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#70761 10/12/06 07:38 PM
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,044
Tom Offline OP
Member
I heard on the radio this week that the second fatality of the year involving a copper thief & sub-station has occured here in the Mountain State.

Seems like this occupation has a pretty steep learning curve.


Few things are harder to put up with than the annoyance of a good example.
#70762 10/12/06 08:30 PM
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 821
S
Member
I found this:

Quote
COPPER THIEF
A SECOND SOUTHERN WEST VIRGINIA MAN HAS BEEN ELECTROCUTED WHILE APPARENTLY TRYING TO STEAL COPPER.

STATE POLICE SAY THE BODY OF 23 YEAR OLD WILLIAM NELSON SHORT JUNIOR OF DAVY WAS FOUND AT AN ELECTRICAL SUBSTATION LAST WEEK.

STATE POLICE ARE NOT SURE IF THE SUBSTATION WAS OWNED BY APPALACHIAN POWER OR WAS CONNECTED TO A NEARBY COAL MINE.

IN AUGUST, A PINEVILLE MAN WAS ELECTROCUTED NEAR A SUBSTATION THAT SERVICED A WYOMING COUNTY COAL MINE.
http://www.wvah.com/newsroom/shows/7mon.shtml

Some people sure are dumb.

#70763 10/12/06 11:39 PM
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 83
E
Member
Sounds like the Gene Pool needed a little skimming.

Maybe they'll start to figure out that even though you can't see it, Electricity kills!

#70764 10/13/06 12:45 AM
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 827
Likes: 1
J
Member
They should show the pictures of these clowns to squirrels. It might make them think twice about crawling into our transformers. Nevermind! You would probably just see squirrels in PPE, using LOTO procedures and stealing copper.
Joe

#70765 10/13/06 07:20 AM
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 1,213
S
Member
Sounds like the Darwin Awards are going to have some stiff competition this year!

#70766 10/13/06 10:20 PM
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 806
Member
Here's an example of a copper thief who lost, found HERE

Follow the link in the first post...I didn't know how to extract it, sorry. You will need Microsoft Office to view that link, it is a Powerpoint file.

WARNING: The images are VERY graphic!!

edited to add follow the link...

[This message has been edited by mxslick (edited 10-13-2006).]


Stupid should be painful.
#70767 10/19/06 03:28 PM
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 61
J
Member
Wow..what kind of voltages are involved to get that kind of damage?

#70768 10/20/06 10:27 AM
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 840
C
Member
In the link posted, how can cutting a ground wire cause that to happen? It seems like some other incidental contact was involved. "Ground" wires aren't supposed to be carrying current, let alone high voltage, right???? I'm really confused! [Linked Image]

I can see the utilities using scare tactics as justified to discourage copper theft, but electrically it doesn't make sense to me.

Peter

[This message has been edited by CTwireman (edited 10-20-2006).]


Peter
#70769 10/20/06 10:45 AM
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 5,445
Likes: 2
Cat Servant
Member
CT, I noticed that as well. I just didn't worry much about it because
a) the press all to often makes a mess of things; and,
b) PoCo stuff is a world onto itself.

That aside, even ground wires (as we know the term) (more correctly, the GEC, or grounding electrode conductor) is almost always carrying current, even if it is seemingly at zero potential to ground. Cut it, and you will then have a voltage potential between the two halves.

A customer of mine had a meter can come apart when the PoCo wanted to pull the meter. Since electricity takes ALL paths, ther were several points where arcing resulted, between various pipes and conduits. Some of these arcs were just inches from the ground, between conduits that entered the ground.

#70770 10/22/06 09:29 AM
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 202
W
WFO Offline
Member
Quote:
"In the link posted, how can cutting a ground wire cause that to happen? It seems like some other incidental contact was involved. "Ground" wires aren't supposed to be carrying current, let alone high voltage, right???? I'm really confused! "

This was a power bank in a substation. Most distribution systems are 4 wire wye and the neutral is the last lead coming back to the transformer. It is typically bare copper (which made it tempting) but it is also the "return" for a high voltage circuit. Open it and you get full potential across it. This is the same reason you don't go near a downed power line, even if it is the neutral. Lots of people get hurt thinking it's at "ground" potential.

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