A shocking question

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How dangerous is  it to weld or plasma cut when touching the work. When welding or cutting on the cab of my truck I usually lay down in the cab. Exposed leg and or arm touching the work. Its hot  as heck in the south in my garage and I dont want to get dressed up. I have heard guys talk about getting shocked but its never happened to me. Is there a danger here?
Reply:lol, just don't do it while your wet. If you have a pacemaker you might want to stay as far away from getting electrical shock as possible. Heart murmors or shutters can react to a certain amount of voltage passing through your body. I have had a shock hit me so hard it pinned me to the work piece. Needless to say it was wet, I was wet and the leads were wet. The only thing that knocked me off was my fellow worker used his boot to kick my body away since the machine was over 100 foot away from where we were working.Yes IT CAN BE DANGEROUS! With the proper PPE, and common sense you shouldn't have much to worry about. Just don't put yourself into a sticky situation if things get wet. I remember times offshore where its storming and we have to change out a 4" spool piece in the rain. Every time I go to put a new rod in the stinger it hit me hard. best way to counter this problem is to get a rod sheath and just pick them up with your stinger without touching them. It is almost like playing operation which im sure we all here have done. HAHA
Reply:I've been zapped a couple of times during hot weather when I was soaked in sweat and leaning on the piece I was working on. It will get your attention real quick!GraysOrnamentalIron.com
Reply:Get yourself a welding blanket and use it to lay on. Should help to insulate you a bit with out being dressed up. Or a leather hide or a rubber sheet. Stay as dry as possible. Watch where you position your work cable.---Meltedmetal
Reply:In an earlier thread there was a news story of a guy who was killed in a sweaty situation where he had lots of body contact with the workpiece. I hope you'll play it safe, and insulate yourself somewhat. I save cardboard for these purposes.An optimist is usually wrong, and when the unexpected happens is unprepared. A pessimist is usually right, when wrong, is delighted, and well prepared.
Reply:Just remember.. electron flow ALWAYS follows the path of least resistance; Forever and Ever, Amen!Prepare accordingly as others have noted.-NicheLast edited by NicheFab; 04-14-2015 at 10:26 PM.
Reply:Been zapped a few times running AC (tig) when sweaty. In addition to getting shocked... the sunburn will get you. I find the crease of my elbows burn very easy if I weld without a long sleeve shirt. I now avoid the temptation to strike up without sleeves, even for a quick little weld. Remember, the weld arc is giving off crazy amounts of UV.
Reply:Anybody who ever stick welded, especially outside in the rain has been zapped. Usually in my experience it's open circuit voltage overcoming resistance in rod flux, my boots, wet ground, etc. I get a tingle, jump, and let go. The welder, is connected to earth, the ground lead is connected to the work. The work is in turn sitting on the ground. You are standing on the ground. All that remains is to touch the stinger or rod. This resisted current flow passes through arm, one side of your torso, leg, foot and earth. Laying down in a restrictive truck cab is different in that electrons have less resistance to overcome. The likelihood of the path going through your heart is greater. Protect yourself from shock. Rubber roofing material is a good choice of product. Dry cardboard works.An optimist is usually wrong, and when the unexpected happens is unprepared. A pessimist is usually right, when wrong, is delighted, and well prepared.
Reply:Originally Posted by MeltedmetalGet yourself a welding blanket and use it to lay on. Should help to insulate you a bit with out being dressed up. Or a leather hide or a rubber sheet. Stay as dry as possible. Watch where you position your work cable.
Reply:I like to weld off of a pallet if I need to get on the ground. The pallet keeps me off the ground if its wet, its comfortable for the most part, and when the sparks start burning that wood and I smell it........MMMMM I love the smell of burnt wood in the morning!!