Why do electricians keep one hand in their pocket?

Electricians keep one hand in a pocket around live equipment so that a shock cannot travel hand to hand across the chest. Current through the heart is what turns a jolt into a fatality, and the hand-to-hand path runs straight through it.

With one hand parked, a slip sends current from hand to feet instead, still dangerous, but with better odds.

The habit dates to old high-voltage practice and survives because it encodes a real rule of physics into muscle memory.

Modern safety practice goes further: verify dead, lockout-tagout, insulated tools, arc-rated PPE for anything that must stay hot. The pocket trick is the last layer, never the plan.

Field habits plus fast math is the working combination; the electrician calculator covers the math half offline.