Posted By Andy Walker Jeff Just spoke to our electrical chargehand and he says the opposite. That DC will hold you and AC will throw you due to the cycles. Not scientific proof but he has worked on DC systems for 30+ years. Either way its a short root to boot hill. Andy W

Posted By Andy Walker On top of that I prefer Gun's n Roses Andy W

Posted By Jeffrey Watt gham wikipedia is excellent I obviously didn't google hard enough cheers mate. "Oh I,ve got big.... For those old enough to remember Bon Scott(RIP) Jeff

Posted By Jeffrey Watt So now we have opinion that DC is most dangerous and opinion that AC is most dangerous. Could be both are right dependant on circumstances e.g. skin effect, bonding etc. No real concensus though after all. "..sellin them whiskey, takin their gold, enslavin the young and destroyin the old...run to the hillls....run for your liiiiife...." Sure safety is mostly about banging your head off a wall, it's only natural that headbangers fit the role. Jeff

Posted By gham With a name like Watt I find ironic that you came up with the question Ha ha like you've never heard that before AC/DC i would still prefer not to encouter either at close range, I have survived and nasty encounter with 415v. Not Pleasant!

Posted By gham Well i can tell you that fribrilation is bad as you die Higher voltave AC can Defribrilate which is not as bad but you will still mess yourself. DC is safer for Low voltages because you need more mA DC to cause fib so currents can run higher and only if the circut is short because you loose voltage over distance with DC. Running at higher Voltages AC is safer because you have a greater change of survival in the case of defibrilation Does that make sense?

Posted By Jeffrey Watt gham That does make sense. Seems my fairground guys have observational experience about the DC they work with (under 55V, not sure of the Amps but probably quite high) which just does not apply to every situation. This is good. I am back round to where I started but have had a sense check from peer review. Cheers Jeff

Posted By peter gotch Hi Jeffrey Have you looked at Appendix 4 to HSG175.... 1 The main risks of injury from electricity on fairgrounds are from electric shock and burns. Contact with conductors with voltages greater than 50 V a.c. or 120 V d.c. may give rise to dangerous shocks or burns. In some extreme circumstances, such as high humidity or confined locations, injuries can be caused by lower voltages. (In direct current systems nominally less than 120 V excessive ripple may cause the voltage to exceed 120 V and thereby create a hazard; the amount of ripple therefore needs to be considered.) Prevention of direct contact 5 It is important that precautions are taken to prevent people touching live conductors, with the aim that conductors energised at voltages above 25 V a.c. or 60 V d.c. are not accessible. This can be achieved by using cables, connectors and equipment that are properly insulated and protected against exposure to mechanical damage and stress. Direct contact can be prevented by other means such as placing out of reach and the use of enclosures that prevent access to live parts. In the case of equipment installed inside enclosures such as switchpanels, if the enclosure has to be opened to allow switching or reset operations, any internal conductors that may be live at dangerous potentials must not be accessible. Protection should also be provided against the effects of other influences such as corrosive environments, temperature and the ingress of dust and water; BS EN 60529 provides specifications for degrees of protection provided by enclosures. In situations where exposed conductors must be used to power tracked rides such as ghost trains, safety can be achieved by restricting the voltage to 25 V a.c. or 60 V d.c. In situations where higher voltages are used, such as on older rides, a risk assessment should be undertaken and appropriate protective measures taken to reduce the risks to an acceptable level, but the voltage on exposed conductors should not exceed 50 V a.c. or 120 V d.c. Regards, Peter

Posted By Andrew Cartridge AC/DC I see Andy