Gentlemen, I am new to this site and joined to get some information about a job at my complex. (I am an operations Shift Leader)
This job involves the following activities:
1- The armored power cables are inside an underground concrete trench, filled with sweet sand and covered with red bricks.This is buried 1.6 meters.
2- A new roadway is to be built to cross over the underground trench. The project proposed that the following work be performed while the power cables are still hot and in-service:
2-A: The trench be excavated, red bricks be removed, sweet sand to be removed, exposing the armored power cables.
2-B: The construction crew will then manually arrange the power cables in order, place split pipe covers around each cable, build concrete forms in the trench, then poor concrete to make the trench into a duct bank which the road expansion can be built over.
Well, when these people came to my unit for an excavation permit, and a confined space entry permit to work on these live armored power cables, I convened a meeting of the concerned parties (part of the permitting process) and scheduled a Job Safety Analysis to discuss hazards and required mitigation steps for the identified hazards.
My problem is that I have never been involved with this type of work in my many years in chemical plants and need a crash course on the hazards and what type of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and precautions should be in-place prior to human contact with these cables.
So far I have pushed things along the lines of choosing between a regular confined space entry and a breathing air required confined space entry with an IDLH atmosphere.
I am requiring an explanation of why portable power stations can not be supplied and the breakers isolated per our Lock Tag and Try policy.
If I am pushed into letting these men manipulate these hot armored cables, I need to know if this is normal work practice and how this can be done safely.
Any information on this type of activity will be greatly appreciated!
Hank
