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#150663 08/08/05 10:04 PM
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 5,445
Likes: 2
Cat Servant
Member
It was so very nice of several of you to make reference to OSHA and NFPA 70E.....unfortunately, those references are, well, irrelevant. So, it turns out, is the NESC.

Our poster said the DOE inspector.....so this was somewhere that the DOE- and not OSHA- had jurisdiction. I suspect the jurisdiction of the DOE is severely limited, probably to their facilities alone.

A look at the appropriate DOE standard (DOE-HDBK-1092-98) shows that the DOE requires, for work above 600 volts and under 15KV, the following PPE:
(If jacking a breaker out), jacking tools, safety glasse, gloves, sleeves, and fire resistant clothing;
(If pulling fuses), fuse puller, hot stick, safety glasses AND face shield,gloves, sleeves, mat, and fire resistant clothing.

A big thank you to Mike Holt, who ran down this material for us!

Arc Flash PPE Clothing, LOTO & Insulated Tools
#150664 08/16/05 07:27 PM
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 9
P
Junior Member
At the power company I used to work for, we were required to wear a hard hat, FR shirt, all natural fiber clothes, steel toes, safety glasses, and rubber overshoes when switching in a substation using sticks. For operating any gang switches, 25kV rubber gloves were required also. The sticks are tested every couple of years. If they passed then they should provide insulation of at least 100kV per foot.

When switching on pole mounted equipment, i.e. reclosers, fused cutouts, etc., from the ground using zipsticks, we didn't have to have the rubber overshooes or rubber gloves as the stick should provide plenty of insulation.

Wes

#150665 08/17/05 01:37 PM
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 56
P
Member
Just to give additional information on the Equipment. It is a GE Transformer Three Phase, Pad Mounted Distribution Transformer for underground services. Here is a link to the Manual for the Transformer http://www.geindustrial.com/products/brochures/GEI-79025M.pdf. The switch is shown on Pp. 16 Figure 23. of the manual and is described as a Loop Switch with On-Off radial switch. The manual states, "The radial-feed, two position internalm oil switch is a gang-operated loadbreak switch. It is operated by a hot stick and uses manually charged overtoggle storage spring assembly that is independent of operator speed. The spring loaded operating mechanism ensures quick load breaking and load making operation. It can be used to de energize the transformer. The operatiing handle and name plate are located in the high voltage compartment. Load sheding was performed pior to de energizing this switch.

#150666 08/17/05 05:37 PM
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 9
P
Junior Member
Paul,

Operating a padmount like that our guys would be required to have all natural clothing, FR shirt, steel toes, rubber overshoes, rubber gloves, safety glasses, and a minimum 6' shotgun stick, 10' if possible.

I know some may argue that rubber overshoes are over kill, but with the moistness of the SE US, better to be safe than sorry.

As for the face shield, my current employer is starting to require them for setting and removing meters, but not for switching or line work.

Wes

#150667 08/19/05 04:32 AM
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 8,443
Likes: 3
Member
Guys,
Quote
In a discussion with a lineman, his comment was:
"A hot-stick is not a tool...it is considered PPE."
That Lineman was me and I stand by my comments.
The Hot-Stick as I use it is PPE, after all it is made of insulating materials and could be called your second layer of PPE.
The part of it that is the tool, is the tip, which you do work with (is it not?).
It is usually metallic, but it is isolated from the part that is held (Or am I wrong?)
I am also assuming that usual PPE is worn, as in Helmet, Safety Glasses, Gloves and Protectors.

#150668 08/20/05 06:02 PM
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 5,445
Likes: 2
Cat Servant
Member
I think Don was OK in asking for some 'documentation' that isentified a 'hot stick' as PPE.
It may not have been clear in my posting of the DOE rules, but "hot stick" is one of the types of PPE listed on their chart, along with gloves, etc.

And Mike, you are quite right- most folks have absolutely no ide of the dozens of tools made to be attached to a hot-stick. Hot-sticks are completely useless without some sort of tool attached to the tip; most of us non-PoCo types have only seen the "finger" attachment, and may not realise that there are other tips as well!

#150669 08/20/05 11:10 PM
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 2,148
R
Member
Mike,
How is a hot stick different from any other type of insulated tool that would be used on energized circuits?
Don


Don(resqcapt19)
#150670 08/21/05 05:12 AM
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 8,443
Likes: 3
Member
Don,
Good question.
The hot-stick has a different status mainly because of the seperation distance provided between the worker and the hazard.
Over here, hot-stick work has it's own training regime.
Like I said above, the only conducting part of the stick is the tip and the tool attached to the end of it, which you may notice is often shorter than 5".
A lot of training goes into using our collapsable and also rigid sticks here.
As John mentioned there are a lot of tools that we use on the ends of our hot-sticks.
I'll see if I can find a manufacturer link to some of the gear used.
I'm also trained in Live Glove and Barrier work, which is a lot "easier" than Hot-stick work.
LG & B is "hands-on" ,Hot-stick work is done from a distance usually 20ft here.
To sum up Don,
It's distance that counts.
I know I like it!. [Linked Image]

#150671 08/21/05 04:16 PM
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 806
Member
After downloading and reading the manual for this transformer, Some thoughts come to mind in reference to Paul's posts:

The shutdown was accomplished using the transformer's built-in switch. So, it seems possible that the incoming cable terminations (even if "separable insulated connector" type) would still be energized and accessable in the HV compartment. Definitely would need PPE in that case, I don't think any less - restrictive requirements in the equipment manual would sway the inspector's opinion. The presence of the baffles referred to in the manual would not matter I think.

However, the manual allows for "rated glove only" operation of the internal switches. (Don't think I'd want to be near a faulted transformer to turn a disconnect switch by hand!)


I did have an incident some years back where a 480 pri 120/240 sec transformer failed at a cinema and I was asked to shut it down. (Old style SqD fused switchgear.) I did not have proper PPE and refused. We put in an emergency call to their electrician and the fire dept. The electrician arrived, suited up and shut it down. Thankfully it was a low-level fault in the secondary, lots of smoke but no boom.

As a side note, the direct link didn't work for me. I had to enter the transformer model # in the "Search" field. (79025M) That brings up a list of all the product brochures, scroll down to the full model #.

Trumpy:

Do you always use gloves with hotsticks? (Assuming distribution class under 40kV.) IIRC in the Air Force, thier distribution crews were forbidden to wear gloves when using hotsticks! The logic was that gloves would prevent one from feeling the "fuzziness" caused by a hotstick which was marginal in withstand ability. Sounds illogical and dangerous to me.

edited html

[This message has been edited by mxslick (edited 08-21-2005).]


Stupid should be painful.
#150672 04/28/06 10:50 PM
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 56
P
Member
We had to have Hanford Utilities come out yesterday and shut down the 13,8 Primary. We expect them only disconnect at the pole. They did not. They, in front of this same inspector, used only a 6 ft. hot stick. Both linemen wore short sleeved shirts, no voltage rated gloves and what ever they wore from home. Inspector made no issue what so ever even though she could of since it is a requirement that anyone that comes on the project must use project procedures including 70E.

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