Working with Electricity Safely
First, Respect Electricity; next, be Afraid, be Very Afraid! 
Electricity Injures!   Electricity Burns!   Electricity can turn Your Brains to Crap!   Electricity Kills! 
Electrocution is the cause of 12% of all workplace Deaths among young workers.
 870 people die each year due to accidents caused by electrical distribution, appliances, and equipment, and heating and AC systems.
The main cause of these "Accidents" is Stupidity (that's spelled Laziness). 
Some dumb bastard is too Damn Lazy to go to the fuse box one more time to make doubly sure the circuit is Turned Off (and Tagged); or to Test the wiring once more to make sure it's Not Hot. 

As one should always check a Gun, making sure it's Not Loaded, likewise why not double check an Electrical circuit; they both are equally Lethal.
Life is too Short to make Assumptions: Double Check It, and Check it Again!
Some Famous 'Last Assumptions:'
   "The Power is Off."
   "The Black Wire is Always the Hot One."
   "Hell, 120 Volts can't Kill Ya."
   "No need to 'Tag' the Fuse Panel, I'm the only one in the Building."
   "That wire's not Hot, I just Checked it a few minutes ago."
   "He said that the Power was Off, I don't need to Check."
   "I can do this without having to turn Off the Power."
ALWAYS  TURN  OFF  the  POWER, Before Starting Work!
Tag, Tape, and Lock
Test for Power
Receptacle Tester
When working on electrical wiring, first Turn Off and Secure the power. Also Tag the fuse panel and if possible, lock it to prevent others from inadvertently restoring the power. Test the wires to be handled using devices that detect the presence of power. These come in the form of clip on probes, plug-ins, and clamp-ons. 

The use of a Voltmeter for this purpose is not always a good idea, i.e., if one unknowingly blows the meter's fuse, the reading will be false.
Concrete can Conduct 
 A Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter, GFCI, is Great Insurance!

*** Refresher ***
 
 

Electric Power, from Generation to the Home
Q: Why change the voltage from the generator to the home? Why not start out with 120 volts?

A: For a given amount of Power: as the voltage goes up, the current goes down (Watts = Volts x Amps). Example: 120 VAC @ 1 Amp = 120 Watts, 240 VAC @ 0.5 Amp = 120 Watts

As the current goes down the wire size requirement are also reduced. Therefore, the high tension lines have manageable wire sizes for the amount of power carried.

High Voltage Transmission Power Lines
Low Voltage Transmission Power Lines
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