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ANSWERS TO FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS, PAGE 11
Are Electric Deer Fences Safe?
By and large, electric deer fences powered by modern "low impedance" fence chargers are very safe—because the power is only "on" for a few thousandths of each second, and so it is easy for anyone receiving a shock to let go. However, any absolute determination of a fence's safety depends on a number of things—including the nature and power of the electric fence charger; the nature of the fence; and the extent to which accidental exposure to the charged wire can be limited.
Some years ago a fatal injury occurred when a very young child's head came in contact with a high-powered electric fence wire running a few inches off the ground. This was a rare accident, one reportedly involving direct contact with standing water. Nevertheless, it shows that some obvious precautions are justified. These include putting appropriate warning signs on electric fences; keeping infants and pets out of range; warning children to stay away; and in general avoiding accidental human contact with the charged wire—especially contact between the wire and a person's head or neck.
In this vein, it needs to be recognized that different electric fence chargers pose very different hazards. As previously noted, the outputs of the Parmak Mark 6 and Super Energizer 3 deserve a lot of respect, but it is very hard to imagine the Fi-Shock SS-440 harming anything. For this reason, the power of a charger and its fence should be tailored as much as possible to actual needs; and any safety problems inherent in the resulting system should be recognized and effectively managed.
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