What is your company or union policy on wind?

[in the bucket]

Let's say there is a hurricane or bad storm, when is it too windy to start making repairs? I've been up in bad wind and can only say it was stupid and management should have waited for the storm to subside before sending us out on repairs. Feedback welcome. I've heard some trouble men say they'd go up in anything. Unless there was a life at stake, I don't know why anyone would take such risk of having a tree snap on a boom or getting whiplashed with a snapping conductor.

[bren guzzi]

In the uk. It is illegal to " ask anyone " ( put someone to work ) to do any thing that puts somebody at risk. As it says in our risk assessment " IF IT CANT BE DONE SAFLEY...THEN IT CANT BE DONE "
SO......
climbing or going up in a bucket in normal circumstances is no problem obviously ... But if conditions change then you are being put at risk.
BUT
it is up to the individual to decide if the task is safe... We can not be made to do anything that's un safe ....but at what wind speed do you deem it un safe ??????? For instance when I worked live on towers from the helicopter we weren't allowed up if the winds were over 20mph ...
NOBODY SHOULD BE ASKING INDIVIDUALS TO WORK OUTSIDE THIER COMFORT ZONE.
The best answer I can give you is. ( it's our little Irish saying that my men know we live by ).

WHEN IN DOUBHT .......LEAVE IT OUT..

If you feel endangered ..then don't risk your life because " someone tells you " that's your job" Think of your family and always walk away.

[Pootnaigle]

They usta send us out rite in the middle of a hurricane but that has changed now. I've tred refusing transformers while hearing the trunk feeders bellow all around.... me never did make any cents to me

[reppy007]

They usta send us out rite in the middle of a hurricane but that has changed now. I've tred refusing transformers while hearing the trunk feeders bellow all around.... me never did make any cents to me

Same here...during hurricane Alicia we were out there picking up pea-vine that only went back down.Finally they called us in to the center,so we watched the news that were saying that all crews were still out working:D .Im still open to the idea of killing some portions of a line until the storm is over,although you cant kill all of them due to hospitals/ect.Most times it was up to the crew to decide when to get out of the high winds.Now saying that,you could be in more danger if your crew leader wanted to stay out there and be Americas new hero,you know the type....the guy that gets on two customers while thousands of more are losing power and he thinks that he has done something :nightmare:

[linemanfrog]

I believe most booms are rated to be used up to 35 MPH winds. With that said, I know many have worked sustained winds that were higher with even higher gusts. When it goes bad it will fall on the operator of the boom. Companies try to keep lights on as long as possible and this sometimes leads to linemen ending up in situations they should not be in. As others have said...employees have the right to refuse to work in unsafe conditions.

[Pootnaigle]

Umm when working out of the local no buckets were flown if you could see lightening anywhere

[Lineman North Florida]

Common sense, when you don't feel comfortable come down.

[T-Man]

Common sense, when you don't feel comfortable come down.

I'm with you LNF.

I do remember loosing a hard hat in a strong wind, last time I saw it, it was flying like a Frisbee over a home. Once I got belted in and replaced the tr fuse I came down and couldn't find that thing anywhere. we didn't have buckets for everyone back then and trying to refuse with an extendo stick would have been impossible.

[Pootnaigle]

yeah usin apogo in hurricane force winds aint easy

[Trouble1]

OSHA says 40mph I think. I've been up in the air during blizzards and hurricanes and I would never do it again. What is there to gain by risking your life?

Last year we had one of the worst blizzards ever with 70mph winds and snow coming down almost a foot an hour and they sent us out. I made it to a phase down that was about a normal 10 minute ride in 45 minutes and there was no cars on the road because driving was banned. I went up in the air and opened a switch, came down and went right back in and told them I'm not going out unless the fire department needs me. Ten minutes later they called and gave me a flickering light call for one house. I said no because that was ridiculous. I told them to tell the person to shut the breaker off and call us in a week.

So I go out to the platform and I see a troubleman coming in a couple hours later and I asked him where he came from and he said he was in my area. Guess where they sent him.. the job I refused.

Moral of the story is our company will send you out in the worst weather you can imagine for a flickering light call and if you refuse they will call the next guy.

Now when we have high winds I go sit in the biggest parking lot I can find if they make me leave the building.

[BigClive]

The maximum wind speed a bucket can be worked from varies depending on the equipment. But if you did work in high wind and the bucket truck did go over then the blame would inevitably be placed on you.

The strongest wind I ever worked from a bucket in was well above it's rating and was only because things were deteriorating rapidly around me at the time. It was a case of "A stitch in time saves nine." and well beyond common sense.

[bren guzzi]

Checked my " Land rover bucket truck" it says do not operate over 12.5 miles per second ( what ever that means ). :eek:

[reppy007]

Checked my " Land rover bucket truck" it says do not operate over 12.5 miles per second ( what ever that means ). :eek:

No ask me :(

[Pootnaigle]

No ask me :(
Umm thats prolly Scottish MPsec so dont phart in the thang

[stulittle]

Bren,

I can't calculate it either but we've got a little anemometer that measures it.

Generally if the trees are moving then I'm staying in the deck unless it's life and death.

Our company policy on wind says.......

Whoever breaks wind in the van walks home :D

Stu

[T-Man]

Checked my " Land rover bucket truck" it says do not operate over 12.5 miles per second ( what ever that means ). :eek:

12.5 miles per second? that's 60 seconds in a minute times 12.5 equals 750 miles per minute! and times 60 equals 45,000 miles per hour. :eek:

Try it Bren you could visit us over here in no time.:D

Poot, run to the Banana store Bren should be thru here in no time.

[reppy007]

Bren,

I can't calculate it either but we've got a little anemometer that measures it.

Generally if the trees are moving then I'm staying in the deck unless it's life and death.

Our company policy on wind says.......

Whoever breaks wind in the van walks home :D

Stu

99.9 % Of all trucks cant get a De-Fib...so that thing you call an anemometer isnt going to happen here in the states....sure I could be wrong .....but not too wrong :tired:

[stulittle]

Reppy,

Have a look at Ebay, item no. 27139878490 (hope it's ok to post that on here)

Somewhat cheaper than a defib and possibly as likely to save a life - ok, maybe not but worth £10


Stu

[bren guzzi]

Reppy,

Have a look at Ebay, item no. 27139878490 (tel:27139878490) (hope it's ok to post that on here)

Somewhat cheaper than a defib and possibly as likely to save a life - ok, maybe not but worth £10


Stu



We've got one but call it a "WINDY METER ". :)

[stulittle]

The batteries are always flat in mine so I still look at the trees. If they aren't bending then if I'm in a bucket then as I go up I get a feel for it, if I'm climbing on a steel structure it's always breezy above the tree line but if I start getting "moved" around by it then it's time to come down.

Then again there's only 70kg of me so it doesn't take a lot to shift me about


Stu

[BigClive]

Checked my " Land rover bucket truck" it says do not operate over 12.5 miles per second ( what ever that means ). :eek:

Are you sure that's not metres per second? Because 12.5 miles a second would be awesome.

[duckhunter]

If management tells the crews that we are going to wait until the weather event is done, the linemen complain that you're trying to take overtime away from them.

[bluestreak]

We've been sent out in hurricanes, blizzards and just about any type of weather event and for the most part the guys might have given it the old college try, but if it was really dicey they stayed in the truck and waited for it to clear. Once in a while management would keep people in the building till the event blew over but as time goes on I think it just was to stop the trucks from getting tore up not a concern for the troops.

[bobbo]

I see it as this if you put a blanket on and if it flies to the next county, you need to do something else.

if you are doing transmission and you can't steady a 125 with the wind you need to do something else.

i really don't think you need a policy just common sense.

[Lineman North Florida]

I see it as this if you put a blanket on and if it flies to the next county, you need to do something else.

if you are doing transmission and you can't steady a 125 with the wind you need to do something else.

i really don't think you need a policy just common sense.

Thank you, common sense some have it, some don't.

[wudwlkr]

12.5 meters per second would be about 28 MPH.

[bobbo]

12.5 meters per second would be about 28 MPH.

We don't get paid if there is a shutdown. And if you shut down the buckets we got to climb it we are not utility. We have to work to take care of our families. If some dude shuts us down and not pay us, we are screwed. Good gfs will pay a straight 8 or pay your motels. When you post stuff, utility guys have it a lot better.

[rob8210]

That is a huge problem, utility guys no understanding contract work. When it comes to work or not get paid, we will work in almost any weather, but still use common sense. A really good GF will always have jobs that can be done when its to bad to fly buckets. Material to be made up , or returned , scrap to be disposed of , equipment that needs to be maintained, etc. Utility guys just collect their 40 hours rain or shine, and sometimes they get some work done too! Don't get your knickers in a knot fellas , I did 10 years in utilities before I went contracting. Its a job that needs to be done and it takes a certain breed of fella to do it!

[in the bucket]

Thanks for all the answers! I'm laughing at one post because after we complained about be ordered out in the middle of Sandy to fix some busted up open wire secondaries while the sky was exploding and trees were falling 360 degrees around us they went out and bought us wind meters. To this day they haven't given us a wind speed to draw the line at. I know I will never work in those conditions again unless a life is at stake. Hero equals stupid in a hurricane.

[neil macgregor]

no farting in the van