Why when you touch a 240V wire do you not get electrocuted?

Answer 1

For you to get electrocuted your body needs a return path for the voltage to get back to ground. Usually your shoes break this return path. Even though your whole body is up to the 240 volt potential you will not feel it. If the soles of your shoes were leather, or standing in water there might be a chance of getting a jolt but if you are in bare feet you would get the full force of the 240 volts. The only thing governing the amperage through your body is the internal resistance of your body. It just takes milliamps to kill. Below is a chart of the amount of milliamps a body can take.

Less than 1/2 milliamp no sensation

1/2 to 2 milliamps Threshold of perception

2 to 10 milliamps muscular contraction

5 to 25 milliamps painful shock (may not be able to let go)

Over 25 milliamps Could be violent muscular contraction

50 to 100 milliamps Ventricular fibrillation

over 100 paralysis of breathing.

Answer 2

When you touch a 240V wire, whether or not you get electrocuted depends on multiple factors including current flow, resistance of your body, and the path the electricity takes in your body. You may not get electrocuted because the voltage alone is not a strong indicator of the severity of the shock - it's the current that does the harm. If you have high resistance, like dry skin, the current passing through your body can be low, reducing the chance of a severe shock.