10 dumb things smart people do when testing electricity

While anyone who works with electricity quickly develops a healthy respect for it, even the best of us can make mistakes when under pressure.

Download our quick list of WHAT NOT TO DO when taking electrical measurements.
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Safety regulations in your country

No tool by itself can guarantee your safety when working with electricity. It’s the combination of the right tools and safe work practices that gives you maximum protection.

Read here, besides a few safety tips to help you in your work, the explanation of the IEC/EN 61010, the standard where safety requirements for electrical equipment for measurement, control, and laboratory use are specified.

And, in the same document, learn more about the measurement category (CAT) ratings, rated II to IV, which aren't only applicable for your meter, but also for your test leads and probes.
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Leave your panel closed with Fluke certified infrared windows

Reduce your risk of injury by having the option of leaving your panel closed while you measure.

And even if an arc flash doesn't injure a person, the arc flash and accompanying arc blast will almost certainly damage equipment and cause downtime. The best strategy is prevention.

Download our application note and learn:

• How Infrared (IR) Windows can reduce the risk of arc flash
• How to install a CV Series IR windows in five minutes or less
• How CV Series IR Windows save inspection time
• How to reduce the risk of injury.

Improve safety around rotating machinery

What are the top two ways to improve safety for people who work around inherently dangerous rotating mechanical equipment?

1. Perform work from a safer distance
2. Take faulty machinery offline before it fails

Making that happen is easier than you’d think.
Fluke has five suggestions for improving safety around rotating machinery.

Why grounding is so much more important than most people think

Grounding errors can cause electrical shock, fires, equipment damage, and power quality problems that can cause systems, circuits, and equipment to operate improperly.

The most common culprit? Installation errors.

Addressing grounding problems requires testing the grounding system and then retesting after any corrections or modifications.

Download our earth ground application note to learn about:

• Why you should test
• A good ground resistance value
• Testing methods

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Poor quality leads and probes led to injury

An electrician was loaned a low-cost meter one day, because his quality meter was not available. He accidentally went across 400 volts with the leads in the amps jacks. Both fuses are 250 volts. The fuse didn’t open in time to prevent major damage to the meter. The electrician was injured - he had severe burns on his forearm, upper arm and shoulder. A good part of the reason is the cheap quality of the probes and leads or if the probes and leads are damaged.

Remember:

• The safety quality of the leads and probes is just as important, if not more important, than the safety quality of the meter itself.
• It can happen to anyone: this electrician was a seasoned journeyman with 30-odd years of experience.

Have a look at the Fluke Safety kit: the Fluke 115 Digital Multimeter with the TLK-225 SureGrip Master Accessory set.

Certified training using test and measurement tools

Not only do we manufacture test tools, we also organize trainings and seminars to get more out of your tools and therefore keep your world up and running. Within these trainings and seminars we go beyond products and bring you in depth knowledge to be more successful in your job and to make sure you come home safe at the end of your working day.

Make your job safer and easier: get more out of your tools with the help of our specialized technical trainers.