As a young child growing up in Florida, I spent most of my time playing outdoors, and my family’s annual summer vacations consisted of a stay at a fish camp in Central Florida. During that two-week period, I spent most of my day swimming in the pool, crawling around in boats, playing on the dock, and swimming in the water near the boat and dock area. Not once back then did any of us consider the danger of electric shock — even though the lengthy dock was equipped with power receptacles/light fixtures and the pool had a 120V underwater luminaire. Our biggest fear was being attacked by an alligator, as we could always see one or two of these prehistoric beasts hanging out in the grassy areas near the shoreline.
In the last 45 years or so, electrical rules and safety products have definitely made our lives a lot safer. The development and introduction of ground fault protection products to the NEC in the late ’60s, for one, helped kick this trend in gear. Improvements on the bonding and grounding front throughout the years have also made a big difference. But for all the progress we’ve made as an industry to improve safety in areas where water and electricity coexist, this potentially lethal combination continues to make headlines as reports of injury and death surface around the country.
If you’re a regular visitor on our website or subscribe to one of our many e-newsletters, then you’ve likely noticed quite a few news stories related to electric shock and electrocution events in pools, lakes, or other bodies of water. On a more positive note, we’ve also covered more stories lately related to efforts being made by individuals, facility owners, city councils, local governments, and states to help combat this silent killer. Although it’s too hard to tell if the frequency of these types of events is on the rise or not, the fact that we’re still routinely seeing news reports about them means we still have work to do.
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The Case of Stray Voltage in a Lake
One group that’s looking into this problem is The Fire Protection Research Foundation, Quincy, Mass. In December of last year, the group announced a new Assessment of Hazardous Voltage/Current in Marinas, Boatyards and Floating Buildings Project to identify and summarize available information that clarifies the problem of hazardous voltage/current in these areas and develop a mitigation strategy to address identified hazards. This is great news, and I can’t wait to review their findings. I also encourage anyone with expertise on this topic to share their thoughts and opinions with this group as well as members of the NEC Code Committee so we can develop and implement new rules and operating requirements to reduce the frequency of these tragic events.
However, I also think it’s important to point out there are thousands of private docks scattered throughout the country that also need to be accounted for if we are truly going to try and eliminate these accidents. What happens in areas where the NEC hasn’t been adopted? How do you control the installation of non-professional installations? These questions are far more difficult to address, but if we continue to generate discussion on this topic — and raise awareness among the general public about the dangers at these locations — we are taking steps in the right direction. This is one reason why I’m a proponent of regular inspection and testing of the electrical systems and equipment operating anywhere near bodies of water.
For a more in-depth review of the dangers of electric shock drowning, check out this month’s cover story written by Matt Halverson, “What Lies Beneath.” And be sure to read next month’s issue, as we continue our coverage of this topic by focusing on the challenges that exist in making and keeping swimming pools safe from an electric shock/electrocution standpoint.
