Someone at the IEC has come up with the idea of substituting the term 'voltage' for 'tension'.

Few think it will catch on.

What do you think?

C-H,
Why not leave the signs the way they are?.
I myself, prefer High Voltage, as opposed to High Tension, after all, the lines are carrying a High Voltage, not a Tension.

The ESB has always used the term "High Tension" here in Ireland.

High Tension Transmission lines etc.

Danger! High Voltage makes more sense to the average person though.

Or as they usually say:

Danger! High Voltage!
RISK OF DEATH!

Small aside... On the phrase: DANGER — HIGH VOLTAGE — KEEP OUT

Several code editions ago, the wording was amended. "Keep Out" was added as a result of some litigation in the US. Apparently, without that specific instruction, the warning was not obvious enough for some dimwits.

Would you think that Ireland's ESB is a little over the top in fixing "High Voltage KEEP AWAY!" and a pictogram of a guy being zapped to every single pole that they own, including stuff carrying 220/380V through residential areas?

djk,
I think that would possibly be a little over the top, sticking one of these signs on EVERY pole that carried wires, even LV ones.

I find the word "tension" interesting in that I always used to hear the (USA) transmission lines (the cables carried by those enormous metal towers) referred to as "high tension wires." However, that's the only use of the word "tension" that I have heard, with regard to electricity. Everything else was always "voltage."

I used to think that "high tension" meant that the cables were extremely taught, having been pulled to a high tension!

Those yellow signs are becoming more numerous here as well, along with the wordier Danger of death - Keep out signs in place of the simple old-fashioned Danger - High Voltage ones.

I would think that the average man in the street probably understands voltage better than tension, probably more so these days than in the past.

Back in the days of battery-powered valve/tube radios, we had H.T. and L.T. batteries, so many people probably knew the term tension by those (the H.T. battery was usually only 90V, but it was "high tension" compared to the L.T. battery!).

I wonder how this IEC proposal would be reflected in other languages? For example, the only French term I've ever seen for voltage is tension (pronounced somewhat differently).

It's tension / something similar in most of the latin type languages but all of the germanic languages...

"achtung! hauct spannung! " ?

But yeah, the ESB actually do put their logo, phone number (incase of emergencies), pole ID number and the DANGER ! Keep Away - RISK OF DEATH on EVERY pole along witht he guy being zapped... even on LV distribution stuff.

At least they're consistant!


The transmission pylons have their actual voltage.

HIGH VOLTAGE LINES OVERHEAD
DO NOT APPROACH ! - KEEP AWAY !
RISK OF DEATH

All train doors have a warning saying "HIGH VOLTAGE LINES OVERHEAD" and the little pictogram too.

Just incase anyone decides to climb up and touch the 25kV DC lines!

Cars have HT leads, not HV.

[quote]Just incase anyone decides to climb up and touch the 25kV DC lines![/quotes]
Isn't that 25kV AC ?

Djk,

you are right: in the germanic languages it is something like "spannung", e.g. Swedish "spänning".

The Germans might would use "Achtung Hochspannung" or "Vorsicht Hochspannung - LEBENSGEFAHR!"

Ooops! That's TGV voltage and you it would be AC

The system here would be 1500V DC for suburban rail.

I think the main difference between 1500V DC and 25kV AC is how close the climber would get before being zapped

Some train accidents over here have occured when somebody would manage to climb onto the roof of a car. They didn't realize that there isn't much clearance between the roof of the train and the underside of a bridge. Plus, the rod part that touches the overhead cables (aw, what is that thing called!!??) has a spring so it can adjust accordingly...

It's called a pantograph.

That's the one!

The Eurostar trains that run between the UK and Paris/Brussels are driven by multinational crews that must learn the signalling systems employed in all three countries, not just on the main routes which are (except the UK) , in the main, cab signalling but any diversionary routes which tend to be ‘classic’ and National in their significance.

[case in point – in France, two reds means Stop. A single red means Stop and Proceed at caution. In the UK one red means Stop! It requires a lot of route knowledge and understanding]

In out-of-the-ordinary incidents (or in emergencies) the driver is often required to stop and communicate with the signalman who can now (being an international rail system) speak one of three languages: English, French or Flemish (remember – the train drivers are international – not the signalmen). Learning two foreign languages is therefore encouraged amongst the Eurostar drivers. As you can imagine, it is the British drivers that have the most learning to do and a simplified vocabulary and syntax is taught to cover most incidents that effect the average railway with points/signal failure etc.

One day, a British driver was speeding through France (‘coz he can) when he hits a deer on the line which damages some of the safety equipment on the train. This forces him to stop and speak to the signalman. Now “deer” was not part of the vocabulary taught so being an industrious railwayman delivered the following:-

“Il est une vache avec un pantograph”

i.e.…

“It is/was a cow with a pantograph” !!!

Such linguistic ingenuity!!

LOL! I like it!

I have visions of a cartoon cow on wheels being propelled down the tracks at high speed!

I guess they'd have to change the TGV to VGV: Vache de Grande Vitesse.