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View Full Version : High line and minimum crew compliments



bell wrench
04-19-2008, 04:14 PM
Hey Guys!
I'm a lineman over at NSTAR and we've been changing out insulators on the high-line. We are working it dead and grounded but we've failed to negotiate crew compliments for the job in order to keep it in house. I was wondering, what are some of the other companies standards on minimum crews. I am hoping to set up a committee in order to make everyone a little safer. Next question, changing insulators on the high line again, but now we've got to climb past a 25kva underbuild that can't be taken out. The company safety guy says that if a journeyman covers it up it's ok for an apprentice to climb past it. NSTAR has very little experience doing high-line ( at least in the south ). We used to be Com Electric and had very high safety standards but when we merged we lost all those standards. We reallt have not done much high-line since then. Any info would be apperciated. Thanks, Bell Wrench

wtdoor67
04-19-2008, 06:50 PM
If it is climbed, then I would want a 4 man crew. Foreman, 2 Journeymen, and the fourth man can be any linecrew classification. 2 men up the pole, one grunting and the foreman watching.

Stinger
04-20-2008, 10:22 AM
Does the underbild have the climbing space to access the transmission line? make sure you get DNR everyday. Since you are in Mass, your going to have to use hard guard put on with stick since you cant glove 25 kv. Are the poles wood or steel? I agree with the four man crew. Do you have elevating tower buckets available? What is the transmission voltage and how many bells to a string? Can you safely hoist the bells thru the underbuild? I know NSTAR likes to keep the work in-house, but sometimes that is why they give us contracors the work is because we have the equipment for the job that local utilities do not have. Good luck and be safe brother.

johnbellamy
04-20-2008, 12:19 PM
You can always spread the underbuild out on hot arms to make a hole to climb, and it will give you a hole to drop you bells or stacks out. 4 man crew min. .

bell wrench
04-20-2008, 01:02 PM
The area is Horse Pond Tapp if you're fimiliar with the area. It's a 345kva area but we're killlin' it and groundin' it. We're replacing old ceramic bells with poly type insulators. (look like in-lines or g-poles) what ever you guys call the dead end insulators, only much bigger and much lighter than the ceramic bells. We're using chain hoists to lift out the wire and droping the bells. The polys are light enough to put in place. The real question is do we have to maintain the 28" clearance while climbing past and over the live 25kva. We were told from management that if a Journeyman covers the underbuild w/ hard guard and the insulators w/ caps grade a and b apprentices can climb past the 25 kva and work the dead 345kva. I'm not sure if they can drop the bells through the 25 kva either.

bell wrench
04-20-2008, 01:06 PM
Oh, this is all got to be done on hooks. So I think we've still got to maintain the 28" clearance even if its covered. Problem is we've really only got about 6" from the top of the stack insulator to the arm so our clearance is minimal. I'm sure we will violate clearances but if it's covered I think we are in "compliance" with OSHA. I still don't like it but we gotta do our jobs...

bell wrench
04-20-2008, 01:09 PM
What's DNR? Oh, they are wooden structures.

Stinger
04-20-2008, 05:19 PM
DNR means the 25kv circuit is put on non-reclose( Do Not Reclose=DNR). The 345kv, is it bundle conductor? Also you are going to have master grounds placed 2 miles apart on the 345 kv, plus you are going to have to have a personal ground on the conductor you are working on, is that in your safety plan. Speaking of which, is their a safety plan for this job that spells out the scope of work to be preformed and how it is to accomplished? Do not take this the wrong way, but I think you guys are better off bringing in a contractor because I think you guys do not have the right equipment or supervision to do this job.

bell wrench
04-20-2008, 07:01 PM
The majority of our union leadership want to keep it in house. I have talked to a few of them. They have spoken about training and safety. I don't know how much they have accomplished. I do know that some of our leaders have done high line in the past and they are exceptional at their jobs. I do have concerns about company safety policies being too lax though. I am trying to set up standards for crew size and clearances. Nothing against you guys but I'd like to be trained to do the high line too. I just want to do it safely... It's on wooden structures, mostly H frame. The guys did the Canal towers last week(steel structures). Most of the SE MA structures are wooden.

mojo
04-25-2008, 10:36 PM
Does the underbild have the climbing space to access the transmission line? make sure you get DNR everyday. Since you are in Mass, your going to have to use hard guard put on with stick since you cant glove 25 kv. Are the poles wood or steel? I agree with the four man crew. Do you have elevating tower buckets available? What is the transmission voltage and how many bells to a string? Can you safely hoist the bells thru the underbuild? I know NSTAR likes to keep the work in-house, but sometimes that is why they give us contracors the work is because we have the equipment for the job that local utilities do not have. Good luck and be safe brother.

the hiline work at nstar is being done safely by some very good lineman with lots of exp its 115 dead and grounded the only person complaining is an apprentice who has never done it and is trying to do anything he can to avoid any real linework

Fiberglass Cowboy
04-26-2008, 05:11 PM
I Happen To Know A Few Nstar Apprentice Linemen,as They Are Also Linemen In My U.s. Army Reserve Unit,the 249th Engineering Battalion, A.k.a. Prime Power.I WILL SAY,NSTAR MUST BE DOING A GOOD JOB WITH THEIR PEOPLE AS THESE GUYS ARE GOOD HANDS ON THE LINE. Stay safe,Dudes...

Old Dog
04-28-2008, 12:13 PM
Hey Bell wrench,
How long have you been in the business??? Aren't these guys climbing through 25Kv ? Not KVA, and the area is 115 Kv, not 345 KVA. You don't know what DNR means. Comm and Boston Edison merged somewhere like 10 yrs ago were you even in the business 10 yrs ago ?? I have no problem with guys complaining but it's hard to criticize how work is done when you've never done it before. As far as crew compliments.......the only numbers needed are the numbers needed to do it safely. Bellwrench, in the almost thirty years I have been doing this work I have found that if you want to learn, and get trained, signing up for the work and getting my butt up there always worked for me !!! Good luck !

wtdoor67
04-28-2008, 04:12 PM
Please describe precisely several different structures you're working on here.

If they are wood H fixtures, the spacing of the centers, the transmission voltage, the arrangement of the underbuild etc. etc. Is the underbuild on 1 pole of each H fixture or both?