Electrical safety - recent issue prompting review

JMP220478

Rehearsal room ring main issue last night - power to my non circuit breaker extension power strip  dropped as other guitarist plugged into another socket on ring main. Bit spooked as vocalist said he felt a tingle on a mic too - words had with venue but need to be better prepared too.

Detailed review of kit to follow 

am aware I have too many interchangeable iec / kettle leads in play as an example 

Would appreciate any feedback on what you’re doing in way of comprehensive electrical safety 

Fuse types per device ie amps slo blow ? / inline RCD or better 

Any simple electrical safety testing units to put in gig bag etc

Cheers in advance for constructive advice 

ICBM

A plug-in 3-neon tester will show you if the sockets are wired correctly and safely. Like this - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/325159266532

An inline RCD is a good idea, and will protect you from a fault on your own mains supply, but contrary to popular belief it is *not* a guarantee of safety. It doesn't lift the earth, hence a fault on another circuit can still be dangerous to you if you're holding something earthed - like your guitar - and come into contact with something on the other circuit.

As a rule it's safest to have everything you may be using or in contact with on one extension cable from one wall socket so everything shares a common earth, but this is not always practical. If it can't be done, try to avoid doing things like holding your guitar strings and the body of a mic on a different circuit at the same time.

Fuses won't help to prevent electrocution as they don't blow at low enough currents or quickly enough - they're to prevent fires and damage to equipment. Always use the correct type as indicated on the equipment.

Don't worry about swapping power cables around if they're all fused correctly - it makes no difference.

sev112

Any advice of sensible things to do when using a rehearsal room ?

ICBM

sev112 said:

Any advice of sensible things to do when using a rehearsal room ?

First and foremost, if there’s even the slightest doubt about the safety of the supply, report it to the management. If they try to fob you off, tell them that you’ll report it to their local authority health & safety department. There’s no excuse for dodgy electrical supplies nowadays, and the regulations are strict. You should be able to use any mains outlet in any proper business premises without concern.

Supportact

I got one of those plug in testers similar to the one @ICBM mentioned after I got electrocuted at a soundcheck (not a serious one but unpleasant enough). 

I think I've only ever had it happen twice. One was at a practice room in London but that was about 20 years ago. The other one I mentioned above was more recently at an old theatre that isn't generally a music venue and probably needs an overhaul. Everywhere else has generally been ok. Once you've been electrocuted though it does make you wary. 

FelineGuitars

I bought this one and seems to work well
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B087TYXHKW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

maltingsaudio

The tester is the first thing we plug in at every gig, and the last. Always check the wall socket first with it, then once you’ve plugged in all your extensions etc plug it into the last socket of your extension to check your cables haven’t been damaged since you last used them 

Jonathangus

If you see this - run!