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no, it was not thinking about any risks for children.... I was only wondering what regulations there are in Scotland about electric fences generally spoken.

 

To answer your last question: normally the "shock" of an electric fence does no harm to a child. It's only dangerous for people with a pacemaker.

 

My son (and many other children of friends who also have horses) grew up with horses and therefore also with the "risks" of an electric fence. They even did some sort of testing their courage... who dares to touch the fence and so on.

 

If an animal gets entangled in a fence, can't get away and gets those "shocks" (which are much more uncomfortable for a sensitive animal nose than for a human being) every other second (depending on the clock rate) then this can be extremely dangerous for the animal. They panic and really bad things can happen.

This is why one should never electrify an ordinary stockfence and rather invest a little bit more money in the so-called horse wire and erect a more professional fence. Perhaps like this http://www.gallagher.com.au/energizer.aspx?mktprodid=1039

 

Don't be too worried about the kids. They don't usually get entangled in a fence :wink: and touch it only once.

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I never said it would kill them, but why should I have to put up with them being hurt or shocked even once in their own damn back garden? Why should they have to avoid the thing, when it's their garden fence? Anyway, as I said, the HSE sorted the matter for us. The legislation is the same, I believe, but as you say, where it's a boundary stock fence, the electrified section requires to be erected within the area, away from the boundary, for the very reasons discussed.

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^

@Patzel

 

Your comments on the technology appear eminently sound, but surely the act of unilaterally erecting such a dramatic barrier without discussion can only be seen as a highly unneighbourly act?

 

there's no doubt about that... if there's a boundary fence which is also a garden fence and someone wants to use it directly without an inner fence then one should suppose that it should have been discussed between the neighbours.

 

As far as I understand the dramatic barrier has been there before (as a garden fence) and was electrified afterwards without having discussed this. We have now heard one of the parties and seen how it was told in the newspaper. What we haven't heard is the horse owner. I don't know about this particular horse owner but ... is it possible that he or she just wanted to make sure that his animals would not jump over the fence into the neighbours garden and did not even think that anybody would object to having an electrified garden fence? Still: one could ask before altering of a fence...

 

What I was trying to say before was that there is no danger.

That there also was obviously not the necessary politeness of the horse owners, was not the question. The question was what it - the fence - could do to a young child. And the answer was: nothing.

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Sorry Patzel, I have my own painful experiences with continental electrified stockfence erected to contain my family's sheep and cattle in Germany in the 70's and the fence DOES BLOODY HURT when you are just a small bairn. Enough to give you a sore arm for the next 2 days. To state it is harmless and not a danger to small children is simply not true.

I hope the horseowner was not daft enough to actually electrify the boundary fence, particularly if it is not their own. In that case I'd have their guts for garters, I.S. Where is the difficulty of setting up an inner electrified fence within the field? Well out of reach of children poking their hands through from the other side. Never mind the whole story of siting a steel container so close to somebody's property, that is just plain inconsiderate to neighbours. Okay, we have not heard the horse owners version of events. Until, if ever, we do, nobody can really get a clear idea of what is going on....

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clearly a neigbourly dispute. the normal would be a strand of tape on the field side to discourage munching of neighbours fields gardens. your garden may contain a number of toxic plants. personally i would be more bothered with rusty barbed wire on the top. but has said before communication is needed. why would you try to energizes the whole fence. you can get electrical nets for protecting chickens against foxesbut it would be very expensive to fence a field.

 

the only stuff that i could find was that on rights of way and gates. the path has to have at least a metre either side the gates need to be isolated from the fence

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good question. I found this.

Any part of an electric fence which is installed along a public path or highway shall be identified by warning plates securely fastened to the fence posts or clamped to the fence wires at intervals of approximately 10m. The warning signs shall be at least 100mm x 200mm.

 

The background colour of both sides shall be yellow. The inscription shall be black and shall be the substance of TAKE CARE - ELECTRIC FENCE. The inscription shall be indelible, inscribed on both sides and have a height of at least 25mm.

 

But for distance - save for the rule above, there is no restriction on being by a public highway.

 

Read more: Are there any legal requirements regarding the installation - JustAnswer http://www.justanswer.com/scottish-law/5ersp-legal-requirements-regarding-installation.html#ixzz1VqNJWpS8

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in the 70's
... 40 years back...

 

I do have such an archaic energizer (not in use naturally) but as a collectors item. One of the first ever to be taken into service on a farm. My neighbour gave it to me because I collect antique agricultural stuff.

Of course after having restored it I "tried" it myself. Only once...

 

The energizer(s) we have in use for our stock are modern ones. And I can't tell the occasions when I had unintended contact. Clearly a big difference to the shock of the archaic one.

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Patzel, it was a modern one then, been replaced over the years with newest models and I am afraid the last time (8 years ago) I involuntarily made contact it still flipping hurt. The bottom line is: they give you a proper old shock, it is what they are supposed to be doing after all. They were connected to Schafknotengitter which is easy enough to get tangled in.

 

But to hook up to a neighbours fence where's small kids playing is just irresponsible. You as a grown man might not think it particularly painful, it is very different for an unsuspecting bairn. Even having grown up with it, there were still ocassions when a shock due to the circumstances could not be avoided. Schafknotengitter is a real pain to manouvre when you are 10, lifting full waterbuckets across the fence although you pinned it down with a stablefork. Switching off the batterie beforehand was an impossibility, due to batterie being sited inside the fence out of arms reach to stop passing folk tempering with it.

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