Would a quick touch on a US wall socket of electrical shock do harm?

Question

When I see little kids unplug chords from the wall it makes me nervous. They grab the whole thing and if they were to slip and not fully unplug it and their fingers were to fall in and touch a prong they would get shocked!

How bad does this hurt? Could it severely hurt a human? What are the consequences?

Answer 1

i agree with all on this.......

it only takes 1/10 of an amp to kill a human being. for the most part the human body is about 100,000 ohms of resistence, thus 120 vac/ 100000 equates .0012 of an amp. Under most circumstances this may be fine, a simple zap or buzz may be enough for a child to stay clear.

if a someone pokes something conductive into a socket/

receptacle, if  he/she is not grounded.......nothing will happen. However if he/she were to become the pathway to ground then sparks will fly. this proves the bird on the wire standard. Electricity can safely pass through our bodies as long we are not a pathway to ground.

Also to remember most people are shocked off the neutral or white wire. unfortunately, people may take this for granted as its grounded at the panel or such, but it carries the unbalanced load of current or amps used. thus i would rather be shocked across a 120vac circuit with me as the resistor to ground than say the unbalanced load from your AC unit.

So to say the least stay away from all electrical sources.......

Answer 2

I hope not it happens to me too often.  It really is not that bad if you are in good health. It can stop your hart  but that is not too likely.  As a kid (13) I work with my father and he just laughed when I was shocked learning to do electric work.

What to you don't want is to get shocked across your hart. Let the Kidd pull the plugs with only one hand and they should be OK.

Answer 3

When I was in electrical safety school some thirty plus years ago, my instructor told us, "never take a shock intentionally." This was good advice then, and also now. Depending on how well grounded the child is when He/she comes into contact with the terminal is how badly they can be hurt. Teach your children not to play near plugs or cords. They can be shocked, burnt, or killed by a common lamp cord.

Answer 4

Stephen P has it correct.

Enough amperage will kill you or cause horrible burns.

Eric

Answer 5

120 volts can kill a person. Lots of people survive a 120 volt shock, lots don't.  That's why little kids should not play with power cords or stick things in the plug ins.

Answer 6

making contact with bare fingers to both prongs will hurt a lot,but it won't burn or damage the skin, 1 good shock will usually discourage further tampering.the shock will only travel from 1 finger to the other,not through the body. but a child who uses both hands(shock from 1 hand to the other through the body) risks a shock through the heart,which most of us could endure ,only a person with a pre-existing condition might be hurt.in both cases the reflex response of the body is to pull away and this gets you out of harm real quick,it's a minimal risk,show them the correct way ,with 1 hand and don't pull it out by the wire.  ..........tom

Answer 7

It's not adviseable, so if you can stop it please do.  For an adult, a quick shock is not damaging, but for a child it could be.  Their little brains aren't finished "connecting" so it could knock something out of place.  Not to mention the jolt to the heart.

Answer 8

It hurts. I have been shocked multiple times in my lifetime, by varying degrees of voltage and amperage, and have been lucky (and blessed). It violently racks and shakes your entire body, and also burns. Many people receive shocks without suffering damage or long-term ill effects. However, sometimes even a very mild shock can be enough to throw your heart out of rhythm. Never allow a child to plug-in or unplug any electrical component, and ALWAYS put those safety caps on outlets if small children, especially toddlers, are about.

Answer 9

First, keep the kids away from sockets.  Kids should not pull plugs out or plug things in because they do tend to grab the whole plug with their hand and it is very likely that they would get a shock.  If it does happen, I wouldn't worry too much unless they are showing any lingering disorientation or problems breathing.  In most cases, a shock through a single hand is not deadly or even that dangerous.  I've had numerous occasions where I've contacted live circuits.  Electricians are sometimes taught to use one hand only if there is any doubt that a circuit might still carry some charge.    As long as the current doesn't go through the core of the body, 110v shocks are usually not dangerous or life threatening.  If they do go through the "core", such as hand to hand or hand to feet, electricity can kill with as little as 100ma which is very likely with 110v.  The good thing about 60Hz AC electricity is that it tends to cause muscles to twitch which on the larger scale will throw a person back thus breaking contact very quickly.  DC or higher frequency AC can cause muscles to lock which might result in prolonged shocks.

Best advices is to keep the kids clear of any plugs.  Why risk it.

Answer 10

I tried to plug something in while holding the prongs once when I was really young.. It didn't really hurt, it just sent a serious buzz through my body.. I just felt fuzzy for a few minutes and then forgot about it..

I'm fairly intelligent so I don't think it did any long term damage..

Answer 11

You might have heard that a person can drown on something like a teaspoon of water, likewise, they say that a person can die from an electrical shock equivalent to 1 watt, that is 1 volt at 1 amps (your household outlet is 120 volts at 15 amps or approximately 1800 watts).

I have been shocked many times in the course of working on houses, some worse than others and have suffered no appreciable long-term ill effects, however I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, particularly young kids. It is awful to get shocked by household current.

Yes, the blades of a common, ordinary plug to any electrical device are actually well exposed when they are not quite all the way in or out of the receptacle on the wall outlet. Sometimes I think that it's a lousy design that makes it too easy for people to get shocked.

I would say to have great respect (and a healthy amount of fear) for electricity and not let kids who are unable to grasp the power and danger of electricity anywhere near plugs and outlets. That may be impractical advice, but there is very real danger and potential for harm, possibly even fatality.

Answer 12

This happened to me when I was about 8, I was plugging in the Christmas tree and my finger got stuck between the socket and the plug. It shot my hand and me back, into the middle of the room. I didn't feel so great after but nothing serious happened. I just learned my lesson. It could only severely hurt someone if they have a pace maker, or if they stick a metal rod into the plug on purpose, and hold it there...hope that helps you out some.