Statguard Flooring - Questions And Answers

What is the purpose of the 1 Meg resistor used on drag chains and steel racks?

Thanks In Advance - Anonymous, Carlsbad, CA

The purpose of the 1 megohm resistor in series with the ground path of a drag chain is for electrical safety. When a drag chain is used on a steel rack, the personal grounding devices (wrist strap or foot grouder), even though they have a 1 megohm resistor in series with the ground path (which is protecting them from electrical hazards in 250 VAC or less environment), can be circumvented when a person leans or touches the metal rack. Electrical current will take the path of least resistance. If the metal rack is hard grounded, than the resistance to ground (RTG) may be much less than 100 ohms and could cause electrical shock if the person was directly exposed to live power. The 1 megohm resistor will limit the current to less than 0.5 mA.

Our drag chains have a 1 megohm resistor built into the ground path for electrical safety reasons only. For more information please email Service@DescoIndustries.com to contact us.

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