Safeteng,
It sounds to me like there was a lack of Line Spreaders in this job and it also sounds like there was no cover-up gear used on the job either. [Linked Image]
Pole Changes, as I understand them to be, are really dangerous animals, especially where you have 11kV up on top and 400V below.
You have to make sure that you have the wires as such, that they will NOT contact each other.
Everyone wears ALL of the required Line gear when this type of transfer is taking place and stay's right out of the way, should a Neutral snap or a 11kV conductor break, w/ respect to the EPN breaking, it is normally a 35mm2 wire, which carries all the load of all the houses connected to it, it is a recipe for disaster. [Linked Image]