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ELECTRICAL SAFETY FOR ENTERTAINERS:
Risks
Electric shocks can kill. Entertainers have been injured and even killed from electric shocks while performing or practicing. Make sure your next performance is not your last. Even a very small electric current flowing through your body can kill you. 50 milliamps (a 40 watt light bulb only takes about 150 mA) can cause pain, paralysis of chest muscles and, after a few seconds, upset the heartbeat and cause death (see below). The higher the current, the more dangerous and the quicker the effects. If you damage electrical equipment, for example a cable, then bare live wires may be exposed. Apparatus may be wrongly connected so that the outside metal parts become live. Faulty, damaged or incorrectly used equipment can injure you. The risk of injury is increased if you are holding an instrument or microphone, as you may not be able to let go if it becomes electrified (live).
Even equipment which does not have a mains power supply itself can be dangerous. For example, on some systems audio equipment such as loudspeakers may have terminals at dangerous voltages. Electrical equipment that overheats can cause fire.
Relative magnitude and effect of electric current
• Current necessary to light a 60 watt lamp is sufficient to electrocute five people simultaneously – 250
• Ventricular fibrillation, usually fatal - 100
• Respiration is affected, victim dies of suffocation - 50
• Trip rate for RCD protection because anything above this level is dangerous - 30 Muscles convulse - 2
• Perception level - 1
