Close Call Near Fatality ComEd

[Trojan]

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GREEN​ * * * * * * * * * * Effective Date: May 10, 2011 * * * *CE-SA-1214
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Skokie C&M Electric Contact in Northbrook, Illinois
Investigation Brief
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3/31/11: An electrical contact event occurred when a crew was performing a pole replacement in Northbrook, IL.* The crew was using a corner mount digger truck which was grounded. *A lineman was operating the truck controls positioned on the truck platform wearing leather gloves, while the Other two crew members wearing class 2 rubber gloves, were attempting to position and stabilize the new pole with an insulated cant hooks. While being rotated into position on the boom, the pole made contact with an energized 34kV wire. Protective devices were not placed on the pole or the energized 34kV wires. The crew proceeded to position the pole. *The pole then swung toward the lineman operating the controls on the truck platform. He used his right hand to block the pole which was again in contact with the energized 34kV line. *This resulted in an electrical contact. *The injured lineman was released from the hospital but has not returned to work. *
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[Boomer gone soft]

It's always a series of mistakes that make the accidents.

Stay safe, Brothers, let's fight the temptation to cut corners.

Thoughts and prayers to the injured Brother, his family, and his crew members.....

[BigClive]

If the statistics on this forum are anything to go by then it's making pole changeouts one of the highest fatality activities.

Pole being dangled around primary voltages but floating in the air at touching height in the midst of well grounded workers. Not really surprising.

I'll risk the wrath of the macho line-gods by suggesting that maybe they oughta do it as a planned outage.

But hey, what's a few dead fathers here and there.

[cololinehand]

the damn cover up!! How f'n hard is it to get guts, tacos whatever you call them in your area to cover up the phases and then cover up the damn pole too. Just guessing but 90-95 percent of all the pole change out accidents/incidents we read about on here are cover up issues or lack there of

Our Super who is now our VP told us at a safety meeting that we are payed to put the cover up on.

An area outage is the safest way to do it but with the outage minutes, customer complaints and lost $$$ that isn't going to be the way it's done in most locales(no disrespect Clive).

Stay safe out there and stay away from the short cuts.

C

[BigClive]

Cover up isn't infallible. If you push a swinging pole with its hardware into it then it will displace the cover up enough to allow a flash onto the pole.

As far as inconveniencing customers or losing dollars goes. **** 'em. The life of a father is more important than a minor power cut. The whole culture of working live is encouraged by managerial clowns trying to prove themselves and the ass-lickers trying to prove just how much better then their co-workers they are. Sad thing is that you're always going to get a labourer who'll risk his life for an extra dollar an hour.

[Pootnaigle]

Steve is right on the money on this one. Simple protective covering of the phases and the pole would have prevented this accident.I cant help but believe that the truck may have been spotted too close for the operator to be able to get a hand on it also.But none of that matters at this point the damage is done.And yes clive lottsa fatalities come from setting poles.Ive never worked anywhere that would kill out the line to set a pole,Its part and parcel of a linemans skill or lack thereof.

[Trojan]

If it went my way, de-energize the 34kV and ground it. Safest way. No customers would have been down. Most of 34kV is considered sub-transmission. It goes from stationto station.

[Lineman North Florida]

I hate what happened to this lineman and his crew, but poles can and are set daily in energized feeders single double and even triple circuit feeders without mishaps, as someone said earlier cover up, conductors layed out if necessary, line truck or crane set up properly and most of all there is no other substitution for proper training, it is unrealistic to kill every feeder prior to setting a pole when it can be done safely, what would be done on re-conductor jobs where every pole for miles has to be changed? take feeder out every hour to set poles? No train your young hands on the proper way to do these things and we will have another generation trained on how to get it done safely. No disrespect meant towards anyone but killing all the lines or making mandatory rubber sleeve rules etc etc will ever supercede proper training.

[Pootnaigle]

News Flash TROJAN Most 34.5 is now a distribution voltage.Its taking the place of 13 KV . It may be a sub transmission voltage where you are But I would venture to say Its coming your way soon as a distribution voltage and its some damn hot stuff, Better get a new plan or just serve your customers power when the linecrews aint workin.

[Trojan]

Thanks for the news. My point as that the eqpt could have been deenergized and grounded. Most eqpt can. If it can't, then rubber and pole covers are needed.
Believe or not, new 34kV is not installed. And we have customers fed by 34kv but that is all old stuff. Who knows how long it will be around. Chicag's still got four wire 3740V cloth covered #6AWG primary wire.