near miss: almost fried myself on a live panel today

PSA guys, double check your lockout tagout every damn time. was troubleshooting a 200A service panel with a bad main breaker, thought I had it de-energized but some idiot homeowner flipped it back on while I was swapping out the bus bars. my fluke meter spiked to 240V right as I was poking around with the klein probes, heart about stopped. if I hadnt been wearing my rubber mats and arc flash gear, id be toast. saw a similar story on r/electricians last week, guy in Electricians Network facebook group said he got a nasty shock from the same mistake. always verify with the meter, never assume. and yeah, the milwaukee heated jacket saved my ass in the cold garage, but thats beside the point. stay safe out there.

man that adrenaline rush sucks, been there after a close call with a feeder line.

proud of catching it quick, thats experience paying off.

felt that, my near miss was with a ground fault in wet conditions.

damn, id be pissed at the homeowner for that.

haha almost zapped myself testing a 3-phase with the wrong setting on my meter.

test it twice, blame it on the equipment if needed.

warning: never work live if you can help it, even for 'quick' tests.

lol my buddy danced like a puppet when he got bit by a hidden neutral.

same here, close call changes your whole routine.

picturing the homeowners face when you yell at em.

ugh, those flip switches are the devil.

collective rage at dumb customers who tamper.

get a revenue grade meter for verification, saves lives.

use ppe rated for the job, arc flash hood minimum.

frustrated with these stories piling up every week.

yeah, my close one was in a crawlspace, no room to maneuver.

warning: label everything and educate the client upfront.

chuckle, I once had a cat trip the switch, pure comedy.

hey, what model fluke were you using?

lockout with a hasp and your own padlock, non negotiable.

warning, I saw a guy ignore it and end up with burns.

glad it was just a scare, take care.

helpful tip: practice dead side verification on dummies first.

frustrated, apprentices keep making this error.

yeah, been zinged once, not fun.

warning: arc flash can blind you quick, gear up.

proud I havent had one in 10 years, routine saves.

felt bad for you, stay vigilant.

commiseration, my heart races just reading this.

haha, imagine if the cat did it like in that one video.

controversial: some say live work is faster, BS it aint.

picturing you jumping back like in cartoons.

yeah, close calls keep you sharp.

frustrated with non-pros messing with panels.

collective rage, homeowners gotta learn boundaries.

controversial: id bill extra for the scare factor.

collective rage at the whole system allowing this.

warning: always have a buddy system for high risk jobs.