IEC 60479-1:2018

IEC 60479-1 ®
Edition 1.0 2018-12
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
BASIC SAFETY PUBLICATION
Effects of current on human beings and livestock –
Part 1: General aspects
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IEC 60479-1 ®
Edition 1.0 2018-12
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
BASIC SAFETY PUBLICATION
Effects of current on human beings and livestock –

Part 1: General aspects
INTERNATIONAL
ELECTROTECHNICAL
COMMISSION
ICS 13.200; 29.020 ISBN 978-2-8322-6295-5

– 2 – IEC 60479-1:2018  IEC 2018
CONTENTS
FOREWORD . 6
INTRODUCTION . 8
1 Scope . 9
2 Normative references . 10
3 Terms and definitions . 10
3.1 General definitions . 10
3.2 Effects of sinusoidal alternating current in the range 15 Hz to 100 Hz . 11
3.3 Effects of direct current . 12
4 Electrical impedance of the human body and livestock . 13
4.1 General . 13
4.2 Internal impedance of the human body (Z ) . 13
i
4.3 Impedance of the skin (Z ) . 13
s
4.4 Total impedance of the human body (Z ) . 13
T
4.5 Factors affecting initial resistance of the human body (R ) . 14
4.6 Values of the total impedance of the human body (Z ) . 14
T
4.6.1 Total body impedance dependence for large, medium and small surface
areas of contact . 14
4.6.2 Sinusoidal alternating current 50/60 Hz for large surface areas of contact . 14
4.6.3 Sinusoidal alternating current 50/60 Hz for medium and small surface
areas of contact . 17
4.6.4 Sinusoidal alternating current with frequencies up to 20 kHz and above . 20
4.6.5 Direct current . 21
4.7 Value of the initial resistance of the human body (R ) . 22
4.8 Characteristics of the impedance of the body of livestock . 22
5 Effects of sinusoidal alternating current in the range of 15 Hz to 150 Hz . 22
5.1 General . 22
5.2 Threshold of perception . 22
5.3 Threshold of reaction . 22
5.4 Immobilization . 22
5.5 Threshold of let-go . 23
5.6 Threshold of ventricular fibrillation . 23
5.7 Other effects related to electric shocks . 23
5.8 Effects of current on the skin . 24
5.9 Description of time/current zones (see Figure 20) . 24
5.10 Application of heart-current factor (F). 25
6 Effects of direct current . 26
6.1 General . 26
6.2 Threshold of perception and threshold of reaction . 26
6.3 Threshold of immobilization and threshold of let-go . 26
6.4 Threshold of ventricular fibrillation . 26
6.5 Other effects of current . 27
6.6 Description of time/current zones (see Figure 22) . 27
6.7 Heart factor . 28
6.8 Effects of anodic versus cathodic DC currents . 45
Annex A (normative) Measurements of the total body impedances Z made on living
T
human beings and on corpses and statistical analysis of the results . 48
Annex B (normative) Influence of frequency on the total body impedance (Z ) . 51
T
Annex C (normative) Total body resistance (R ) for direct current . 52
T
Annex D (informative) Examples of calculations of ZT . 53
Annex E (informative) Theories of ventricular fibrillation . 56
Annex F (informative) Quantities of upper limit of vulnerability (ULV)and lower limit of
vulnerability (LLV) . 57
Annex G (informative) Circuit simulation methods in electric shock evaluation . 58
Annex H (normative) Effects of currents passing through the body of livestock . 61
H.1 General . 61
H.2 Principal consideration of the risk of ventricular fibrillation for livestock . 61
H.3 Characteristics of the impedance of the body of livestock . 62
H.4 Internal impedance of animals (Z ) . 62
i
H.5 Impedance of the hide and skin (Z ) . 63
P
H.6 Impedance (resistance) of the hoof (Z , R ) . 63
h h
H.7 Total body impedance (Z ) . 63
T
H.8 Initial body resistance (R ) . 64
H.9 Values of the total body impedance (Z ) . 64
T
H.10 Values of the initial resistance of the body (R ) . 65
H.11 Effects on livestock of sinusoidal alternating current in the range from 15 Hz
to 100 Hz . 65
H.11.1 General . 65
H.11.2 Threshold of reaction . 66
H.11.3 Threshold of ventricular fibrillation . 66
Bibliography . 69

Figure 1 – Impedances of the human body . 28
Figure 2 – Internal partial impedances Z of the human body . 29
ip
Figure 3 – Simplified schematic diagram for the internal impedances of the human
body . 30
Figure 4 – Total body impedance Z (50 %) for a current path hand to hand, for large
T
surface areas of contact in dry, water-wet and saltwater-wet conditions for a percentile
rank of 50 % of the population for touch voltages U = 25 V to 700 V, AC 50/60 Hz . 31
T
Figure 5 – Dependence of the total impedance Z of one living person on the surface
T
area of contact in dry conditions and at touch voltage (50 Hz) . 32
Figure 6 – Dependence of the total body impedance Z on the touch voltage U for a current
T T
path from the tips of the right to the left forefinger compared with large surfaceareas of
contact from the right to the left hand in dry conditions measured on one living person, touch
voltage range U = 25 V to 200 V, AC 50 Hz, duration of current flow max. 25 ms . 33
T
th
Figure 7 – Dependence of the total body impedance Z for the 50 percentile rank of
T
a population of living human beings for large, medium and small surface areas of
2 2 2
contact (order of magnitude 10 000 mm , 1 000 mm and 100 mm respectively) in
dry conditions at touch voltages U = 25 V to 200 V AC 50/60 Hz . 34
T
th
Figure 8 – Dependence of the total body impedance Z for the 50 percentile rank of
T
a population of living human beings for large, medium and small surface areas of
2 2 2
contact (order of magnitude 10 000 mm , 1 000 mm and 100 mm respectively) in
water-wet conditions at touch voltages U = 25 V to 200 V, AC 50/60 Hz . 35
T
th
Figure 9 – Dependence of the total body impedance Z for the 50 percentile rank of
T
a population of living human beings for large, medium and small surface areas of
2 2 2
contact (order of magnitude 10 000 mm , 1 000 mm and 100 mm respectively) in
saltwater-wet conditions at touch voltages U = 25 V to 200 V, AC 50/60 Hz . 36
T
– 4 – IEC 60479-1:2018  IEC 2018
Figure 10 – Values for the total body impedance Z measured on 10 living human
T
beings with a current path hand to hand and large surface areas of contact in dry
conditions at a touch voltage of 10 V and frequencies from 25 Hz to 20 kHz . 37
Figure 11 – Values for the total body impedance Z measured on one living human
T
being with a current path hand to hand and large surface areas of contact in dry
conditions at a touch voltage of 25 V and frequencies from 25 Hz to 2 kHz . 37
Figure 12 – Frequency dependence of the total body impedance Z of a population for
T
a percentile rank of 50 % for touch voltages from 10 V to 1 00
...