrocuted. This is how it felt. You’ve probably driven in bad blizzards where it was pitch black and you couldn’t see anything except the white driving snow hitting your windshield. This is how it looks visually. These white flashes of light, which are strobe-like and white, at 60 Hz (technically) mean that you have no vision or any other visual information. Simultaneously you hear a loud, mechanical sound that crackles. Knowing what I have learned from school, it was the 60 cycles and the mechanical/electronic sound I felt in my head while I was electrocuted. It was more like I heard it in my mind than it was “hearing” it. I did not have auditory hearing outside of my body. I felt no physical pain, control over my body or any kind of connection. I can clearly remember trying to understand this whole thing by thinking my way through it. When I realized that I was being electrocuted, my body couldn’t move or feel the same. I tried to understand what had happened, and why I was being electrocuted. I was working away from the live panels (relatively speaking). The live wires that were above me started to fall down. I began to notice that the mechanical crackling and light show were getting louder as time passed. In this foggy half-conscious state, I thought it wouldn’t stop and that this might be my end. Although I felt a bit panicky at this point, I had enough time to calm down and realize that panicking probably won’t make a difference and that it wouldn’t help. I couldn’t feel any pain or physical body so I thought maybe I was already dead. The 60 hertz splatter started to trail off, and boom! The lights turned on again, and I was able to see and hear. I lay on my back on the concrete, feeling like I was winded from falling. I could also feel my heart beating out. I laid down on my back, hoping it wasn’t a panic attack. After just laying there for a while, my heart rate dropped to the point that I thought maybe I would survive. Then I felt the horrible pain in my chest. Although I couldn’t see the pain, I knew it was there. I stayed there, scared to move, until my heart felt normal. The pain intensified as I lay there. I could feel the pain under my chin and chest, and all my muscles in my neck, shoulders and back were tightened and cramped. I felt like I was in serious pain and decided to call an ambulance.
The rest of the treatment was for the burns on my chest and a quarter-sized hole in my shoulder blade. The conductors had dropped down on me, and were embedded in my skin. The current traveled 6 inches through my skin and flesh, until I collapsed from the wires. Since then, I have had time to think about my work habits and feel stupid for nearly getting killed. It is a stark reminder that electricity can be a deadly weapon! Be safe! !