Lesson 16:

Safety

Objectives:

Amatear Radio can, frankly, be a dangerous hobby. A person can be electrocuted, fall off a tower, or be subjected to excessive radio frequency energy, leading to injury or death. This lesson describes the basic safety precautions that should be observed; we hope that every instructor will take the time to impress upon the students that safety imperative at all times. Remember: Death is Forever.

Apparatus:

  1. ground rod/ground plate

  2. climbing belt

  3. gin pole

Handouts:

What follows complements the material in the RACSG. We are indebted to Sandy Sandwith, VE4SZ for the summary that follows.

Safety Code 6 (a Health Canada input):

Safety Code 6, also known as Limits to Human Exposure to Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields in the Frequency Range from 3kHz to 300 GHz, is 75 pages long and is a highly unreadable document published by Health Canada to address the problem of exposure of the human body to RF radiation.

When you consider that we use RF radiation in the microwave region to cook with in micro wave ovens; it makes one think of how much we are cooking ourselves with our hand held transceivers so close to our brains and especially our eyes, the two most heat sensitive organs in the body. It is not our intention to try and explain this document but to present the questions from the Basic Question Bank as statements. For those that want more information, read the original Safety Code 6 online. En francais.

Printable copy of summary of Safety Code 6.

The following statement is included on the errata page for the 6th Edition of the RAC Study Guide for the Basic Qualification:

Please note that from the Red Cross first aid standpoint, it is taught that one should first survey the area to ensure there is no danger to oneself, and then proceed to turn off the source of the current. The statement WITHOUT ENDANGERING YOURSELF should be made first rather than at the end of the sentence as self-protection is crucial. You don't want to create two casualties instead of one!

When we reviewed this comment, the authors recalled a demonstration at the Dayton Hamfest of the conductive abilities of apparent insulators. At the voltages present on electrical primary distribution lines, 7200 VAC in the case of Dayton Light and Power, a dirty or wet rope is a very good conductor. Be sure the rope or other insulator that you use to move a victim away from the current source is clean, dry, and does not contain metal or carbon fibres, often found in ropes to strengthen them.

Lesson Plan:

  1. Deal with any questions about the homework assigned in the previous class.

  2. Do a show and tell with different types of ground rods. Emphasize the need for a good station ground and that braid is better than a solid conductor. A good ground is needed for:

  3. If possible have students put on a climbing belt and go up a tower - they only have to get a metre off the ground. Show the proper technique for using the belt. This is great lesson for a guest instructor who is well versed in climbing. If you cannot do this live then make a video of your expert in action, along with the commentary, and show this to the class.

    Emphasize that under no circumstances should one ever climb a tower without a safety belt, nor work on the tower with the safety belt not fastened.

  4. If possible demonstrate the use of a gin pole in a real-life situation. This could be done as part of the previous activity. Second best is a video.

  5. Emphasize the need for first aid training. If the course is being run by a club then perhaps the club could be persuaded to organize a one-day first aid course.

  6. If the course is being run by a club then a useful program some evening would be to hit the high points of this lesson again. Some of this may be old hat but some of it quite recent and it behooves us all to keep current in this area.

Homework:

  1. Review Chapter 16 Quiz

  2. Skim Chapter 17

  3. Read Chapter 16

Chapter 16 Quiz:

Printable copy of the Review Quiz

Answers to Chapter 16 Quiz
1 A 12 B 23 B 34 A 45 D
2 C 13 A 24 D 35 B 46 A
3 D 14 A 25 A 36 C 47 B
4 A 15 D 26 B 37 B 48 D
5 D 16 D 27 C 38 D 49 B
6 A 17 C 28 C 39 D 50 D
7 D 18 C 29 D 40 B 51 B
8 C 19 C 30 C 41 D 52 B
9 A 20 C 31 B 42 C 53 D
10 A 21 D 32 A 43 A 54 D
11 A 22 B 33 C 44 A * *

Overhead Slide Versions of the Diagrams

  1. Slide 1
    16.1 House Electrical Wiring Circuit

  2. Slide 2   (Electrical Safety)
    16.2 Circuit, no safety Ground
    16.3 Circuit, with Safety Ground

  3. Slide 3
    16.4 Capacitor Ground Stick

  4. Slide 4
    16.5 Gin Pole

  5. Slide 5
    Parallel Line Lightning Arrestor