e57:

Indeed, it is only because enough time has passed, no one was hurt and the guy involved now thinks it's funny that I decided to share that story.

My coworker thinks it was the wet ground, his (dry) gloves and just plain good luck that he didn't feel a thing.

On a related note: (sorry for the OT)

Thanks to a friend at a POCO, I was able to don the appropriate PPE and get to touch a live 12kv lug in a padmount switch. Even with the proper gear in good condition there is enough potential to feel a very slight tickle through the gloves...or maybe it was just me freaking out by realizing what I was doing!! [Linked Image] I have a LOT of respect for linemen, I've heard and seen enough horror stories about when things go wrong.

But when you consider the very fact of the increased voltage/current levels they face, it seems statistically that being a lineman is (maybe?) safer than being an EC? (Or cinema tech for that matter.) I had considered line work for a long time (actually took a course while in the Air Force, passed the test 82%) but I can't stand heights! [Linked Image]

wa2ise, celtic:

I think our linemen here would agree that the best thing to do if in any vehicle in contact with high voltage is to STAY PUT! Unless the vehicle is seriously on fire it's the best place to be until the power can be cut off.

Some years ago a local news reporter was seriously injured when she tried to exit the newsvan, the antenna mast of which had been raised into a 34.5kv line. One of the video accounts clearly shows that the antenna was in hard contact for several seconds with nothing happening UNTIL she opened the door and touched the sidewalk. Huge flashover, several secondary explosions heard as the lines bounced around, the phase in question broke just outside the substation (Less than 1/2 mile from incident) turning the asphalt at the contact point into glass. The lineman I spoke with reported that over 90 "targets" were recorded from the surge!

Hit the main and the backup? Murphy was hard at work that day it seems...


[This message has been edited by mxslick (edited 07-11-2005).]

Stupid should be painful.