2 N.Grid workers burnt

[old lineman]

It's interesting that not long ago we heard people complaining about having to wear flame resistant clothing. Then OSHA came out with stringent calulations about the weight of the fabric, more complaining.
It's pretty evident that when performing these tasks in a confined area such a metal clad switch gear this safety barrier becomes a life saver.
Thank God these workers had the integrity to use the eqipment when the supervisor wasn't looking.
Yeah for them.
I think pictures of the clothing should be shown on this site.
Someone may download them and create a meaningful safety meeting that will get peoples attention. It will make believers out of the nay sayers.
The Old Lineman

[Trbl639]

It's interesting that not long ago we heard people complaining about having to wear flame resistant clothing. Then OSHA came out with stringent calulations about the weight of the fabric, more complaining.
It's pretty evident that when performing these tasks in a confined area such a metal clad switch gear this safety barrier becomes a life saver.
Thank God these workers had the integrity to use the eqipment when the supervisor wasn't looking.
Yeah for them.
I think pictures of the clothing should be shown on this site.
Someone may download them and create a meaningful safety meeting that will get peoples attention. It will make believers out of the nay sayers.
The Old Lineman

those confined space switching substations are no place for mistakes. I think we all can learn from this incident. whenever you have a switching order keep it with you and study it. understand each step and why the correct switching order is so important. i've seen mistakes on the switching order before. things look different in the field than they do on a map or computer screen. double check you are at the correct device to be opperated. any time you have the slightest doubt... stop and ask questions. thank god these guys had on all their ppe. I only wish the switch person would have taken an amp reading before opening the disconnect. only takes a couple seconds.

I agree!!! As top said, we could all learn from this one!! sure glad the guys are gonna make it!!!

Old Lineman....I agree, with ya about the belly aching...we didn't like it, but if it will help us go home with all our parts and pieces at the end of the day...I'm all for it!!

[mscheuerer]

Top, was the opening of the loaded 4kv disco's part of the switching order or seperate from isolating and grounding the first circuit?

Reminds me of an old Entergy story that surfaced down us guy's http://tdworld.com/mag/power_utilities_remote_racking/ wheras a crew was racking out a retrofitted toshiba breaker not knowing it was given the closed command and was binded. The breaker indicated it was open and as they racked it out the mechanical bind was relieved and closed in on them. Both died. The explosion was so severe that it impaled them into a concrete wall behind them. Although wearing a fully arc flash protective suit, the arc blast and concusion effects caused such internal injuries and their deaths.

Please remember the Blast guy's, it goes hand in hand with the flash.

[topgroove]

Top, was the opening of the loaded 4kv disco's part of the switching order or seperate from isolating and grounding the first circuit?

wish I had an answer to that one. could only be three possibilities though . either they were at the wrong set of disconects, they executed the switching order incorrectly, or a mistake was made when the switching order was written. over the years we've had all three happen. Its not fair for me to guess because I wasn't there and know none of the perticulars, but if I had to pick one I'ld say they opened the wrong set of disconnects by mistake.

[CPOPE]

wish I had an answer to that one. could only be three possibilities though . either they were at the wrong set of disconects, they executed the switching order incorrectly, or a mistake was made when the switching order was written. over the years we've had all three happen. Its not fair for me to guess because I wasn't there and know none of the perticulars, but if I had to pick one I'ld say they opened the wrong set of disconnects by mistake.

We will probably never know the particulars, like in many accidents, could have been many contributing factors, you cant use a loadbuster on an indoor sub like Glendale. It's a solid blade disconnect intended to drop line only not make or break parallel or load. an amp stick to check load prior to opening might have helped. I know from personal experience it is easy to get turned around in a large indoor station.

http://www.hdelectriccompany.com/hd-...alo-Series.htm

The Hazard Risk Assessment should call for checking load prior to opening a solid blade without loadbreak capability. When checking load in one bay and opening disconnects in another bay it gets complex and easy to go into an adjacent similarly labeled bay.

[Trbl639]

Top, was the opening of the loaded 4kv disco's part of the switching order or seperate from isolating and grounding the first circuit?

Reminds me of an old Entergy story that surfaced down us guy's http://tdworld.com/mag/power_utilities_remote_racking/ wheras a crew was racking out a retrofitted toshiba breaker not knowing it was given the closed command and was binded. The breaker indicated it was open and as they racked it out the mechanical bind was relieved and closed in on them. Both died. The explosion was so severe that it impaled them into a concrete wall behind them. Although wearing a fully arc flash protective suit, the arc blast and concusion effects caused such internal injuries and their deaths.

Please remember the Blast guy's, it goes hand in hand with the flash.

I vaguely remember this accident..this happened when Entergy was in the process of buying the old GSU system, but because it happened at one of the plants, it was not widely discussed with distribution hands/lineman......mainly substa and plant personnel, as the only applications we had with metal-clad enclosed switch gear was at the plants..........