I went to some mandatory OSHA training not too long ago. They kept rhyming, "I could've saved a life that day, but I chose to look the other way." By the time it was over, I was making up my own stupid poems....
I killed that stupid jerk that day.
He was a nasty brute,
He had to pay!
But that wasn't the stupid part. They showed two partners with a non-GFCI extension cord and an electric drill. The guy starts drilling on a column and gets a nasty shock. OK so far until thay go into flashback mode. His partner goes to the tool room and picks up the GFCI cord like a safety conscious trooper. But then he plugs his drill into the GFCI cord and drills the hole. I'm thinking I should've gone for popcorn. Either he should've drilled the hole the first time or tripped the GFCI in the flashback. And the guys who produced this video are the ones to teach me electrical safety???
After the video was over, I pointed out the folly of the segment to our instructor. He was a nice guy but by no means an electrical expert. He used an example of a frayed, 2 conductor clock cord, with both conductors frayed. He seemed to think a GFCI would protect him if he touched both. I told him not to demonstrate his theory, and why.
Finally, I attended some NFPA 72 training. The main speaker was very knowledgable on fire protection and alarms. For some reason, he made a statement about a 120V control transformer not really being able to hurt you. I took him aside during the lunch break to see if he had meant a 24 or 48 volt transformer. Nope, he meant a typical control transformer. I had to point out to him that he would be hard pressed to find a 120V control transformer that would be current limited enough not to kill him.
So the question is... How many times do you see training professionals, productions, or publications present material that is obviously wrong?
Joe
[This message has been edited by JoeTestingEngr (edited 12-10-2005).]
