Medical Evaluation of Man Working in AC Electric Fields

This paper covers an investigation of the effects of HV 60-Hz ac fields on human beings. Experimental results of the intensity of the electric fields to which linemen are subjected when doing maintenance work on energized HV lines are presented. The protection offered by Faraday screens is discussed. The results of a series of physiological examinations that were carried out on 11 linemen, some of whom used conventional hot stick methods and others worked barehanded from an aerial bucket connected to an energized conductor, are presented. The examinations, which extended over a 42-month period, were conducted by members of the staff of The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Md.