Mass. Electric Worker burnt.

[loodvig]

In the Merrimack valley today. Med. flight to Boston burn hospital. Rumors so far is that he will loose his arm. Other details are scetchey so far as to how it happened. I do know it was 13kv.
This man is a hard worker and always comes in when called. Works a lot of OT to support his family.
I'll post more info when I can.

[loodvig]

He was hanging a down guy on a transformer pole. A cracked/defective AB Chance cutout above him broke and the high side of it came down and made contact.

[Bulldogge]

Was he working 13k single phase as in 23 Phase to Phase? or 13kv as in 8200 phase to Ground?

Our thoughts will be with him.......hope he and his family ge through this ok.

[loodvig]

13.2 phase to phase.

[Elric]

Crap :( Is it the second/third case when cross-arm breaks down and makes a contact? Damn, you wear rubber gloves and sleeves, you keep it safe ensuring you have no nails in the boots and then some stupid cross arm breaks...is there any way to test them?

[harley]

We have had problems with Chance cut-outs before. I hope Rusty goes after Chance because this problem has been ongoing for years.

[TEX]

Like I've said before. The porcelain Chance products are no F'n good. I hope his family sues the liv'n hell out of them. They've been "KNOWN" defective for years and Chance has known it. Maybe he can take down some management assholes with this too. Like I've said before, if you had a defective shotgun stick, switch stick, linc stick or whatever, it would be OFF the property in ten seconds, but they'll keep hurting and killing people with this shit. Change it out! You corporate assholes or face criminal charges! I know you butt plugs read this. I hope some prosecutor throws your shinney pants asses right in prison. Murder? or Manslaughter? Take your pick you ass holes. I hope some lifer drills ya right in the ass.

[Bull Dog]

wel said but the co has cut a deal years ago to avoid liability i bet they skate.

[loodvig]

He has lost his right arm just above the elbow and they are trying to save his left hand. It was single phase 7620v, pole top, no cross arm. On this setup we mount the cutout on a 8" stand off bracket. He had finnished the guy and noticed the can bolts were loose. He put the hydraulic impact gun on the can bolts to snug it up. The bolts were grounded through the tank ground. The top part of the cutout and tap hit him in the upper arm area. I guess you can read between the lines here! The 65k line fuse at the end of the street did not blow, the door or fuse holder burnt up. We had a 'safety stand down' today. The out come from this will not be pretty!

[Bulldogge]

Thats even worse that he was doing something that a lot of guys would've said the hell with by tightening those can bolts up. Now by doing the best job he could do hes paying for it.....I hope these corporate POS go down for this!

[rusty]

Brothers and Sisters,

I CAN'T DO ANYTHING IF I'M NOT CALLED???? This is EXACTLY WHY I STARTED S.A.C.!!!!!!!!!! This is a KNOWN PROBLEM!!!!!!!!!!!! I hope and pray the family is documenting all this!!!! They can " ONLY " get away with what we let them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Our prayers are with the Brother and His wife and babies, to seek justice IS NOT WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[old lineman]

He has lost his right arm just above the elbow and they are trying to save his left hand. It was single phase 7620v, pole top, no cross arm. On this setup we mount the cutout on a 8" stand off bracket. He had finnished the guy and noticed the can bolts were loose. He put the hydraulic impact gun on the can bolts to snug it up. The bolts were grounded through the tank ground. The top part of the cutout and tap hit him in the upper arm area. I guess you can read between the lines here! The 65k line fuse at the end of the street did not blow, the door or fuse holder burnt up. We had a 'safety stand down' today. The out come from this will not be pretty!

When I worked for New England Power Service Co. we followed the 'ground to ground' rule.
What happened?
The Old Lineman

[tramp67]

Too late to do our brother any good, but many of us have worked with the old grasshopper cutouts that have a nasty habit of breaking in two when you try to remove or replace a fuse link. The Chance cutouts have been breaking left and right, and the best method for dealing with them is to take the high side off the line before you are close enough for the jumper to possibly contact you, as is done with the grasshoppers. My condolences and prayers go out to my fellow brother and his family.

[lightningrod]

First let me say its sad to see such a good man with such terrible injuries, our thoughts and prayers are with him. Back a few years ago when our utility found out about thesedefective cutouts they implemented a changeout program, all 26,000kmof our system was patrolled and all cutouts recorded.

We them spent about a year removing "ALL" of them from our system (thousands of them), we would go up in the bucket and do a visual and if no cracks were visible we would open and untap, potential test, ground and change them. If they were cracked or on a pole we had to climb to change it then we dumped the line "period", no matter what it fead and as far as I know this is about the safest way going.

[TEX]

wel said but the co has cut a deal years ago to avoid liability i bet they skate.

I don't care what kind of deal the ass hole made. The local prosecutor in my area said that he could definitely make criminal charges against him. The product WAS KNOWN DEFECTIVE and they have done nothing (in writting) to notify or warn employees of the problem let alone mitigate the problem. They always dance around problem. Fuck'em. Hang the bastards and go directly to every TV news agency in the area and shove their ass hole faces right into the mess. Multi-billion dollar, international corporation and they can't maim and kill enough of you and then turn around and put the blame on the lineman with all the unmitigated gall of the corporate ass holes they are. Shove it up their asses. The buck-stops with the CEO or CO or COO what ever you call the ass hole.

[hawkman]

This problem isn't only happening to AB Chance fused disconnects. We've been seeing this in other brands also. If it's a porcelain potted type then it could be bad. This has been happening in the 500amp (D5's) disconnects too!

[F-Man]

Brothers and Sisters while i dont know Pat in person we du share a common bond as lineman and as a fellow workers here at grid ! And at the moment Pat you and your family are in all our prayers as well as your fellow workers in the valley who are coping with this !

This company has know for a while now that these cutouts are defective and in my opinion have not done nearly enough to address this problem ! And i know in all the divisions it has been brought up at every local safety meeting and the over line subcommittee that more needs to be done !
Even in full PPE we are still at a deadly risk operating these things !

Would the CEOS of these companies put there wife and kids in an automobile with known potential explosion HAZZARD with a gas tank problem
simply by saying dear please check for any leaks or fluids under the car then please inspect the fuel hoses and carbs because the dealer siad they are possible defective ! IF all looks ok then start your engine I THINK NOT!

I think they would say fix the fucking car or you drive it asshole !

Sincerely one pissed off T-Shooter on the South Shore

[dave948]

I don't know Pat personaly but his coworkers said he is a great guy and great lineman. My prays go out to him and his family.

I was told it was a ABB cutout but I'm not sure if that information is correct.

I had to change out 9 porcelain cutouts today after hearing about this tragic accident. My biggest fear is getting burned, I pulled on everyone of those cutouts today with a switch stick before I even got close and will never go near one again without trying to break it first from 12 feet away.

Every porcelain cutout needs to come out of service before we run out of lineman to change them.

[Bull Dog]

I really feel for this man who lost a arm. I dont think he was at fault at all but the co will find he broke a safety rule. The cutouts are bad in the northern climates especially and we all know this. Its happened to me and everyone else up here that this junk falls appart. Im Just saying given all this and the legal system were up against the chances are slim to none anyone will have to pay for this. I hope justice is done but the courts and utilitys and lawyers are not worried about justice for the most part but the bottom line. I would like to see someone try to fight for this but they will hire experts to say anything they pay for. If this man can get something substantial for his pain suffering and his family that would be good. As for the statement that someone in the co can be brought up on criminal charges. Dont know what to say about that except good luck. Now that would be great but thats why they have those big legal department to see that dosent happen while the ceo is alive. Sometimes i think were up against a stone wall but im glad some are trying to break it down. Its a good reminder no matter how good you are at this job it can happen to you and me. Criminal charges yes but get him in jail not likely. Hope all out there are well and have a good day.

[CPOPE]

God bless Pat .... my prayers are with him and his family

Blaming this accident on management after the fact will not give Pat back his right arm. Looking backward and putting the blame on the CEO will not help us safely change out the millions of potted porcelain cutouts on the distribution system.

You go within minimum approach distance you must accept the risk regardless of the equipment age. At any time, anything energized can fail catastrophically. The fact of our business is that even the best product money can by will have the potential to fail unexpectedly at any time. PPE is all about Personal Responsibility. No one is going to take care of your personal protection but you. Let us hope NGRID does the right thing and takes care of Pat and his family going forward. Let us also agree that the multiple safety bulletins and work procedures put out at NGRID on the cutout situation years ago, prior to any accidents, does not exonerate anyone. The manufacture will say that the cutouts are not defective. They last 15-25 years and that's that. The ANSI - NEMA or RUS specification is not going to give you a product with anything longer. In an ideal world we would get a 40 year life out of equipment. Even with the best product money can by that the utility standard of operating equipment until failure is simply not acceptable. Someone or something besides a lack of PPE needs to share in the blame.

The failure mode {cracking and breaking} of a potted porcelain cutout has been a know hazard for my 20years in the trade. All potted porcelain cutouts regardless of manufacture have the same failure mode. In days of old with banded type cutouts the porcelain was in compression. The older banded design lasted until the fuse door burnt up. Potted porcelain cutouts crack and break. The current design of the porcelain potted cutout is flawed.

The Northeast US and Canadian utilities are spending millions replacing cutouts and multiple utilities have issued multiple bulletins...Polymer cutouts are now being installed to replace the porcelain. No guarantee that theses will last any longer but we hope the failure mode will change. Allowing utilities run the distribution system until failure is a root problem. Let us fix it before it breaks, don’t ask me to operate a 40-60 year old piece of equipment energized or worse yet send me out to pick it up off of the ground after the unsuspecting public gets injured.

[TEX]

I really feel for this man who lost a arm. I dont think he was at fault at all but the co will find he broke a safety rule. The cutouts are bad in the northern climates especially and we all know this. Its happened to me and everyone else up here that this junk falls appart. Im Just saying given all this and the legal system were up against the chances are slim to none anyone will have to pay for this. I hope justice is done but the courts and utilitys and lawyers are not worried about justice for the most part but the bottom line. I would like to see someone try to fight for this but they will hire experts to say anything they pay for. If this man can get something substantial for his pain suffering and his family that would be good. As for the statement that someone in the co can be brought up on criminal charges. Dont know what to say about that except good luck. Now that would be great but thats why they have those big legal department to see that dosent happen while the ceo is alive. Sometimes i think were up against a stone wall but im glad some are trying to break it down. Its a good reminder no matter how good you are at this job it can happen to you and me. Criminal charges yes but get him in jail not likely. Hope all out there are well and have a good day.

There IS legal precedence for criminal prosecution and it has happened in my area with another company big shot who did minimal time for telling some of his workers to do a job that was known to be unsafe. The workers were cutting the tops off large storage tanks when one of them exploded, killing one of the workers and injuring another. The company didn't want to take the time to vent the tanks and do the job right. TOOK TOO LONG. Just because your company thinks it's immune.......they had better think again. If the prosecutor is a bull dog he can hang their asses. Their thousand dollar suits ain't going to save them. Our work is a series of CALCULATED risks we take every day. The unknown factors should be dealt with differently and that POLICY does not exist. They've had plenty of opportunity to divest themselves of these problems but choose to save money over protecting the lives of their workers AND the public! HANG'EM

[rusty]

CPOPE,

You are correct, to a point! The real problem is the lack of commitment to their people and to repairs and maintenance, all profit driven decisions! And because a utility issues warnings, DOES NOT RELIEVE THEM of DUE DELIGENCE!!!! I for one DON’T CARE “ WHO “ WAS AT FAULT! TAKE CARE OF THE BROTHER AND THE WIFE AND BABIES, JUST LIKE EACH AND EVERY ONE WAS THE CEO AND HIS FAMILY, PERIOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Anything less is CHICKEN SHI*!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[loodvig]

Pat has feeling and movement in his left hand. They let a few guys in to visit him too.

[BigClive]

Pat has feeling and movement in his left hand. They let a few guys in to visit him too.

Thank f*ck for that! That's great news, I thought he might have had that hand damaged too.

I hope it's not one of those nasty internal burns that has complications later on. Loosing both hands would be pretty tough.

[loodvig]

There's plenty of damage to his left but he can use it. He's got a long was to go. But at this point one is better than none!

[topgroove]

Thats great news. Is anyone setting up a donation fund for pat? Does he have a wife and kids? I'm sure we could get I.B.E.W. LU 97 involved and his brothers here in NY would help out anyway we could.

[loodvig]

I heard today that they had to take the left thumb!

[BigClive]

I heard today that they had to take the left thumb!

Shit. I hope they don't have to remove any more. I guess it may have been an exit path for current. Unfortunately only time tells how much internal damage was caused by the current flow.

Not so jolly. As soon as I read that I imagined handling stuff with my left thumb missing, and it's not great.

[Henny]

We all know about these cutouts but if this lineman had worn his rubber gloves he might have not had this contact. Rubber gloves Ground to Ground, you never know when the unexpected will happen and your life or limb will be spared.

[loodvig]

We all know about these cutouts but if this lineman had worn his rubber gloves he might have not had this contact. Rubber gloves Ground to Ground, you never know when the unexpected will happen and your life or limb will be spared.

No sh!t, really?
On the surface it might look that way. But many things were wrong leading up to this day. We have records going back years where we complained about the Chance cutouts. The co. blew it off each time. The tap to the top of this cutout was long enough to hurt a phone or cable worker. The list is long! National Greed has put this man's family in a Boston hotel, next to the hospital, and is paying for all meals. So you tell me who's worried?
After the accident a crew was sent over to restore the power. OSHA was there, and after the crew replaced the cutout, OSHA is quoted as saying, "that's it, your not going to replace all of them"?

[BigClive]

We all know about these cutouts but if this lineman had worn his rubber gloves he might have not had this contact. Rubber gloves Ground to Ground, you never know when the unexpected will happen and your life or limb will be spared.

I don't think the cable landed on his hands. With rubber gloves on the current would have taken another route to earth, quite possibly the length of his body with much more serious consequences.

Losing part of an arm and the other hand is bad, but perhaps slightly preferable to death.

[rusty]

Hinny,

Things are not always as they appear??? My question to you is, WHAT DOES IT MATTER where the fault is??? " IF " this Brother made a mistake does that let the company deny him and his family A SMALL portion of the profits and maybe even some of their bonus money, TO DO THE RIGHT THING??? Or do you feel it is justice served to force him and his family to try and survive off workers comp and social security???? Do years of service count for anything?? What was the companies profits last year? What were the bonuses paid to management??? Those sitting behind a desk in no danger of all are entitled to MILLIONS in bonuses EVERY YEAR, then a Brother who has spent his life making those profits and bonuses MAY OR MAY NOT have made a mistake, and it is justice to force him and his family to settle at the mercy of the BS????? I think it is great when companies can make money, but when those who receive a far more lion share of that money, who are in no danger of all turn on a Brother and his family, just to protect their profits and bonuses LIABILTY OR NOT, THEY SHOW NO HONOR NOR CLASS and are parasites not worthy of ANYBODIES LOYALTY OR LABOR!!!!

I pray that doesn't happen in this case, " BUT " EVERY Brother and their families that work for this out fit, should be watching, BECAUSE YOU MAY BE NEXT, and wil recieve the same kind of treatment!!!!! If they deny this Brother and his family justice by laying the blame on him, EVERYONE SHOULD START LOOKING FOR ANOTHER JOB!

[biff2ibew]

i am sorry to here about the man getting hurt . i have never had cut -out a.b. or others just break for no reason . i have seen crews abuse the material before was put in service and companies and lineman not take the time to preform the required maintance on the systems we work . the biggest problems have seen with any material has been shipping &handling before it gets to the job. :eek:

[TEX]

i am sorry to here about the man getting hurt . i have never had cut -out a.b. or others just break for no reason . i have seen crews abuse the material before was put in service and companies and lineman not take the time to preform the required maintance on the systems we work . the biggest problems have seen with any material has been shipping &handling before it gets to the job. :eek:

Got to agree with Tgroove. Anyone worth his salt knows about the ABChance cut-outs breaking. I've changed a lot of broken and many "about" to break! (Better put that jumper on reallll easy.) This problem is old and still the corporate assholes don't have a dedicated program to get rid of them and the aluminum ABChance dead-end glass. Ya better get up to speed there Biff!

[biff2ibew]

thanks for the welcome to the form. to let you know i have been in the trade 10 years . i currently work in fla. for city utility where if they can save buck they will. i also worked in the contactor side as a tramp lineman. now have i have work many stroms where the only thing that has kept the line up has been the stinger from the top of the cut-out and the cut-out never broke . now i always take the time to replace that cut-out . i know there are many that take short cuts and abuse the crap out the equipment the thats put on the poles . there is many good hands that take the time to look the pole over to do what this man did to fix or clean apole to make it right. but i know as a night time -t man what can happen and the way the companies think. cheap ,quick, and as fast you can . i work alone with no back up ( no 2nd man or crew) everyone is on call if you can get them. so you can see the when it come to cut-outs they can be areal hazards . i llook every one with care and respect. now if every company and lineman would do the same. just the same i know about company cover -ups . i have some who works in personal injury law and workers comp. . and to see hear and know men that hurt for life or dead is not easy. if we all just take the time as workers to look things over . to never let your guard down never count on that person before you that he was as mindful as you. :rolleyes: :confused:

[rusty]

biff,

Welcome as well, got some questions for you. How much is your life or that of a Brother and the fair treatment of his or your family worth, REGARDLESS of who or what caused it to happen???? Is it wrong to want those injured and killed and their families to receive a SMALL portion of the profits and bonuses of those who reap the lions share, that are in no danger at all and have been doing so EVERY YEAR??? Who do so at the cost of our blood, sweat and limbs and lives day in day out, and we are not in comfort controlled environments year after year. Sure we get a pay check as do those who receive MILLIONS in profits and bonuses YEARLY??? Those who receive bonuses do so for going above and beyond, and rightfully so! But how is a Brother who gives his limbs or life not GIVING MORE??? Is it wrong to hold those accountable that sell for profit things that are defective??? Or hold those accountable for creating a work environment that due to profit concerns cause injuries and death??? Or hold those accountable due to manpower needs controlled by profits who KNOWINGLY place unskilled workers in life threatening situations???

Everybody hate attorneys, until you need one! And then when you do, you either want the cheapest one you can find or the best money can buy depending on your needs! The problem today, is the hate for attorneys has been used to tie the hands of the courts and to manipulate our justice system ALL INFAVOR of the insurance companies and those who are liable! Thereby denying justice to those who are truly needy and deserving, ALL IN THE NAME OF GREED AND PROFITS!!! Those in power and control have manipulated justice at the cost of fairness to those who die and are maimed and their loved ones, solely to protect their profits!!! Right is right and wrong is wrong, and if they can have untold resources and lawyers to protect their interests, IT IS NOT WRONG for us to protect ourselves and families! The sad part is we even have to!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[loodvig]

Rusty;

As always, very well put. Thank you.

[biff2ibew]

rusty i agree with you about way the money trail works .no amount $$$$,s make-up for a mans life. my point i was tring to get across to everyone is that we or the middle man shipper ,ape,s and the low paid factor worker some times cause our problems . now iam in agreement with the accountablity for wrongful or the miss guide profit over the well being of each other. my reason for the involement in this converstion is to find outmore information ,to understand why or how you seem to have knowledge of so many failures of this product ? ive worked 7620 & 13200 phase to ground . also i work in very salt containate /chemical area most our system materials are going to stainless steel . so give me little ,more imformation ?

[rusty]

loodvig,

THANKS BROTHER!

biff,

I understand where you are coming from, and the answers may save lives and limbs in the future. But what drives me crazy, IS WHO GIVES A SHI* who's fault it was! If a Brother gave 30 years of his life in this trade, THEY DAM* well can take care of him and his family, AS WELL AS HE HAS BEEN PROVIDING BONUSES AND PROFITS FOR THEM " THE LAST 30 YEARS" !!!!!!! To cast him and his wife and babies to a world THEY MANIPULATED to distance themselves from liability, IS BS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I OPENLY DARE " EACH " and everyone of these utilities and owners TO CREATE A FUND managed by me, that anybody who participates can audit AT ANY TIME! And I will fly to each and everyone that is injured or killed and do as much as the fund will allow!!!!!!!!!!!! You want to end BS law suites STAND THE F___ UP!!! We can take the interest off the money and turn it back in to the fund to care for those that are NEXT!!!!! These people make BILLIONS of dollars a year, NOT COUNTING what they pay out in bonuses!!! If they would all chip in and help me build a fund of a 100 MILLION dollars, that would go a long way in caring for the average 50 BROTHERS KILLED and the 100+ a year injured !!!!!!!!!!! And if the families knew they had help, THE LAW SUITS WOULD BE FAR LESS!!!!

RIGHT IS RIGHT AND WRONG IS WRONG!!! With this fund everybody is taken care of!!!! They family doesn't have to beg for justice, and the owners don't have to admit GUILT! And it would be TAX deductable for the owners!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IT WILL NOT HAPPEN " BECAUSE " THE LAWYERS " ON BOTH SIDES GET CUT OUT" !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[loodvig]

Well, they tried everything. They had to take Pat's left hand. From what I heard, they kept taking small pieces, but in the end the whole hand had to go. So now he has a 4" right stump and the left is gone at the wrist.

[BigClive]

Well, they tried everything. They had to take Pat's left hand. From what I heard, they kept taking small pieces, but in the end the whole hand had to go. So now he has a 4" right stump and the left is gone at the wrist.

SHIT! That's really what we didn't want. :(

That's going to make his life so much harder. You get hooks and tools for the end, but they ain't no match for even a couple of real fingers.

Poor guy.

[57hand]

That's a damn shame. My thoughts are with our brother and family. We've had this damn cut-out problem for some time now. Our company comes out with a safety bulletin telling the hands to "be aware" of this problem and that they are working with the manufacturer to remedy the problem. NO SHIT?? CUT-OUTS HAVE BEEN BREAKING??? It's a good thing you guys put this bulletin out, otherwise we lineman would have never known. MY ASS!!!! Now a brother has lost limbs.TO ANY CORPORATE OFFICIAL READING THIS......PUT SOME MONEY INTO YOUR SYSTEM AND GET RID OF THESE FUCKING THINGS BEFORE SOMEONE ELSE GETS HURT. Personally, I don't know why anyone has'nt gone after A.B.CHANCE for this shit.

[F-Man]

Hey lood sorry to hear about them taking more from pat its a dam shame!!

I do sit on the line sub comittee an also on the div. safety meetings on the s. shore they have told us very little of the accident cuzz its under investigation .

there are 2 things that still piss me off the most

1. since they had so many problems with these fuckin chance cutouts N. Grid
told chance they were looking elsewere for bid contracts on switches looking to go all polly well guess what chance didnt want to loose there $$
so they came up with a polly style cutout and they sold em to grid for a fraction of the normal price to keep them as there vendor !!! THAT IS A FACT
WHEN U SEE CUTOUT BOXES LABELLED HUBBELL THEY R FUCKING CHANCE MADE !! NOW U WONDER WHY THEY CHANGED THERE NAME !!!!
2. when these things burn up in multi phase construction i still see alot of guys that only change the bad one out !! wtf people if one burnt up and all three are the same style put up at the same time change all of em out on the pole ODDS ARE THE OTHERS R GONNA BURN UP NEXT TIME IT RAINS

plus the Grid cutout procedure on changing out chance cutouts state that under customer shutdown or emergency repairs all of these r to be replaced b4 they are energized NO EXCEPTIONS


Copies of this procedure should be posted in all linerooms !!

[loodvig]

Union: Defective equipment led to worker's injury



(single page view)
(view as multiple pages)By Colin Steele
Staff writer




ANDOVER — The devices that hold power lines up on their poles are endangering electrical workers and the public, said a union official representing a National Grid worker injured on the job two weeks ago.

Lineman and Andover resident Patrick Cataldo is in a Boston hospital recovering from a March 14 incident on Gemini Circle. He was replacing a wire when a white porcelain cutout broke, causing a live wire to fall on him, said James "Red" Simpson, business manager for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 326 in Lawrence.

"These (cutouts) are a serious problem with us," Simpson said. "They break without warning."

Cataldo was not directly working on the cutout; the vibrations of his work on the pole below caused it to break, Simpson said. That makes him worry that a similar accident could happen to anybody under power lines.

"The public needs to be very concerned about it," Simpson said, "not to mention the reliability issues with the power outages it causes."

Cataldo and a co-worker were investigating reports of hanging wires that a truck had snagged earlier in the day, National Grid spokesman David Graves said. Graves would not say what happened, only that Cataldo was in a truck-mounted bucket when he suffered burns to his hands and arms.

Simpson characterized Cataldo's injuries as "very serious" and said he spent time in the burn unit at Brigham and Women's Hospital. Cataldo was in good condition yesterday, a hospital spokesman said.

National Grid and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration are investigating the incident. Alan Burbank, an OSHA compliance, safety and health officer in Methuen, declined comment.

Utility workers have complained about the cutouts for at least five years, Simpson said. Local 326 represents 75 area linemen.

There have been "numerous near-misses" involving broken cutouts that endangered crews, but Cataldo's incident was the first in the area that ended in a serious injury, Simpson said.

Simpson said National Grid knows about the problem with the cutouts, but is not replacing them fast enough.

Graves would not comment specifically on the cutouts, saying he did not want to speculate about the cause of Cataldo's incident, although he did say, "We repair and upgrade equipment constantly. That's part of what we do."




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[PSE Lineman]

About those cutouts. I work and live in Whatcom County Washington. PSE has 9 counties to cover with almost 1,000,000 electric customers. We turned in several cutouts (chance load break , 100 amp). Some , maybe 6 or 8 , that split longways and fell apart and caused outages. A few more burned the steel stud that sticks out of the middle with the hole in it to hang it on the cutout bracket. We gave them to our standards dept. and they didn't have any other ones from around the 8 other counties. It gets colder than anywhere else in the area up here when the northeaster starts blowing. They said that MIGHT have something to do with it. These cutouts are new type. Meaning they are not 10 years old. Some of them have only been in the air for less than 5 years. If anyone can put up a picture , I'll do the same when we run across one in the future.
Reall sorry that we have to find them and lose limbs and hands. It's not what we signed up for. For petes sake , BE CAREFUL OUT THERE!!!

[PSE Lineman]

OK , I tried to put up pictures of failed cutout to see if they are the same as the one involved in this accident. I couldn't load them on this post (too big) So I will post them on the pictures part of this web site. Please look at them and let me know...

[loodvig]

OK , I tried to put up pictures of failed cutout to see if they are the same as the one involved in this accident. I couldn't load them on this post (too big) So I will post them on the pictures part of this web site. Please look at them and let me know...

Give us a link to where you posted it.
And yes it's the 100amp load break type. The date made is usally on the top of em.

[Bull Dog]

I think this is the best tread ive seen yet. This last week we had a coon short out a x-fmr. Went up to refuse and woulnt even touch it with your stick. De-energized and top fell off. Changed it and arrester refused and all was well. My advise look before you leap. God bless cause we are trying to make it to the lawn chair in one piece and God bless this brother who now lost both hands. The person who dont know what were talking about you a line man or what?

[dbrown20]

Plenty of execs. make more money and risk less in 6 months that we poor slobs wind up with as a pension after 30 or 40 years work. Remember the Lords and Nobles and the Serfs? Which do you think we are?

I recall this Lesbo V.P. we had a few years ago. Her base salary was $240,000 per. yr. They finally shit canned her. How long does it take the average lineman who busts his ass in all kind of weather and conditions to earn that much? To add insult to injury she was to get a bonus that would equal her annual salary if she met certain goals. $480,000 per yr. Not bad eh? dbrown20

[PSE Lineman]

The pictures are going to be posted on this web site (www.powerlineman.com) Just click on "pictures" and it will take you there. One thing you want to remember , it takes a while for Byron to put them in there. The page is : http://www.powerlineman.com/pictures/pictures.htm. Sometimes I have to remind him to post them. When they are there I'll come back and let you know.

[PSE Lineman]

The pics of a failed cutout are on the "pictures" part of this web site. The fuse holder came down and , I think , started the fire from backfeed splatter on the side of the case of the xfmr. Is this the kind that are breaking in Mass? I also looked for any dates on them and can find none on any of them , new or old. The pic of the 3 together are for reference to see if they are the ones that are breaking. I took that pic to show management how freakin' close they are together. The fuse tail almost reaches the middle one. It was built like that over 15 years ago , maybe 20....

[Trampbag]

Sorry to hear of the injured brother. Hope his family can cope with his injuries. Our prayers go out to him.

This thread about A B Chance cutouts is starting sound a lot like the problem Ohio Brass faced in the late ‘60’s to the early ‘90’s with their pin type 69kv shirted clamp top type insulators. For years those insulators were a serious problem, breaking off just under the clamp, often while the lineman was climbing the pole. There were warnings in every publication of the IBEW for years before anyone took serious interest in what was really going on.

Almost all utilities had changed out the offending insulators by the mid ‘80’s and the lawsuits, I know of none that were for personal injury to linemen, by the utilities against Ohio Brass eventually broke them and OB disappeared from sight for some time.

Ohio Brass appeared again some time in the 90’s under the Hubbell Power Systems banner, a subsidiary company along with subsidiaries Fargo and (guess who) AB Chance.

http://www.hubbellpowersystems.com/default.htm

The above hyperlink will take you to the Hubbell site, see PRODUCTS.

Some utilities have been on aggressive change out programs for faulty apparatus, like the various makes of porcelain cutout, not because they are afraid of lawsuits for personal injury to the public or their workers but because identified problem apparatus causes outage frequency spikes undesirable to the various watchdogs, such as the various PUCs, of the industry.

Be careful out there. Many Workers’ Compensation Boards in the USA and Canada exist only to protect the companies, not the workers. There are limitations, often a little over $150,000 maximum, paid out to the survivor’s family upon a workers death and prohibit the company from being sued even if grossly negligent. Check out the WCB or equivalent in your jurisdiction.

Why would any company fear a worker injury lawsuit considering this? Companies do, however, fear company to company suits such as the ones that broke Ohio Brass in their first life.

Trampbag@hotmail.com

[loodvig]

The pics of a failed cutout are on the "pictures" part of this web site. The fuse holder came down and , I think , started the fire from backfeed splatter on the side of the case of the xfmr. Is this the kind that are breaking in Mass? I also looked for any dates on them and can find none on any of them , new or old. The pic of the 3 together are for reference to see if they are the ones that are breaking. I took that pic to show management how freakin' close they are together. The fuse tail almost reaches the middle one. It was built like that over 15 years ago , maybe 20....
Yes those look like the bastards! But, the three too close together, I'm not sure. They look a little different.

[CHICAGO HAND.]

SPECIAL SAFETY ALERT * * * * SPECIAL SAFETY ALERT

MASSACHUSETTS LINEMAN INJURY LINKED TO FAULTY CUTOUT
IBEW Safety Department Issues Warning To All Utility Locals Of Faulty A.B. Chance Cutouts.

A trouble-prone pole-top device suspected of causing a fire in Farmington last May that destroyed four cars and a Dunkin’ Donuts is now suspected of causing an accident that maimed a utility lineman in Massachusetts last month.

The accident March 14th in Andover, Massachusetts injured a lineman working for National Grid, the local utility company. An official with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers said an A.B. Chance porcelain cutout failed while the lineman worked on the pole, causing a 7,620-volt wire to drop onto the lineman’s arm.

The lineman lost his right arm above the elbow and the thumb on his left hand, according to a document filed with the Connecticut Department of Public Utility Control (DPUC), which conducted an investigation into A.B. Chance cutouts on the Connecticut Light & Power (CL&P) system.

During the course of the DPUC investigation, which was prompted by a Courant investigation into A.B. Chance cutouts, CL&P announced it would spend $4.5 million a year to remove Chance porcelain cutouts from its system. The program, which is expected to take three years, represents a nine-fold increase in removal efforts.

IBEW officials who represent some CL&P workers say A.B. Chance cutouts are a threat to the public, linemen and others who work on utility poles, such as cable television and telephone workers.

The accident in Andover occurred when the lineman began using an impact wrench on the pole about 6 feet below the high voltage primary wires, said James G. (Red) Simpson, Business Manager for IBEW Local 326 in Lawrence, Mass.

“He was tightening up the transformer mount bolts,” Simpson said during a recent interview. “The vibration from the wrench caused the cutout to come apart”.

The porcelain on the cutout, Simpson said, “was broken off clean. It was obvious it was cracked.”

The accident is under investigation by National Grid and the Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Simpson said that based on the reports of eyewitnesses and the failure history of A.B. Chance cutouts, he is confident a faulty cutout is the cause.

T’s my opinion the failed cutout was the root cause of the accident,” Simpson said. “It is probably, in my opinion, one of the most straightforward pure accidents that you’d ever see. The guy went up the pole to do a job. An unrelated piece of equipment . . . . . failed and caused him to come in contact with the conductor.”

Concern about vibration causing faulty A.B. Chance cutouts to come apart is not new.

Dan Weston, Engineering and Operations Director for the Washington Electric Co-Operative in Vermont told The Courant last year that he issued his linemen binoculars so that they can carefully inspect A.B. Chance porcelain cutouts before they begin climbing a pole. “By jiggling the pole, this thing can physically break in half. Linemen start to climb a pole and this thing will fall apart and you can have a ball of fire up there.”

Officials with two IBEW local unions that represent some CL&P linemen brought the Massachusetts accident to the attention of DPUC, which has adopted a draft decision regarding CL&P and it’s A.B. Chance cutouts. The union contends the only safe way to replace A.B. Chance cutouts on the CL&P system is to de-energize the lines before any work begins. That could mean lots of power outages as crews remove the cutouts.

CL&P insists the A.B. Chance cutouts cannot be conclusively linked to the Farmington incident – in which customers in the Dunkin’ Donuts were hurried out the back door to safety – but in the draft decision a DPUC Hearing Officer found that nothing else could have started the fire.

Hearing Officer Donald W. Downes found that “failure of a cutout manufactured by A.B. Chance is the most probable cause.”

“Regardless of the cause of the fire,” Downes continues, “Chance cutouts are known to be failing at an escalating rate, presenting safety issues to the public and to utility employees. The department believes that it is important to remove the devices from the electric system in a deliberate manner, and therefore it will monitor their removal.”

In response to the union filing about the Massachusetts accident, which came after DPUC closed its hearing on the matter, a lawyer for CL&P urged the council to ignore the union’s new information and to adopt the draft decision. Cutouts can be safely removed when lines are energized, but lines can be de-energized if there are specific safety concerns, the power company lawyer wrote in response to the union’s filing.

In the draft decision, Downes finds that CL&P’s removal plan “strikes an appropriate balance between safety, financial considerations and scheduling concerns.”
Hartford Courant

A Message From The Local 15 Office
The Local 15 Office believes the preceding information is vital for the safety of its members that work on or around A.B. Chance cutouts. As the article states, these A.B. Chance cutouts are failing at a rate far greater than normal and in at least two cases the effects were devastating.
The Union urges its members to be cognizant of these devices when approaching a pole. If the cutout appears unsafe, contact your Field Supervisor immediately.
Also, inform your Union Chief Steward and Safety Representative of the problem and its location.

[dungnfam]

Was he wearing his gloves? It sounds like he wasn't. Either way, my heart goes out to him and his family. Thankfully, he's still alive.

[loodvig]

He is now in the Spalding Rehab hospital in Boston. He has lost most of his right arm and the left hand near his wrist.

[VoltsandAmps]

Hi everyone my name is Chris, I just joined this forum today. I work for a utility up North. I am very interested in learning more about these AB Chance cutout failures. From all of your experiences,

1.) Where do they usually break at?
2.) Where are they cracked at? Are the cracks visible from the ground with using binoculars, or do I need to get up close?
3.) What date range has everyone seen problems with? Just the old ones, like 1992? Or has anyone seen any problems with the newer models?

Thanks, I look forward to sharing my opinon and experiences will all of you in the near future. Chris

[Koga]

back on page 5 of this thread and there is a link to the picture section.In the picture section of this site go down till you see the one that says

4/10/ 06 Royal "failed chance"



Koga

[ts94]

From what I have seen the expoxy on the inside of the cutout seems to start to track, and it lets water in and the water ices up and splits the porcilin. So look for any marks on the cutout not just cracks. Down here in NJ I look real close at the cutout and than I hold the hot side and give a good little shake before I throw the fuse in, if in doubt I replace it.

[scammy]

we use to replace the older brown cutouts ,but now the grey chance cutouts seem more prone to breaking,,,,,,,just had one break on me while I was loadbraking it ,,,,,,,,made a fire , I would like to see more poly cut outs but companys dont want to spend money,,,but how much do they save when we have to replace them on double time? they just dont get it ,,,,,my heart goes out to the injured lineman in Mass.

[VoltsandAmps]

Hey everyone,
Thanks for the replies. I was asking some guys at work on Friday, and they showed me some invoices for different cutouts. Actually the cost of the polymer is about 3 times as much as the porcelain cutouts. It would make sense to purchase the cheaper cutout, but buying one with such high failure rate makes no sense. Especially, since saftey is an issue when dealing with these products. Right now I am in training as a lineman, and I want to protect myself when faced with this prodcut. The one guy at work says that hey uses a set of binoculars to look at the cutout before going up. But I am not sure what he is looking at, for cracks? If so, where are the cracks at? Is there a specifc year with a higher failure rate? Thanks, Chris

[scammy]

no as stated before,they get hairline cracks, moister gets in freezes and expandes the crack ,to the point of failer.,,,,,,,I think they cost 25 or 30 bucks apiece ,and for poly 40 or50,,,,but for a 2 man crew on double time and a bucket truck your looking at 150 an hour,,,,,,not to mention what the cost is in human price for failer,,,,,,,,,,,scammy

[old lineman]

Hey everyone,
Thanks for the replies. I was asking some guys at work on Friday, and they showed me some invoices for different cutouts. Actually the cost of the polymer is about 3 times as much as the porcelain cutouts. It would make sense to purchase the cheaper cutout, but buying one with such high failure rate makes no sense. Especially, since saftey is an issue when dealing with these products. Right now I am in training as a lineman, and I want to protect myself when faced with this prodcut. The one guy at work says that hey uses a set of binoculars to look at the cutout before going up. But I am not sure what he is looking at, for cracks? If so, where are the cracks at? Is there a specifc year with a higher failure rate? Thanks, Chris


You won't always be able to see the cracking. We used to have to ring skirted insulators in substations with a screwdriver to see if they had a crack and we were sanding right over them.
In some cracks you couldn't even catch your fingernail in the crack, especially when they were just developing.
It seems to me that the logical thing would be for AB Chance (Hubbell) to offer to replace them with epoxytype at a reduced rate just to get them out of the system before a class action suit starts.
What's the matter with those turkeys?
The Old Lineman

[VoltsandAmps]

To all:

It is a major decision for any utility to go in and replace all of their AB chance cutouts. The ammount of time and money needed to do something like this is very large. For a utility to make the decision to send their resources out and to replace these products, they need reliable evidence to make a decision like this. I am interested in collecting data about these failed cutouts and showing my results to my company. If the failures of these products are not documented there is nothing that can be done. Yes, it is very tragic that a fellow brother was injured. However, how can the family file a law suit against AB Chance if there was never an investigation done, they need evidence! That is why I started saving failed AB Chance cutouts that fail in the field and investigating the cause of failure. I tested the porceclain and found that some of the cutouts that I have collected had uncured porcelain that did not meet ANSI standards. This is major evidence that Chance cutouts have problems. However, me collecting a few cutouts will not make a difference. I need to obtain a larger ammount of failed cutout to show that there is a problem. My goal is to show that AB Chance cutouts were manufactured defectivley. It would be great to determine if a specific year had a know problem. Also, I am interested in doing line inspections to show for example that out of 100 cutouts, 20 have cracks.

Please let me know what you all think, WE can make a difference!
Chris

[scammy]

time and money,,,,,,,we just gave mr biggs 500.000 bonus and mr Mahoney 400.000 to quit,,,,,,makes you ass madd :mad:volts and amps Ill do what I can for ya thanks,,,,,,,scammy

[VoltsandAmps]

I was looking at the BC Hydro study, and they reported having 0.84% failure rate. If all the failure rates are below 1%, why is there such a need to replace all of these cutouts? I would think that having a failure rate of less than a 1% is pretty good. Let me know your thoughts...Chris

[topgroove]

I think you'll see the failure rate differ greatly among different climates. The freeze thaw cycle that we see here in the north east really does some damage. I'm not sure what the winters are like in BC but I'm thinking its wetter and milder in the winter

[old lineman]

I think you'll see the failure rate differ greatly among different climates. The freeze thaw cycle that we see here in the north east really does some damage. I'm not sure what the winters are like in BC but I'm thinking its wetter and milder in the winter


Wetter, milder, colder (a lot), drier. You name it you got it.
There's four climates out there, some better and some worse than Buffalo, NY.
At least when it's cold it's dry. Not like sitting one the end of an open lake all winter where 0 degrees F is almost unbearable.
The Old Lineman

[VoltsandAmps]

I do not understand why upset about these cuouts. If they have less than a 1% failure rate, why should they be replaced?

[CHICAGO HAND.]

I do not understand why upset about these cuouts. If they have less than a 1% failure rate, why should they be replaced?




hey as long as the 1% is at the end of your stick or dropping on you i dont see any reason to replace them either.

[tramp67]

Wisconsin and Michigan can be included in the climates that are favorable to the Chance cutouts failing at a higher rate than 1%. Check with Detroit Edison, or Asplundh crews working in Detroit area. They have been collecting failed cutouts for a while, don't know if they still are. We were told to save and bag the pieces because Detroit Edison was trying to get compensation from Chance for all the costs of replacing the bad cutouts. Does anyone else have more information about their broken cutout collection?

["little beaver"]

I was looking at the BC Hydro study, and they reported having 0.84% failure rate. If all the failure rates are below 1%, why is there such a need to replace all of these cutouts? I would think that having a failure rate of less than a 1% is pretty good. Let me know your thoughts...Chris

I was working for BC Hydro when the first guy got burnt because of a cut out failure. It was Dave ? from Manitoba. At first everyone thought it was a 'fluke'. Then there were a few more although no one was hurt. I had no more than got the words out of my mouth that, " I've been in this business __ years and I never seen that happen yet", and I had one break on me.
(In later years, I either closed cut outs from a bucket or used that Hastings stick that is triangular and comes apart in sections.) I had another guy with me so we killed the tap and pulled the riser with the top part of the cut out dangling from the primary and replaced it.
If I remember correctly, BC Hydro has replaced cut outs wholesale in areas where there was a high failure rate. I believe the Williams Lake district was one of those areas.
I'm a great believer in the 'fiber glass lineman' ie that long stick from the ground or standing in the back of the truck.

[TEX]

I do not understand why upset about these cuouts. If they have less than a 1% failure rate, why should they be replaced?

You're kidding...................right? After reading all these posts YOU have to make THAT post? You're not still learning how to tie knots and run a hand line are ya?

[CPOPE]

Pat, I hope you get this Brother

It was so good to see you and the wife the other day. Sucks what happened to you, complacency is a killer and we're lucky you are still with us my friend.

May God Bless you and yours this Christmas Mr. Cataldo. Feel free to PM me anytime 4 anythin.

C.P. O’Neil PE
SEAPOPE Electrical Consulting LLC
CPONEIL@Charter.net
JOURNEYMAN #E31316
PE REGISTRATION #37843