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.
What follows complements the material in the RACSG. We are indebted to Sandy Sandwith, VE4SZ for the summary that follows.
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.
Printable copy of the Review 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 | * | * |