IEC TR 60479-5:2007

Effects of current on human beings and livestock - Part 5: Touch voltage threshold values for physiological effects

This Technical Report provides touch voltage-duration combination thresholds based on analysis of information concerning body impedances and current thresholds of physiological effects, as given in IEC/TS 60479-1. Such threshold combinations relate to specific environmental and contact conditions that determine body impedance for particular current pathways. This technical report considers only (i) 50/60 Hz sinusoidal alternating voltage having no other frequency components and no significant direct voltage component, and (ii) direct voltage with no significant alternating component. This technical report provides thresholds as a result of calculations based on values from IEC/TS 60479-1, with uncertainties. Therefore thresholds proposed in this report also correspond to values with uncertainties. Touch voltage-duration combination thresholds are for use by technical committees as guidance for the determination of limits for touch voltage and touch voltage durations in various environmental situations. The contents of the corrigendum of July 2013 have been included in this copy.

Effets du courant sur l'homme et les animaux domestiques - Partie 5: Valeurs des seuils de tension de contact pour les effets physiologiques

Ce rapport technique fournit les seuils de combinaison temps-tension de contact basés sur une analyse des valeurs des impédances du corps humain et des seuils de courant pour des effets physiologiques donnés tels que fournis dans la CEI/TS 60479-1. Ces seuils de combinaison temps-tension de contact se rapportent à des conditions d'environnement particulier et à des conditions de contact qui déterminent l'impédance du corps humain pour des cheminements particuliers du courant. Ce rapport technique considère uniquement (i) les tensions alternatives sinusoïdales de fréquence 50/60 Hz n'ayant aucune composante de fréquence différente ainsi qu'aucune composante continue significative, ou (ii) des tensions continues avec aucune composante alternative significative. Ce rapport technique fournit les seuils résultant de calculs basés sur les valeurs de la CEI/TS 60479-1 avec des incertitudes. Ainsi, les seuils proposés dans le présent rapport technique correspondent à des valeurs ayant des incertitudes. Les seuils de combinaison temps-tension de contact sont destinés à être utilisés par les comités d'études en tant que lignes directrices pour la détermination des limites de tensions de contact et des durées des tensions de contact dans plusieurs situations d'environnement. Le contenu du corrigendum de juillet 2013 a été pris en considération dans cet exemplaire.

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 06-Nov-2007
• ICS: 01 - GENERALITIES. TERMINOLOGY. STANDARDIZATION. DOCUMENTATION
• ICS: 13.200 - Accident and disaster control
• ICS: 29.020 - Electrical engineering in general
• Technical Committee: TC 64 - Electrical installations and protection against electric shock
• Drafting Committee: MT 4 - TC 64/MT 4
• Current Stage: PPUB - Publication issued
• Start Date: 31-Dec-2007
• Completion Date: 07-Nov-2007

Relations

• Corrected By: IEC TR 60479-5:2007/COR1:2013 - Corrigendum 1 - Effects of current on human beings and livestock - Part 5: Touch voltage threshold values for physiological effects
• Effective Date: 05-Sep-2023

Standards Content (Sample)

IEC/TR 60479-5
Edition 1.0 2007-11
TECHNICAL
REPORT
RAPPORT
TECHNIQUE
Effects of current on human beings and livestock –
Part 5: Touch voltage threshold values for physiological effects

Effets du courant sur l’homme et les animaux domestiques –
Partie 5: Valeurs des seuils de tension de contact pour les effets physiologiques

IEC/TR 60479-5:2007
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IEC/TR 60479-5
Edition 1.0 2007-11
TECHNICAL
REPORT
RAPPORT
TECHNIQUE
Effects of current on human beings and livestock –
Part 5: Touch voltage threshold values for physiological effects

Effets du courant sur l’homme et les animaux domestiques –
Partie 5: Valeurs des seuils de tension de contact pour les effets physiologiques

INTERNATIONAL
ELECTROTECHNICAL
COMMISSION
COMMISSION
ELECTROTECHNIQUE
PRICE CODE
INTERNATIONALE
XA
CODE PRIX
ICS 13.200; 29.020 ISBN 2-8318-9346-1

– 2 – TR 60479-5 © IEC:2007
CONTENTS
FOREWORD.5
INTRODUCTION.7

1 Scope.8
2 Normative references .8
3 Terms and definitions .9
4 Conditions and threshold values .9
4.1 General .9
4.2 Physiological effects of touch current .10
4.3 Body impedance.14
4.4 Impedance external to the body.15
4.5 Other factors affecting voltage thresholds .15
4.6 Touch voltage thresholds as a function of duration .16
4.7 Touch voltage thresholds for long durations .17
5 Touch voltage thresholds – Presentation of voltage-time curves .19

Annex A (informative) Body impedance.30
Annex B (informative) Touch voltage – Explanation of a method to derive estimates of
touch voltages thresholds for strong muscular reactions and ventricular fibrillation from
the body impedance tables and current limits in IEC/TS 60479-1 .36
Annex C (informative) Determination of voltage thresholds under selected conditions.53
Annex D (informative) Limits of applicability.54

Bibliography.56

Figure 1 – Physiological thresholds for a.c. (50/60-Hz) and d.c. flowing hand-to-hand
(transversely) through the human body .11
Figure 2 – Physiological thresholds for a.c. (50/60-Hz) and d.c. flowing from both
hands to both feet (longitudinally) through the human body .12
Figure 3 – Physiological thresholds for a.c. (50/60-Hz) and d.c. flowing from hand-to
seat (longitudinal) through the human body .13
Figure 4 – Flow chart to be used for the selection of the appropriate figure providing
the maximum duration for each touch voltage threshold.17
Figure 5 – Conventional time/voltage zones of effects of a.c. current (50/60 Hz) on a

person for saltwater-wet condition and large contact area.20
Figure 6 – Conventional time/voltage zones of effects of a.c. current (50/60 Hz) on a
person for saltwater-wet condition and medium contact area .21
Figure 7 – Conventional time/voltage zones of effects of a.c. current (50/60 Hz) on a
person for saltwater-wet condition and small contact area .21
Figure 8 – Conventional time/voltage zones of effects of a.c. current (50/60 Hz) on a

person for water-wet condition and large contact area .22
Figure 9 – Conventional time/voltage zones of effects of a.c. current (50/60 Hz) on a
person for water-wet condition and medium contact area.22
Figure 10 – Conventional time/voltage zones of effects of a.c. current (50/60 Hz) on a
person for water-wet condition and small contact area .23

TR 60479-5 © IEC:2007 – 3 –
Figure 11 – Conventional time/voltage zones of effects of a.c. current (50/60 Hz) on a
person for dry condition and large contact area .23
Figure 12 – Conventional time/voltage zones of effects of a.c. current (50/60 Hz) on a
person for dry condition and medium contact area .24
Figure 13 – Conventional time/voltage zones of effects of a.c. current (50/60 Hz) on a
person for dry condition and small contact area .24
Figure 14 – Conventional time/voltage zones of effects of d.c. current on a person for
saltwater-wet condition and large contact area .25
Figure 15 – Conventional time/voltage zones of effects of d.c. current on a person for
saltwater-wet condition and medium contact area .25
Figure 16 – Conventional time/voltage zones of effects of d.c. current on a person for
saltwater-wet condition and small contact area .26
Figure 17 – Conventional time/voltage zones of effects of d.c. current on a person for
water-wet condition and large contact area .26
Figure 18 – Conventional time/voltage zones of effects of d.c. current on a person for
water-wet condition and medium contact area.27
Figure 19 – Conventional time/voltage zones of effects of d.c. current on a person for
water-wet condition and small contact area.27
Figure 20 – Conventional time/voltage zones of effects of d.c. current on a person for
dry condition and large contact area .28
Figure 21 – Conventional time/voltage zones of effects of d.c. current on a person for
dry condition and medium contact area.28
Figure 22 – Conventional time/voltage zones of effects of d.c. current on a person for
dry condition and small contact area.29
Figure A.1 – Model for hand-to-hand contact .33
Figure A.2 – Model for both-hands-to-feet contact .34
Figure A.3 – Model for hand-to-seat contact .35
Figure B.1 – Estimation of the variation of the skin resistance as a function of electric
shock duration .38
Figure B.2 – Example of extrapolation of the hand-to-hand body impedance at 0 V in
dry conditions with large contact area .42
Figure B.3 – Percentage of internal resistance of the human body for the part of the
body concerned .43
Figure B.4 – Example of diagram for the estimation of the strong muscular reactions
and ventricular fibrillation threshold for a.c. current hand-to-hand current path, large
contact area and dry condition for a current duration of 10 ms .47

Table 1 – Current threshold values for each condition and for long duration.14
Table 2 – Tables providing minimum touch voltage threshold for a.c. and d.c.
corresponding to startle reaction, strong muscular reaction and ventricular fibrillation
(see Table 1 notes).18
Table 2a – Startle reaction for alternating current 50/60 Hz .18
Table 2b – Strong muscular reaction for alternating current 50/60 Hz .18
Table 2c – Ventricular fibrillation for alternating current 50/60 Hz .18
Table 2d – Startle reaction for direct current .19
Table 2e – Strong muscular reaction for direct current .19
Table 2f – Ventricular fibrillation for direct current.
...