What is the approximate value of average resistance of a human body?

Under dry conditions, the resistance offered by the human body may be as high as one megaohm. Wet or broken skin may drop the body's resistance to 1000 ohms. Adding that, high-voltage electrical energy quickly breaks down human skin, reducing the human body's resistance to 500 ohms.

Additional InformationStep potential: It is the potential difference between the feet of a prism standing on the floor of the substation, with 0.5 m spacing between the one-step, during the flow of fault current through the ground system.

Touch-potential:

• It is defined as the potential difference between the dingers of a raising hand touching the faulted structure and the feet of a person standing on the substation floor.
• The person should not get a shock even if the ground structure is carrying fault current i.e. the touch potential should be very small.

Peak potential: The potential at which the current reaches a maximum (or minimum) during an electron transfer event is referred to as peak potential.

• In case of a fault, electricity will flow if a difference in potential exists between the two legs of a person.
• High soil resistivity tends to increase step potential.
• It is believed that the step potential must be for greater than the touch potential, as the current will not pass through any vials organs n the former case.
• However, the above statement/condition is not always true as personnel that receive shock due to step potential may fall to the ground, only to be hit again, before they can get up when the automatic re-closures activate.
• The resistance of the human body is highly variable, and the current that may pass through the body depends on the resistance of the body and the position in which it touches the ground.
• The resistance of the body is taken as 1000 ohm