# Do yellow dishwashing gloves protect against shocks?



## mike932 (May 12, 2011)

In addition to turning off the power before working on light switches, I wear dishwashing gloves because I figure that they will protect against electrical shocks. Am I correct?


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## kbsparky (Sep 11, 2008)

I don't believe that they are rated for such use. I would not depend on them for such protection.


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## Chevyman30571 (Feb 2, 2009)

I doubt they provide the protection you want. The gloves in my PPE gear are really thick and also i have to wear leather gloves over the rubber gloves. So I am going to say no.


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## McSteve (Dec 8, 2009)

I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to test this, in the interest of Mad Science, but I'm thinking the thin rubber won't withstand 120V. I certainly wouldn't count on it. Besides, it's so thin that by the time you're halfway done making up a light switch box, there's probably at least one small hole or cut in the rubber.


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## mike932 (May 12, 2011)

I figure it is still better than barehanded. Just a little extra insurance after cutting the house power and testing with a ohmmeter. Consider how thin electrical tape is.


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## Speedy Petey (Feb 1, 2004)

mike932 said:


> I figure it is still better than barehanded. Just a little extra insurance after cutting the house power and testing with a ohmmeter. Consider how thin electrical tape is.


WHY are you testing with an ohmmeter???

If you are that scared, even after killing the power and verifying that it is off, then you should not be messing with electrical work.


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## mike932 (May 12, 2011)

Speedy Petey said:


> If you are that scared, even after killing the power and verifying that it is off, then you should not be messing with electrical work.


I would respectfully disagree. The people who are NOT paranoid about electrical shocks are the ones who should not be messing with electrical work.


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## mike932 (May 12, 2011)

I meant multimeter, not ohmmeter.


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## Wildie (Jul 23, 2008)

If you put one hand in your pocket and wear rubber soled boots (without nails) the chances of getting electrocuted are small.
The real danger of electricity is getting a poke and falling off a ladder.


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## PaliBob (Jun 11, 2008)

mike932 said:


> .....The people who are NOT paranoid about electrical shocks........


 Then in your case you would be safer using something like *this*.
.


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## dberladyn (Apr 24, 2011)

I wouldn't use gloves! The power is OFF! Simple to check if you are that paranoid. If anything gloves will make you clumsy and in my opinion that will only increase the chance that you slip and foul the wires.

Anyways to each his own.


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## Speedy Petey (Feb 1, 2004)

mike932 said:


> I would respectfully disagree. The people who are NOT paranoid about electrical shocks are the ones who should not be messing with electrical work.


And I will strongly disagree right back at 'cha. 

If you are scared or paranoid AT ALL, PLEASE leave this to someone else who has *respect* for electricity, NOT fear.


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## busman (Nov 7, 2008)

Call it respect or fear, whatever you want. The reality is, the only way to be sure to not get shocked is to not work on electrical systems. "Turning it off and verifying" is not always enough. I'll give you a story.

Working on my own house (a real rarity), I was moving a circuit from the service panel to the generator panel. I pulled the Romex from the panel and tested that it was dead. I was re-feeding the cable thru the ceiling joists and got shocked. After tracing it all thru, the cable was backfed from the two-gang box that had the disposal switch and the cabinet light switch. The backfeed only happened when the disposal was on. My wife just happened to switch it on while I was handling the cable.

Bottom line - don't touch wires if you don't want to get hurt. Anyone who is a professional electrician has probably been shocked more times than they can count. It comes with the learning process. The trick is to get the PPE when the situation presents the possibility of a serious shock injury (wet conditions, on a ladder, near grounded parts, etc.). I use a set of Class 1 rubber gloves when I feel they are needed and haven't been shocked in about 5 years.

Mark


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## mike932 (May 12, 2011)

busman said:


> Bottom line - don't touch wires if you don't want to get hurt. Anyone who is a professional electrician has probably been shocked more times than they can count.


Good point.


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## fabrk8r (Feb 12, 2010)

Electricity one of the few things we work with on a daily basis that is invisible. Air is another, but air won't usually hurt you.

Just because something is invisible doesn't mean you have to be scared of it or that you can't understand how it works.

It's my opinion that the reason people get shocked is because they are A: careless or B: ignorant (or a combination of both).

Hope I don't hurt anyone's feelings with this post, but before using any tool the user should take the time to understand how it works. Electricity is a tool.

Relying on 6 mil rubber kitchen gloves to protect yourself from shock is a futile attempt at safety and dangerous.


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## mike932 (May 12, 2011)

fabrk8r said:


> It's my opinion that the reason people get shocked is because they are A: careless or B: ignorant (or a combination of both).


But most electricians get shocked once in a while?


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## nap (Dec 4, 2007)

mike932 said:


> But most electricians get shocked once in a while?


I try really hard to not get shocked, especially if you realize that any shock I get from common voltages can be lethal, I try to avoid getting shocked.

It does happen, yes. I can also tell you some situations where people were killed or seriously injured from common voltages and I am sure any electrician here can tell you more of the same types of stories.

while rubbermaid gloves will likely offer some protection simply because they are made from a insulating material, since they are not intended for this purpose, they have never been tested so you cannot be certain they will protect you from anything so what it comes down to: are you willing to risk your life because you think they might protect you?

That is an unknown I am not willing to accept. At least if I have bare hands, I know if I touch something hot, I will likely get shocked. If I am depending on something to protect me that may not, I will do things that I would not do if I thought I could get shocked. That is just foolish.


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## Red Squirrel (Jun 29, 2009)

When I turn off the power I always do a quick finger check to double check that it REALLY is off before I grab hold of a wire. That's when the breaker is properly labeled, if I'm doing guess work I'll just test with a voltmeter.


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## ScottR (Oct 6, 2008)

Red Squirrel said:


> When I turn off the power I always do a quick finger check to double check that it REALLY is off before I grab hold of a wire. That's when the breaker is properly labeled, if I'm doing guess work I'll just test with a voltmeter.


Heh, I do the same thing. It's like checking for gas leaks with a match. Well, maybe a_ little_ less stupid than that. :thumbup:


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## Leah Frances (Jan 13, 2008)

I wear tight leather gloves when doing electric work, but ONLY TO PROTECT MY SKIN AGAINST NICKS and SCRATCHES. 

I can't imagine doing any electrical work in dishwashing gloves. They're cumbersome for dishwashing.


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## nap (Dec 4, 2007)

Leah Frances said:


> I wear tight leather gloves when doing electric work, but ONLY TO PROTECT MY SKIN AGAINST NICKS and SCRATCHES.
> 
> I can't imagine doing any electrical work in dishwashing gloves. They're cumbersome for dishwashing.


If you think that's bad; try wearing a full flash suit, hard hat, tinted face shield, and boots, in addition to the gloves. Take about the pinnacle of inefficiency. 

and then toss in 80 degree temps and a guy that sweats like a horse and it gets really funky, and I'm not talking about the '70's kind of funky either. 


since you mentioned leather gloves; Bob linked some hot gloves awhile back. People need to understand that those are not "gloves" but glove liners. You wear those under leather gloves. The rubber is too susceptible to cuts and abrasions, many which would go unnoticed until you were electrocuted due to the lack of protection. That is also why the liners need to be checked every time they are used and they need to have a insulation integrity test occasionally as well.


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## awdblazer (Dec 30, 2010)

ive got a 1000v and 17,000 volt gloves from these guys
http://www.whsalisbury.com/
and they are tested every six months


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## busman (Nov 7, 2008)

fabrk8r said:


> It's my opinion that the reason people get shocked is because they are A: careless or B: ignorant (or a combination of both).


So which was I in my story. I'd love to know. I removed a cable from the panel and checked to insure it was dead (and it was when I tested it). Should I have pulled the meter just to make sure? My point is, there are so many ways to get shocked, that you can't protect against all of them, all the time. You can limit your risk. That's what I try to do. Handling a 120V cable on dry floor in EH rated boots is probably not going to get you killed.

Mark


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## Chevyman30571 (Feb 2, 2009)

Wildie said:


> If you put one hand in your pocket and wear rubber soled boots (without nails) the chances of getting electrocuted are small.
> The real danger of electricity is getting a poke and falling off a ladder.


I agree and disagree. I have gotten blasted off 120v using one hand before. I was working live and touched the neutrals together. It hurt worse than if i touched the hots because it was carrying the full load. As long as you work with ONE wire at a time you should not have a problem. Even when the power is off it is still a good practice to work with one hand. I work on 277 and 480 all the time. The power is always off and still I work very cautiously. As quoted before if you are so scared to work on dead electrical you shouldn't be touching it at all. The second you stop respecting electricity, is the time you get blasted.


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## md2lgyk (Jan 6, 2009)

dberladyn said:


> I wouldn't use gloves! The power is OFF! Simple to check if you are that paranoid. If anything gloves will make you clumsy and in my opinion that will only increase the chance that you slip and foul the wires.
> 
> Anyways to each his own.


I'm with you. I would never wear gloves. But then, I've been working with electricity for nearly 50 years.


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## Jupe Blue (Nov 9, 2008)

When I've been shocked on the job, it's 99.99% because I've been careless. Mostly from not verifying that the breaker I've turned off is the correct one.


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## PaliBob (Jun 11, 2008)

I got a completely unexpected, (one of those what the....) shock years ago when I was wire nutting a neutral in a box where I knew the affected breaker was turned OFF.

What happened was the white wire I touched was carrying upstream current from the adjacent breaker that did not feed power through my circuit.
.


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## zircon (Sep 24, 2007)

PaliBob said:


> I got a completely unexpected, (one of those what the....) shock years ago when I was wire nutting a neutral in a box where I knew the affected breaker was turned OFF.
> 
> What happened was the white wire I touched was carrying upstream current from the adjacent breaker that did not feed power through my circuit.
> .


Years ago I was a fourth year electrician apprentice(never became a journeyman,did other things)and we were taught always to turn off power when possible but always work it as if it were live.

This thread reminds me of an incident about ten years ago. I live in a small seven unit condo and the owners do some chores themselves to hold down costs. I volunteered to replace two exit light emerg light combos in the halls. Just as I finished the entire electrical grid in the Northeast went down. The next day my neighbors wife told me my neighbor was sitting for hours in the dark, no AC, no TV, temps in the 90's and thinking I had shut off the power in the building to change the lights. When I saw him I told him that you can't be too careful with electrical work, so to be on the safe side I shut off the power from New York to Ohio.


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## sparks1up (May 5, 2010)

Dishwashing gloves? 

Might be better off using blinders! Since you can't see electricity if you use blinders you can't get shocked...right? 

I have also heard that if you jump up and down changing from one leg to the other while you work you wont get shocked. 

If you're capable, riding a unicycle while making splices also shields you from shock! 

Laughable....yes but no more laughable then wearing dishwashing gloves! 

Respect comes from knowledge, fear comes from not knowing!


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## sparks1up (May 5, 2010)

zircon said:


> we were taught always to turn off power when possible but always work it as if it were live.


That's the right way!


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## jamiedolan (Sep 2, 2008)

busman said:


> Bottom line - don't touch wires if you don't want to get hurt.


This is silly. I don't think I have even been shocked when doing electrical work or from my own work.

If you have any question about where the wires go and they are in fact not live then you should check. Put a tone generator on it if necessary. 

If your not comfortable tracing down circuits and using a meter to make sure things are off, questions if you should be doing this in the first place; but if you proceed, you can do so with the main off.

If your still worried after the main is off; why? If you think someone could turn it back on by accident, then you need to have some kind of lock out. Other than that, if it is off, it is off. If it still scares you, then No Touch.


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## jamiedolan (Sep 2, 2008)

busman said:


> So which was I in my story. I'd love to know. I removed a cable from the panel and checked to insure it was dead (and it was when I tested it). Should I have pulled the meter just to make sure? My point is, there are so many ways to get shocked, that you can't protect against all of them, all the time. You can limit your risk. That's what I try to do. Handling a 120V cable on dry floor in EH rated boots is probably not going to get you killed.
> 
> Mark


See my other post -- know where the wires go. You don't need to pull the meter, just turn off the main. The only additional thing that is going to die with the meter pulled is the 6' cable to the main breaker from the meter pan. 

A note of caution; A meter is not suppose to be removed by the general public. It may be illegal in some area for you to remove (though it's unlikely there will be a problem if the meter isn't tampered with). Your dealing with unfused service at the meter; a mistake around those cables and you will have a big problem.


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## busman (Nov 7, 2008)

jamiedolan said:


> See my other post -- know where the wires go. You don't need to pull the meter, just turn off the main. The only additional thing that is going to die with the meter pulled is the 6' cable to the main breaker from the meter pan.
> 
> A note of caution; A meter is not suppose to be removed by the general public. It may be illegal in some area for you to remove (though it's unlikely there will be a problem if the meter isn't tampered with). Your dealing with unfused service at the meter; a mistake around those cables and you will have a big problem.


Well, I'm not the general public, I'm a licensed Master Electrician. I don't have a fear of electricity. I work with it every day. It's unreasonable to "know where the wires go" in any building, unless you built it yourself.

In my story, a tone generator would not have helped because it would not have traced the backfeed until the disposal was turned on.

As far as shutting off the main making you safe, you've obviously never worked in a building where there was a standby generator or the building had more than one service. I'll stand by my statement that the ONLY way to be sure to not get shocked is not to touch wires.

I will agree that if you throw the main or pull the meter, your risk is MUCH lower, but it's not zero.

Mark


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## Speedy Petey (Feb 1, 2004)

sparks1up said:


> Respect comes from knowledge, fear comes from not knowing!


I like this! :thumbsup:


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## nap (Dec 4, 2007)

> Originally Posted by sparks1up
> 
> Respect comes from knowledge, fear comes from not knowing!.





well, I know that if I fall 100 feet from the top of a building I am going to die. The knowledge is what instills the fear. (of course, we all know; ignorance is bliss). The knowledge causes me to have respect for a situation where I might fall 100 feet from the top of a building. 

just the same with electricity. Knowledge of what electricity can do to me and my resulting fear of dying causes me to respect the situation.

If a person has no fear of the possible results, they have no need to respect the threat.


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## sparks1up (May 5, 2010)

nap said:


> If a person has no fear of the possible results, they have no need to respect the threat.


I disagree, if you burn your hand on the stove will you do it again? No right? Is it because you are afraid of the burn or because you know it will burn? Respect is not fear. Knowledge does not instill fear, it instills wisdom!

Respect comes from knowledge, fear comes from not knowing! That's why they call it the "fear of the unknown"


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## Red Squirrel (Jun 29, 2009)

When I first moved into my house the panel had no labels on them, so until I got around to figuring out what was what, I would just shut the main off, or if someone was with me I'd get them to tell me when the light goes off.

It's one thing to be scared, it's another to simply be careful. There is no need to be scared of electricity, just be careful, take the right precautions. 

Also a 120v shock is not that bad and is not instant death like some try to make it out to be. In the very right conditions it CAN kill you (especially if water is involved) but chances are it will just make you say funny things like "ESTI DE TABARNAC DE CALIS MAUDI!" as you let go very fast. :laughing:


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## busman (Nov 7, 2008)

jamiedolan said:


> If your still worried after the main is off; why? If you think someone could turn it back on by accident, then you need to have some kind of lock out. Other than that, if it is off, it is off. If it still scares you, then No Touch.


I forgot to mention that I've seen more than one circuit tapped from the line side of the main breaker, so if you haven't opened the panel to check and you shut off the main and don't properly test the circuit you could get shocked.

My point is that there are SO many ways to get shocked, that just because you think you've thought of every way it could happen - trust me, you haven't. I've had people get shocked by just changing a light bulb because the entire fixture was energized. Again, if you 100% never want to get shocked - don't touch electrical systems or anything metal or wet.

Mark


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## nap (Dec 4, 2007)

sparks1up said:


> I disagree, if you burn your hand on the stove will you do it again? No right? Is it because you are afraid of the burn or because you know it will burn? Respect is not fear. Knowledge does not instill fear, it instills wisdom!
> 
> Respect comes from knowledge, fear comes from not knowing! That's why they call it the "fear of the unknown"


it is the fear of being burned that causes me to respect the power of the stove.


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## nap (Dec 4, 2007)

Red Squirrel said:


> Also a 120v shock is not that bad and is not instant death like some try to make it out to be. :


well heck, you can say the same thing about 277, 480, 600, 14.4k, or even 300M volts (lightning). The fact is; every one of those voltages is quite capable of causing death. I know people that have survived getting hit with every one of those. 

Fact; more people are killed by contact with 120 volts than any other voltage.


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## busman (Nov 7, 2008)

nap said:


> well heck, you can say the same thing about 277, 480, 600, 14.4k, or even 300M volts (lightning). The fact is; every one of those voltages is quite capable of causing death. I know people that have survived getting hit with every one of those.
> 
> Fact; more people are killed by contact with 120 volts than any other voltage.


Nap is correct. 100%


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## awdblazer (Dec 30, 2010)

347 is the nastiest so i have heard


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## busman (Nov 7, 2008)

One more thing that one might not think of (from another forum).

"Pulled a meter yesterday on a residential overhead loop. Line and load of meter share the same conduit. Still had power on the load side. I think that is the first time for me in 30+ years. Only takes a few seconds to check."

Mark


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## Leah Frances (Jan 13, 2008)

nap said:


> well heck, you can say the same thing about 277, 480, 600, 14.4k, or even 300M volts (lightning). The fact is; every one of those voltages is quite capable of causing death. I know people that have survived getting hit with every one of those.
> 
> Fact; more people are killed by contact with 120 volts than any other voltage.


Here is a great link to explanations of how electricity and the human body interact: http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/construction/electrical_incidents/eleccurrent.html


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## sirsparksalot (Oct 16, 2010)

busman said:


> One more thing that one might not think of (from another forum).
> 
> "Pulled a meter yesterday on a residential overhead loop. Line and load of meter share the same conduit. Still had power on the load side. I think that is the first time for me in 30+ years. Only takes a few seconds to check."
> 
> Mark


Mark, would you explain how this happens? Is it due to the same conduit run? Even if that, how would the hot conductors continue to the Load?


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## busman (Nov 7, 2008)

sirsparksalot said:


> Mark, would you explain how this happens? Is it due to the same conduit run? Even if that, how would the hot conductors continue to the Load?


If line and load conductors are in the same conduit and the insulation deteriorates, they can cross-over. I doubt the cross-over would be enough to power the load in the house, but could definitely light you up. Just another example of "you haven't thought of everything". It only takes about 40 mA to kill you.

You can't live long enough as an electrician to have "seen it all". I stand by - "The only way to 100% guarantee not getting shocked" is not to touch electrical systems.

Mark


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