ECN Forum Forums Safety Discussion and News Occupational Safety Discussion New Guy---Dave

Hi Guys,

I enjoyed the chat last night about the lady that gardens with a 5 foot crow bar.

I have a burning question for Mike(Trumpy)---What's it like to hang upside-down all day & aren't you afraid of falling off?

I'm an electrical contractor in northern Illinois, USA. I've been doing this long enough to get myself in & out of trouble.

To break the ice I'll tell the tale of a personal act of stupidity, rather than sing my praises.

I was re-wiring the second floor in an old house near the Wisconsin border. It was summertime, so I was in my shorts &
t-shirt. I had been in the attic awhile, so I was dripping wet. Of course it wouldn't have been a true act of stupidity unless I left the power on. To make sure I was "effectively grounded" I knelt on the conduit next to the junction box. I was lucky enough to just get a tingle (so much nicer than taking one across the chest).

So....here are Dave's tips for survival.

Turn the power off. Use more than one tester. When I'm doing it right I use a circuit locator, then a pen-type non-contact voltage probe, then for good measure I get the end of the pair of wires in my pliers, lay my pliers against the box & cut. Watch out for multiple circuits & shared neutrals. I've had more shocks from neutrals on shared-neutral circuits than the hot wire. Now I open the panel & turn the breakers off for all circuits that are sharing the same conduit.

I look forward to some interesting conversations. Thanks Bill.


Dave (the wire-nut)

Hey Dave,
Nice to see that you posted!.
But I must say I agree with your tips for survival.
In my years as a Line Mechanic and an Electrician, I've only ever had a real suprise as an Electrician.
Most of the stuff that I do as a Line Mechanic, is all Hot-Stick work or Live Glove And Barrier Work, at voltages larger than 11kV and 22, 33,66kV.
I've handled 2 different phases of an 11kV circuit, when a Hot-stick failed, but w/out PPE, I would have been cooked!.
As far as us Liney's are concerned, PPE is everything, just a shame that a few Electrician's don't think the same way!.

I agree completely, Trumpy & I've been as guilty as most. There seems to be a prevailing misunderstanding that since we've taken some minor shocks on the lower voltages that 120 V & 240 V aren't dangerous---until you read the current required to kill---much less than ONE AMP! After seeing the pictures of burn victims, I've got my gloves on for good. It may be inconvenient with gloves, but it would be career-ending to have a hand burned.

I also have a small generator, so it's easy enough to kill a whole service & work on a dead panel. Most of my work is residential, so I run an extension cord to my work area & one to their refrigerator & can work safely.

Hey Dave,
This is where PPE matters the most, we are just hangin' on for dear life down here.
PLEASE SEND MONEY NOW!!!!!!!.

I hope this post didn't get you thinking about falling, Mike! Now I feel terrible about your broken leg. Today I set my 20 foot extension ladder on my truck's tailgate, tied it off and climbed VERY carefully. I should have taken a picture of it for my "Hall of Shame". If I had a place to store it I'd gladly get a longer ladder.

GET WELL SOON!!!

Dave

Dave,
Hell no!.
If you start feeling bad about other peoples accidents, you should be an OSH inspector over here.
No, no hard feelings here Dave, after all it was me that climbed the ladder.
We have poles snap all the time here, fortunately there is no-one up them when it happens.
Which is why the majority of PoCo work with wooden poles is done from an EWP or IEWP
(EWP=Elevated Working Platform)The I meaning Insulated to twice the highest voltage that the equipment will be used for, here it is 140kV.
Thank God for Hydraulics though!.
P135, the IEWP that I am normally given is a Hino truck and the EWP arm on it has NEVER failed us!, even with 2 portly Lineys in the bucket!.
{Mike}