Take Time to Save a Life

As of March 1, 2019, it's been 590 days since the last known fatal stage electrocution.

Barbara Weldens was a singer who liked to perform barefooted. On July 19, 2017, she was performing at the Léo Ferré festival in Gourdon, France when, according to Wikipedia, she stepped on "a faulty electrical device." It cost her life.

Could this have been prevented? What can we learn from the tragedy? How can we prevent similar tragedies in the future?

If the report is accurate, it would seem that the fault in the equipment was broken insulation on a power cable, leading to a live exposed conductor, which is a shock hazard. If she tread barefooted on a power cable with broken insulation, then she would have completed a circuit through her body to the chassis of the handheld microphone, which is connected to the shield of the microphone cable, and that is connected to electrical ground.

This illustrates the importance of visually inspecting all of your power cords and cables when you are setting them up. Had someone spotted the defective cable and removed it from service or repaired it on the spot, then Barbara Weldens would likely be alive today.

That's why I like to carry a roll of self-vulcanizing silicon rubber tape. When the backing on this tape is removed and it is wrapped, it forms a chemical seal and provides a layer of electrical insulation. Depending on the brand of tape, it can offer dielectric strength of thousands of volts per wrap. If I find any defective insulation, I will take the time to wrap it with self-vulcanizing silicon rubber tape. And because it's not very durable, I will cover it with electrical tape. The combination provides electrical insulation with a more durable outer covering. It's not a permanent solution but a temporary one that could save someone's life.

Defects in cable are common in live event production because of the way we handle them. We toss them around, step on them, run over them with hand trucks and fork lifts, and generally beat them up. They can end up with cuts, punctures, slices, abrasions, cracks, and other defects. Insulation is made of polymer, which is a form of plastic. As soon it's made, the insulation starts to break down naturally because of oxidation, moisture (leading to hydrolytic breakdown), heat (leading to thermal degradation), mechanical stress (leading to loss in tensile properties),  the effects of light (especially UV), chemical breakdown (due to atmospheric pollutants like oil residue on the surface of streets), biological breakdown (fungi, mold, etc.), ultrasonic breakdown, and more.

Self-vulcanizing silicon rubber tape is offered by a number of manufacturers under a variety of trade names including Rescue Tape, F4 Tape, Tape 70, and FixIt Tape. The price ranges from about $3.50 per roll (in packs of six) to about $18 per roll. You can find it at your local home improvement store or online.

Take the time to make sure your power distribution equipment is free from defects and you could save a life.