ECN Forum Forums Safety Discussion and News Occupational Safety Discussion Permitted Hot Work

Let me get this straight.
You get a suit that may prevent an Arc blast harming you and all of a sudden it's OK to work live?.
If your boss or foreman requires that you work hot when they aren't there to assess the situation,get them to come to the site and do it themselves.
And, do they require you to work by yourself?.
Get this, under company policy here, it is a dismissable offence to require any worker to work with live conductors or isolators where it is not possible to de-energise such equipment or lines.
Every person that is working on a live installation or works shall have 2 helpers (being suitably qualified) and a Safety Observer.
PPE or no PPE, just be very aware that your actions (or in-actions) can have serious results.

The funny thing about the 70E is that it states in 110.8 to not do any energized work and is followed by about 30 pages of how to work on energized equipment.

Working hot because it is easier is not allowed. The term feasable according to websters is "Capable of beaing done, possible" is shutting down the equipment and placing it in an electrically safe working condition (LOTO, voltage check, grounded) possible? Thats the question you should be asking your self.

From what I've read here, it seems like there isn't any clear-cut answer like I was hoping for.

I really think OSHA weaseled with that second statement that allows hot work when shut-down isn't "feasable". Seems like they had it right when they said hot-work was only permissable when it created additional hazards. That would at least make enforcement easier. That is exactly how a lot of these guys interpret it.

I said it in another thread on this site but it bears repeating: The problem in this trade is that there is an actual hostility towards safe-work practices. I own all the PPE required for class 1 and 2 hot work. I can't even get guys I'm working with to use insulated tools when they do things hot, even when I offer them, they'll refuse and keep on using their uninsulated ones. How much sense does that make?I agree 100%, unfortinately, no one thinks it will ever happen until it actually does.I have refused to work some things hot, and I will continue to as necessary.

Thanks for the replies.

-John

John, you can argue until you are blue in the face.
Until someone gets hurt or seriously burned, it's a doddle working live.
It's unreal how many clowns we have in this trade.

How many of you in the field have ever had serious arc flash burn?

IMO this is one big reason people will work hot. They havent been burned.

99% of the time you should be able to de energize what you are working on. Period

Yes people may be inconveinienced but Big deal. I would rather someone be inconvenienced than me or my people be put in unecessary danger.

This has been a hot topic for us as of recent for I was burned with arc flash last November, my brother was last Friday, and a maintenance man at one of my customers building was almost cut in half by a breaker that let go.

If you tell your boss you wont work on that particuliar item hot, let him fire you. He would be in a heap of trouble and he knows it!

A simple thing as resetting a tripped breaker can kill you. May take one in a thousand for it to happen, but it could.

PS I made this post reply with out seeing Trumpy's remarks. Right on Trumpy you are dead on