Quote:
Originally posted by Dave Willis:
Someone (BZ, I think) asked about the backpack units. The ones with generators are designed to automatically shut off if they move too far from vertical. So, if a person fell, the generator "should" shut off (mechanical failures are a different matter). Also, the "wands" that put the electricty into the water have a switch on them. The switch must be depressed to complete the circuit. If you fell, you are supposed to let go of the switch. All you would need to do is relax your hand, and it would turn off, which I would guess would be a natural response. Despite these safety features, I'm not sure we can even buy a generator backpack unit any longer. You can buy the battery ones, but not the generator ones. When we checked with the two primary companies (one US and one in Canada), neither sold generator types because of "safety" reasons.
The wand safety switch worries me a little. Electrical Engineers are taught for safety is that if you have to touch a live circuit, do it with the back of your hand - any shock can cause your muscles to contract and you don't want this to cause you to grip the power source even tighter. I got the same intructions from my Father-in-Law, who picked it up in construction. So I would worry that being shocked might prevent me from releasing a wand safety switch. Perhaps this is another reason the backpack units are being OSHAd away.

BTW, doesn't "safety switch" sound much nicer than "dead man switch"?

"Live like you'll die tomorrow, but manage your grass like you'll live forever."
-S. M. Stirling
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