Can You Get Electrocuted While Welding? Watch This...Don't Get Shocked!

First time I've seen this discussed. Thank you.

This guy: "Avoid welding in wet conditions." Welding divers: "Hold my beer."

Definitely a topic that deserves a lot more coverage. It’s hard to find anything about this on YT or the internet. I can find a thousand people telling me to “just give welding a try!” but finding information about how not to die is a hurdle. Seems backwards.

My biggest fear while welding... As a novice who never went to school and is youtube thought. This freaks me the hell out! Thanks for the vid my guy!

Having been a sanitary pipe welder I can tell you that "not welding in wet conditions" is not an option. Back in about May 1995 I was doing a job at Arrowhead Water in Los Angeles. My foreman asked me to do something before I left as everybody else had bailed for the day. He called it the Chinese Water Torture Closet. It was a Stainless Steel enclosure that kind of looked like an outdoor water heater closet, it had an open top, a small door that gave access to the manual valves inside and there was about 18" of daylight underneath. I had to climb underneath to the inside and weld a new valve in place. As I'm inside holding my tig torch which was connected to an Airco 110v inverter welder the foreman tells me he's going to hook up my purge line from the top and he disconnects a 2" SS line that drenches me and sent a constant shock through me until he was able to shut the welder off.

Not only is this an important topic you've presented, but I have to also say your presentation skills are excellent. You are very articulate, and always use complete, logical sentences. You make it very easy to learn. Thanks!

In a previous life I was Shipyard welder and an Industrial site welder. 1. In Summer, don't hold the electrode under your arm pit to put it in the hand piece,(sweat/dampness), or if clothing is damp. If you have a weak/er heart (and you probably won't know that - until?) 2. Winter, if there are one or more welding cables connected to each other for distance, avoid stepping in puddles while you step onto the welding job, the current will travel through your knees and you will feel the current, or worse. That's two are worth mentioning, and I've felt many .

My buddies dad told me a story about how he almost died from electrocution once. He was a rig welder for 20 years, and he told me about how he used to think that welding machines weren't dangerous. Sure, they can give you a shock, but not enough to kill you, he said. One time he had to climb up into a pipe rack at a plant, and we live in south TX, hotter than hell here in the summer. He was soaking wet with sweat, had his ground connected to the structure he was climbing on, and had his stinger draped around his shoulder, carrying it around with the electrode in it. The stinger spun around and the electrode hit him square in the chest. Next think he remembers was being awoken on the ground of the scaffold just beneath him. His buddy was trying to give him CPR and said he wasn't breathing. Ever since then he had a new respect for the equipment and took safety a lot more seriously. That's the story he told me anyway. I could believe it, I've had the absolute shit shocked out of me before on old engine driven machines. I run an old 1963 Lincoln SA200 and she'll sting you if you're wet lol

This is the exact reason I was terrified of arc welding back in the day. They literally just handed you a stinger and rod and said giver bud!

You are hands down THE best. Currently doing a welding diploma and today is my first day of practical. I have been binge watching all your videos and the quality is amazing. Thank you sir and please keep up the good work. YouTube needs more people like you for all different aspects and occupations of life. SUBSCRIBED, LIKED, SHARED

Funny story. When I first started welding, some 25 years ago, the first question I asked to the person who was teaching me was to tell me how not to get shocked. He said, don't worry about it, you won't get shocked, however YOU WILL get burned. Lo and behold I did get burned numerous times by freshly welded pieces many, many times over the years. Fast forward 23 years, some two years ago I was welding the chasis of my son's pick up truck in less-than-ideal conditions. I was using a loaned off-brand decades old machine held together with baling wire, leads from unknown origin, a broken stinger and a cooling fan that you had to kick every now and then in order to keep it from falling apart. I don't even think OSHA was a thing when that machine was built. I was running 220 volts with the machine set at 160 amps. While changing positions underneath the truck and with a live stinger in my hand I accidentally put the electrode to the side of my head while holding the chasis with a bare hand. Needles to say that everything went blurry, that thing hit me like you have no idea, however I had to pretend that everything was cool since I didn't want my son to get scared. XD Moral to the story. Can you get shocked while welding? Absolutely, if you are a dumb a** like I was and act very carelessly. I was lucky enough that I didn't need medical treatment nor had any consequences, but it is better to be safe than sorry. So be safe out there and have fun welding!

As a office junky and new to welding, I never thought about this. Thanks for your videos, helped me a lot to get going with this welding thingy

Great videos I bought the dek pro machine from eBay never welded in my life for months I’ve been welding hear and there and because of you not gonna lie I sort of became a self taught good welder your lessons have helped me a lot. Thanks man I really appreciate ur videos

Have never heard of a welding teacher say you could be injured or killed by a welder .Sounds like they should.

Thanks Tim..you have a knack for teaching, and pick some good topics, one doesn't always see on other welding channels. 👍😀

When i was in germany, we were tieing down tracked vehicles on flatcars. Trains run on 66000 volts (it may vary) carried by overhead wires. The power is supposed to be shut off prior to the operation. Ours wasnt. A guy, standing on top of bis vehicle, lost his balance and raised an arm upward to catch his balance. The overhead wires sent electricity arcing through him like a lightning strike.

I am an engineer and starting welding as an hobby. Your information is very helpful and too the point.

First thing I learned when I learned basic welding is to remove all jewelry. No rings, watches or chains.

Tim, this is an excellent, common-sense and important video. Well done on presenting a no-nonsense and clear overview on this topic, which is sadly not covered too often. Keep up the great work!!

Great job of explaining electrical hazards; thank you.