Q: With all that high voltage being used, what about my safety?
During a hipot test you may be at some risk. The risk can be reduced by using a tester designed to be safe and by using that tester following the manufacturer's instructions.
Products being designed today usually must comply with product safety regulations. Some of these regulations work to reduce the chance of you receiving a harmful electrical shock. Modern equipment is more likely to follow these regulations. When it comes to hipot charge, energy, and voltage you should select the "weakest" machine that will still test your cables.
To minimize your risk of burns or death make sure your hipot equipment follows these guidelines:
The total charge you can receive in a shock should not exceed 45 uC.
The total hipot energy should not exceed 350 mJ.
The total current should not exceed 5 mA peak (3.5 mA rms)
The fault current should not stay on longer than 10 mS.
If the tester doesn't meet these requirements then make sure it has a safety interlock system that guarantees you can not contact the cable while it is being hipot tested.
If these requirements are met then the biggest safety risk is from the fright you'll get if you are "bit."
These guidelines come from the test standard EN61010-1, Safety requirements for electrical equipment for measurement, control and laboratory use, April 1993, CENELEC. Over the last decade many of the safety requlations have been harmonized (standardized) and EN61010-1 is similar to UL 61010A-1 (formerly UL3101-1).
While you are testing cables there are several things you can do to reduce the risk even more:
Verify the correct operation of the safety circuits in the equipment every time you calibrate it.
Follow all of the manufacturer's instructions and safetly guidelines.
Don't touch the cable during hipot testing.
Allow the hipot testing to complete before removing the cable.
Wear insulating gloves.
If you have any health condition that is aggravated by a startle then don't use the equipment.
Don't allow children to use the equipment.
If you have any electronic implants then don't use the equipment.
Source: © Cirris Systems Corp.