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TXsplitbolt
06-04-2008, 07:43 AM
COTTONWOOD - A Pike utility crew worker lost his life today after becoming tangled with a live wire five miles East of the West city limits.

According to a West police officer, a Pike crew was trying to replace a utility pole when that pole got caught in wires.

Justice of the Peace David Pareya pronounced 34-year-old Bobby Clifyon Hightower of Whitney dead at the scene. An autopsy has been ordered.

Trbl639
06-17-2008, 11:54 PM
I think this is the one where the crew was setting a new pole in hot primary...the pole was a little top heavy, and it got away from the grunt on the butt.........he didn't have on gloves or sleeves..............I heard his brother was in the air..on the job....in the bucket, and had covered the phases..........foreman or leadman should have stopped that from happening, if the guy didn't have and rubbers on...it's sad..........but that's Pike for ya!!!!!!!!

west coast hand
06-19-2008, 10:44 PM
Why would you try to set a pole in the primary top heavy with no gloves.set it down and re choke the pole. that is sad i feel for his family. be safe everybody

adamr_41
06-20-2008, 12:58 AM
They was actually pulling a 50' pole with the chocker set about 10' off the ground and the pole claws 2 feet above that...when the pole got to the top of the ground it was so top heavy that it came out of the claws and fell through the 3 phase line..Either way it is still a terrible accident.

old lineman
06-22-2008, 03:16 PM
Over the years I've heard intelligent men argue how conductive wood poles are. It doesn't made the degree of conductivity.
Some old linemen used to brag that they've worked primary without rubber gloves on while on hooks and survived. Crazy.
Some linemen on this site have talked about working up to 69KV. with rubber gloves on, off the pole. The maximumum rating for rubber gloves is class 4, which are good for up to 36KV. phase to phase and we don't work two phases at a time. Also crazy.
Some crews set wood poles without coverup on the pole and the conductor. Also crazy.
Some line crews set wood poles relying solely on PPE rubber gloves and perhaps sleeves. Also crazy.
A lineman wearing rubber gloves pushing a butt into the hole when something shifts and makes an unexpected contact above possible. This can cause an unprotected part of his body to make inadvertant contact with the pole and the result often is death.
If everyone just took the philosopy that setting a pole amongest energized conductors would be equivilant to hanging a bare copper wire down between the conductors all of these deaths would be prevented.
WOOD POLES ARE CONDUCTIVE, no if's and's or but's.
The old Lineman

buzzit125
06-22-2008, 10:53 PM
First of all, to many deaths and injuries are going on today. It is if the trade is going back to the beginning of its time, when the safety was poor, and the products and equipment to keep us safe where too. I say this to all you men working in the field, rubber up.
Those of us that have worked in this craft, and have all our fingers toes limbs and life, know it is only from putting on the rubber. Pole guards, blankets, guts (line hose), anything to protect each other from these terrible accidents from accruing. I don’t know if it hast, inattention, poor training or what. Its not working at FedEx moving boxes. This thing called line work is the real deal, it don’t play. Prayers to the young lineman’s family and co-workers. Also prayers to all of us, as we meet another day on Monday working in this field, called line work.
Be safe brothers, Buzz

BigClive
06-23-2008, 12:35 AM
I think those who brag about working live primary without anything but the pole they were on as insulation might just be living in a fantasy world. Perhaps you might find a pole that does have a very high resistance, but all it takes is a trace of moisture or a hygroscopic chemical in the wood (absorbs moisture from the air) to create a conductive path that might not be in the league of metal, but would certainly carry enough current to kill. Humans are not robust in terms of even the smallest flow of current.

Are more accidents happening than normal? They seem to come in bursts for some reason.

Trbl639
06-23-2008, 04:40 PM
Over the years I've heard intelligent men argue how conductive wood poles are. It doesn't made the degree of conductivity.
Some old linemen used to brag that they've worked primary without rubber gloves on while on hooks and survived. Crazy.
Some linemen on this site have talked about working up to 69KV. with rubber gloves on, off the pole. The maximumum rating for rubber gloves is class 4, which are good for up to 36KV. phase to phase and we don't work two phases at a time. Also crazy.
Some crews set wood poles without coverup on the pole and the conductor. Also crazy.
Some line crews set wood poles relying solely on PPE rubber gloves and perhaps sleeves. Also crazy.
A lineman wearing rubber gloves pushing a butt into the hole when something shifts and makes an unexpected contact above possible. This can cause an unprotected part of his body to make inadvertant contact with the pole and the result often is death.
If everyone just took the philosopy that setting a pole amongest energized conductors would be equivilant to hanging a bare copper wire down between the conductors all of these deaths would be prevented.
WOOD POLES ARE CONDUCTIVE, no if's and's or but's.
The old Lineman

Well said Old Lineman!!!! It bugs the crap out of me, when sometimes guys don't cover-up like they should, and you call their hand!! alot of today's young lineman think they know more than us Old hands, who were brought up right!!! We have the option of working without sleeves, once we have covered up, but must wear them when we cover/un-cover.........the young hands think I'm crazy, when I stay in mine ALL The Time!!! It's the way I was brought up in the trade..it's the way I'll be when I leave the trade!!!!

rat1369
06-28-2008, 04:48 PM
im not as experienced as the old timers but when i was a nub in the business i was blessed with 3 lineman all over 30 yrs exp. to learn from. i run into it from time to time the same problem of not properly covering up. i dont want to sound to harsh but there is alot of stupidity and arrogance among not only the young hands but also ones lucky enough to have survived. a man that believes it will never happen to him will be weeded out by the substation. i know thats blunt but to quote ron white "you cant fix stupid"