rules

[west coast hand]

We now have to wear the bucksquezze anytime we climb at the contractor i'm working for right now (henkles & mccoy) i was wondering how may other companys are going to this. they told us anyone that gets caught not wearing it the whole crew will be fired well i guess when they catch me it will be my last day because that thing is a piece of shit they say it was made by lineman. but what i say is they are teaching guys now use this you can't fall, hell why don't we just kill everything to and work everything dead to they are taking some of the skill out of are trade we climb pole and work on hotlines rather it be rubber gloving or hotsticking thats skill that make us journeyman lineman if they take all the skill from us we are not worth what we get pay they can have anybody do this if we kill everything and can't fall when climbing just my thought on the bucksquezze and where it can lead are trade

[scratchpad]

there was a minor shakeup at my yard about this last wednesday morning at the safety meeting. a whole 5 or 6 guys drug up. big deal, for what, to come back to work for henkels again since they have a stronghold on most of the work here and they know it which is probably why their pulling this bullshit. pretty soon henkels will have alot of shitty hands working for them. how about getting caught without your seat belt on in while still in the yard. you now get what 3 days off and the crew written up. or hard hat, safety glasses.

my novice thoughts are this. **** henkels and mccoy where it hurts the most, the big pocketbook. more than what they put out for those fukcsqueezes and then some. all journeyman should stand together on this and take some mini vacations/days off starting now and do it every couple weeks or every week. dragging up wont do it because they go right to the hall. make it so the crew that was going to do the hot work now cant do the work. make them re-think their decision, seriously. edision sure wants all this work done right now before the end of the year. good timing!

let me know if my thoughts are way off base.

pretty soon henkels and mccoy will be just like Pike with all their bs

that bucksnuts sure does shake the hell out of a pole. henkels is saying that if you cant do the work safely with a bucksass then dont do it at all. damn! i sure wouldnt want those phases slappin together and be stuck there withought being able to move around the pole or up and down.99% of our poles have steps, multiple risers, comm. etc.

[T-Man]

West coast, you are saying what almost every lineman I have talked to said, including myself. The fact of the matter is, now that this tool is available if a man were to burn a stick and get hurt his lawyer could go to that man's company and say why didn't you have your people wear what is available and proven to be a safe method for climbing? Then promptly sue the company out of it's socks. . .The companys have to play the game. . .not sure they like it either but it's cheaper than the alternative for them.

I'm not crazy about the belt and I have just rode along with some new Troubleshooters and they go to great lengths to avoid using the belt. . .they use extendo sticks and lopers to do what they once did from the pole. They drag out a ladder and climb it in their hooks which I thought was a no no, just to get high enough to use the lanyard above pole steps and tele wire.

Yes the bucksqueeze will be safer because no one uses it the way they used to use their old belts. It will have less chances of being a problem if it's worked around.

The real money maker will be to come up with a better way to get this work done and get over this Bucksqueeze and belts like it. You find a better safer way to get it done and you'll be a rich man.

Till someone gets hurt using your new idea of course. . .:rolleyes:

[MI-Lineman]

To bad Crinkle and Destroy wasn't more worried about safety before they got the boot in Detroit about 10 yrs ago!:D

By the way, this has been a sore subject for a while on this site and I'm not gonna take the time to type everything I had to say about it in the past but I will say again IT DOES NOT STOP A FALL 100% OF THE TIME!!!!!:mad: Had 2 apes in the same class fall in that damn thing! 1 from 40' and another about 20' or so!

[Linemanblood]

To bad Crinkle and Destroy wasn't more worried about safety before they got the boot in Detroit about 10 yrs ago!:D

By the way, this has been a sore subject for a while on this site and I'm not gonna take the time to type everything I had to say about it in the past but I will say again IT DOES NOT STOP A FALL 100% OF THE TIME!!!!!:mad: Had 2 apes in the same class fall in that damn thing! 1 from 40' and another about 20' or so!

NO FALL RESTRAINT IS 100% UNLESS USED ACCORDING TO INSTRUCTION

[MI-Lineman]

NO FALL RESTRAINT IS 100% UNLESS USED ACCORDING TO INSTRUCTION

Well if every lineman climbed "ACCORDING TO INSTRUCTION" there wouldn't be any falls?:rolleyes: Follow climbing techniques "ACCORDING TO INSTRUCTION", follow pole inspection procedures before ascending "ACCORDING TO INSTRUCTION", and follow ALL proper work procedures "ACCORDING TO INSTRUCTION" AND YOU WOULDN'T FALL!

Seems ridiculous to expect EVERY lineman to follow these rules (hence why we have the falls)! Almost as ridiculous as forcing lineman to use a "SAFETY" device that straps you to a pole with KNOWN faulty equipment, hinders your ability to SAFELY handle energized equipment with BOTH hands, is not ergonomically correct, wheres you out before you even get to the work, SHAKES THE HELL OUT OF POLES AND CONDUCTORS WHEN USED ACCORDING TO INSTRUCTION (try one in D. town or SLAP SPAN CITY), and last but DEFINITELY NOT LEAST, hinders or slows a POLE TOP RESCUE DOWN!

Now, which way "ACCORDING TO INSTRUCTION" seems more ridiculous?:rolleyes:

ALL THIS AND STATISTICS, ACCORDING TO INFO FROM OUR COMPANY, SHOWS MOST FALLS occur WHEN CLIMBING OVER OR AROUND OBJECTS OR EQUIPMENT!! What about double bucking??:cool:

PROBLEM IS WE HAVE PEOPLE "IN THE MOTHER SHIPS" (upper management for you slower folks) WHO MAKE THESE DECISIONS BASED ON DOLLARS NOT "ACCORDING TO INSTRUCTION!":mad:

[johnbellamy]

It's a sad thing my man....:(

It ain't bout "safety". They "talk" like it is....but, it ain't.

It's about Insurance Law suits, PERIOD. And...It's killed the Greatest Trade in the world.
BUT...."It's all GOOD", right.

I'm waitin on Johnny B. to chime in on this thread....It ain't gonna be pretty....:(

If Linework falls............


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bf5If2yqme4


**** it........

I can't say nomore..........

I'm gonna walk around in a circle.........

[west coast hand]

there was a minor shakeup at my yard about this last wednesday morning at the safety meeting. a whole 5 or 6 guys drug up. big deal, for what, to come back to work for henkels again since they have a stronghold on most of the work here and they know it which is probably why their pulling this bullshit. pretty soon henkels will have alot of shitty hands working for them. how about getting caught without your seat belt on in while still in the yard. you now get what 3 days off and the crew written up. or hard hat, safety glasses.

my novice thoughts are this. **** henkels and mccoy where it hurts the most, the big pocketbook. more than what they put out for those fukcsqueezes and then some. all journeyman should stand together on this and take some mini vacations/days off starting now and do it every couple weeks or every week. dragging up wont do it because they go right to the hall. make it so the crew that was going to do the hot work now cant do the work. make them re-think their decision, seriously. edision sure wants all this work done right now before the end of the year. good timing!

let me know if my thoughts are way off base.

pretty soon henkels and mccoy will be just like Pike with all their bs

that bucksnuts sure does shake the hell out of a pole. henkels is saying that if you cant do the work safely with a bucksass then dont do it at all. damn! i sure wouldnt want those phases slappin together and be stuck there withought being able to move around the pole or up and down.99% of our poles have steps, multiple risers, comm. etc.

Ya i heard about that app getting 2 weeks off and no your thoughts are not way off they will drive it into the ground like polk did and edison will run them off but until then like you said alot of shitty hand suckasses and a handful of good hands after the first of the year hopefully there will be work at 1245 and i can get outta here.......

[electric squirrel]

13 calls today bro, even a little helo /fiber job near Sac!!!!!!!! Come on home!!!

[Sdg&e/Calnevjatc Lineman]

Yes I First Noticed That H&m Have To Use The Bucksqueeze Done Here In San Diego The Other Day Since They Got Are Doing Alot Of Pole Removing 2go Underground Down Here. I Asked The App And He Said It Sucks. How Do You'll Get Over The Telecom With That Buckqueeze? Sdge Just Uses Double Belts; Get To Telecom Use 2nd Belt Strap Up Over It Remove 1st Belt Then Continue.

[west coast hand]

13 calls today bro, even a little helo /fiber job near Sac!!!!!!!! Come on home!!!

who has the job near sac.

[scratchpad]

try climbing a tower with henkels

http://www.buckinghammfg.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&product_ID=1490&ParentCat=304&CFID=574380&CFTOKEN=63606099

2 buckyards with a pelican clamp on each on. its fun, youll get caught up on a step each time you take a step and have to have one attached at ALL times. takes a while to get up a tower

http://store.pksafety.net/costbasid.html

heres the harness

:D

[T-Man]

We don't do much tower work but when we do we are allowed to use just the lanyard for the trip up the steel and if we go out on a ladder we have retractable fall arrest on the tower. Our guys get tower training but we are not equiped with stout enough trucks etc. to do big jobs, maybe an insulator change out or grounding, like that. we have a crew contracted to be installing cell antennas on our towers is about the most tower we been doing.

hey Happy Thanks Giving and work safe.

T

[scratchpad]

customer service is directly obtained through satisfied employees:)

we, the employees have the ultimate and final on this whether henkels thinks so or not. without good hands they have nothing when its time to re-negotiate with edison. a utility will see every last bit of this. IMO


Happy Thanksgiving to all



"dont ask me im just an apprentice"

[BookII]

I've read the posts here in regards to the ZERO tolerance and the Bucksqueeze. The only way to solve anything is if ALL OF US were to stand up to them and drag, or walk off the job. But then we all know that WILL NEVER HAPPEN IN A MILLION YEARS!!!! I stand a greater chance of winning the lottery. So we either drag up individually and go some place that makes us happier, or just deal with it.

I will tell you morale is low with the lineman in Yukon, Live Oak, etc. And too me...that's a distraction. All they did by coming out with the ZERO tolerance policy is stir up a hornets nest. Our jobs are tough enough as it is. And I for one DO NOT APPRECIATE BEING THREATENED WITH MY JOB!!!!

And now if we're not wearing THEIR hard hats and THEIR shirts and so on they can fire us and ban us from working for them for three years????:mad:

[BookII]

But just remember guys, WE ARE PROFESSIONALS!!! No matter what kind of control (the contractors)they want to have on us, we still have to go out there and represent the IBEW the way it was intended. Be safe, be strong, and lets stay focused on our jobs and help each other out!

[Fiberglass Cowboy]

Saying exactly what many of us are thinking. More and more ridiculous rules being crammed down our throats. I work for a large IBEW utility (IOU) in the midwest. I am mostly happy with my job, but some of these rules are gettin' worse & worse. Even my WIFE recognizes I'm not so "happy" anymore, and SHE is encouraging me to," drag up " and go to work for another company where I "might" be HAPPY. :) Gotta love her ......

LIFE IS JUST TOO SHORT; BROTHER, TOO SHORT.

When is enough; ENOUGH ?

Don't know what to do for now.... but am deciding.... :rolleyes:

Won't be here workin' for this utility when I retire, .... want to be someplace sunny and warm year-round.... :D

Take it for what it's worth .....

- Eric "Ed" Elder :cool:

[MI-Lineman]

Saying exactly what many of us are thinking. More and more ridiculous rules being crammed down our throats. I work for a large IBEW utility (IOU) in the midwest. I am mostly happy with my job, but some of these rules are gettin' worse & worse. Even my WIFE recognizes I'm not so "happy" anymore, and SHE is encouraging me to," drag up " and go to work for another company where I "might" be HAPPY. :) Gotta love her ......

LIFE IS JUST TOO SHORT; BROTHER, TOO SHORT.

When is enough; ENOUGH ?

Don't know what to do for now.... but am deciding.... :rolleyes:

Won't be here workin' for this utility when I retire, .... want to be someplace sunny and warm year-round.... :D

Take it for what it's worth .....

- Eric "Ed" Elder :cool:

Doen't do it man! Been there myself! If ya got good pay and benies, stay there AND MAKE IT BETTER (OR TRY AND HELP)!

We all gotta stop runnin from the problems and fight'em! Ya don't wanna make a move in this economy now anyways? Do ya?

[LINCRW]

There are a lot of things in life we don't like. If you're that unhappy with having to follow the rules, leave and do something else, or stay and make the best of it.

I've got good pay and benefits so I'm gonna stay. Not because I like everything at the company, but because it beats the alternatives I've got right now.

You could run your own company and still wouldn't be happy with everything, so just decide how much you want to accept and go with it. Just try not to make everyone around ya' miserable while you're looking for something better.

[west coast hand]

There are a lot of things in life we don't like. If you're that unhappy with having to follow the rules, leave and do something else, or stay and make the best of it.

I've got good pay and benefits so I'm gonna stay. Not because I like everything at the company, but because it beats the alternatives I've got right now.

You could run your own company and still wouldn't be happy with everything, so just decide how much you want to accept and go with it. Just try not to make everyone around ya' miserable while you're looking for something better.

Its the point of the company managment telling us how to do linework and almost all of them are not lineman and the ones that are have no balls at all it's just the fact of what's happening. Oh and I guess I had enough drug up and already working for anther contactor it's the managment that will be the down fall of are trade

[LINCRW]

Its the point of the company managment telling us how to do linework and almost all of them are not lineman and the ones that are have no balls at all it's just the fact of what's happening. Oh and I guess I had enough drug up and already working for anther contactor it's the managment that will be the down fall of are trade



Yeah, that's my point exactly...... If you aren't in the position to make the rules, then you either have to follow them or leave. No use in being miserable.

The downfall of our trade is not the rules we have to follow, it is the lack of ability to figure out how to do the job while following the rules. None of the rules that I know of are designed to keep you from doing the job, they are designed to get us to do the job differently than we have in the past.

Sure, some of the rules don't seem to make sense on face value, but then again, most safety rules are that way. There have been a lot of good men and women who have developed ways to do the job, and hopefully, there will continue to be.