hotsticking

[slimdalineman]

i was always taught to use tested hotsticks with leather gloves to feel the effects of sticks breaking down. new rule now applies for us to use our class 2's when using hotsicks never to use leathers. anyone have reasons other than feeling sticks breaking down as to why it was said to use leathers in the first place? my concern is with our gloves on we would not feel sticks breaking down until they were broken down past our glove limits. yet i have heard linemen with 40 yrs say they have never heard of sticks breaking down so its no big deal. thanks and have a good day.

[lewy]

The only time we have to wear rubbers is when we are encroaching on clearances to other phases. The idea about avoiding any tracking does that mean that the sticks can not touch any part of your body.

[wudwlkr]

For a modern fiberglass hotstick to break down and start tracking voltage at distribution voltage levels that stick would have to be so dirty and contaminated that anyone with an ounce of common sense wouldn't want to use it in the first place. Per OSHA, sticks have to be dielectrically tested to 75,000 volts per foot while the stick is wet at least every other year. A stick that can pass this test, is kept clean and wiped down occasionally with a silicone wiping cloth, and then is only used on 7 to 20kV is never going to track. So "needing" to be able to feel the stick breaking down is a BS argument.

The argument for wearing rubber gloves while sticking is that on distribution lines there is often not much room and the worker(s) are often working at or near MAD. While working it is very possible for the worker to accidentally move their hands further up the stick then they should and get within MAD. And even if hands are kept far enough down the stick, while moving or swinging the stick around the hands can easily come within MAD of exposed energized lines or equipment.

[slimdalineman]

maybe i didn't phrase my question correctly. i am aware of MAD's and proper care of hotsticks. our company has gone from using leather gloves when using tested sticks (our's are tested annually), to having to wear rubbers. this goes for the lineman and troubleshooters. as troubleshooters we switch up to 345kv and have tested sticks in the substations. this could be anywhere from testing deenergized and grounding up to 345kv, to opening disconnects at distribution voltages for example. i was wondering if it is a manufatures recommendation to test and use leather, or per company. or if it could be more detrimental to use tested sticks and gloves rated for 20kv(17kv really) when testing and grounding voltages higher than gloves are rated for? sorry if this seems long or poorly explained. thanks

[wudwoker51]

The practice of wearing rubber gloves while hot-sticking is f#@%ing stupid. During the last couple of years this workrule has unfortunately become quite common. Just goes to show you that the powers to be that make up this BS don't have a clue. (Swamprat are you making these rules?) There have been times during my career where I have worn my rubber gloves while sticking, usually during inclement weather on storm or trouble calls. To make this a work practice is asinine.

[Edge]

stupid as **** all man...

they do it here at dominion... rubber for 'bustion... leathers for 'mission...

when I worked as a contractor on a 'mission crew on the same gd property I could work 'bustion with leather and sticks...

the stick by design has you on one end and the work on the other...

WTF???

for what it's worth...

Edge

[Pootnaigle]

Ummmm so splain to me again how yer hands can approach MAD distance when yer on the fat end of an extendo stick 35 feet below the conductors???? This too is becoming more and more prominent in the industry and it makes absolutely no sense.

[Fiberglass Cowboy]

Linemen are gonna have to start standing together and question the "integrity" of some of these non-sense safety rules. Things like this are popping up at electric companies all over now; and the bucksqueeze; and wearing rubber gloves while working on line that's dead and grounded, etc.... At some point, we are ALL going to have to question wheteher or not these rules are legit, or just more SAFETY DEPARTMENT PERSONNEL trying to justify their positions in a shaky economy or trying to advance their career. These rules are affecting linemen at electric companies and the contractors on their property alike; so basically most of us. Crummy deal.
Back to the argument of rubber gloves with hot sticks, If a lineman's hands MAY have the possibility of coming within approach distance while hot sticking, then most will COVER UP those hazards right away! Whallah ! No more rubber gloves with stick. We do not have that rule. Tell me what sense that makes to wear class 2 rubber gloves while hotsticking 34kv or 69 kv or higher .....
But putting gloves on to work 12kv or 13 kv with hotsticks..... No thanks. The stick after passing the test is "certified" to arrest 75kv ac per foot. Granted there will still be some "two county boomers" (a.k.a.) "one trick ponies" out there that would hesitate to use leather gloves with a stick and always grab their rubbers, 'cause that is what they were taught. But as far as the rule; the rule is made by companies that basically don't TRUST their linemen to make the smart and safe choice. It all boils down to that.
Just my opinion, take it for what it's worth .... :cool:

[Koga]

What they are aimin at is to make it idiot proof so they can hire off the street miimum trainning and put em to work doin JL work. Wont have to pay nothin, no bennies, hell they wont even have to have a green card !

Koga

[freshjive]

i honestly believe at least in my neck of the woods that a lot of hotstick work we currently do is going to be a thing of the past. Anyway we have to wear class 2's when we hotstick. We have a lot of 34kv distribution in my area. Hotsticking can be a pain in the ass. It takes time..That means at the end of the month, we have low numbers on a lot of jobs..The company wants to know why, but they forget that alot of our area is composed of 34kv. Weather its tying a phase in with sticks, putting a piece of that 34 rubber on, or putting a hoist and grips on via hotsticks, all of that takes time. I think sooner than later, they are gonna give us a raise, show us videos of what not to do, and we will be getting bigger gloves and sleeves and we'll be gloving 34k. There are neighboring states that already glove it, and the munis around here glove the 23kv circuits that they have, so I think its only a matter of time..But ya, we have to use class 2's (no sleeves) when we are hotsticking.

[wtdoor67]

of hotsticking being extremely more difficult than rubber gloving. Although it is a tad slower than rubber gloving it is much more forgiving and extremely more safer than rubber gloving.

I do believe it takes more experience to get good at hot sticking than to be good at rubber gloving.

I believe the fact that a lot of it can be done cold with leather gloves gives a person some practice and then when he applies a preformed tie or cuts a dead end with rubbers on etc. then he is already practiced. Most hot sticking is done "hot" from the git go thus it takes more experience to become good at hot sticking. Some cold practice is done in apprenticeships, with sticks, but not near enough. Only at their little apprentice schools and not on the job.

I have seen experienced Journeymen who when presented with something to be sticked would be somewhat dumbfounded if they had only done rubber gloving at that point.

However most co's are simply going to do what is the easiest to train people in and the most expedient. However a flash on the end of a stick is much easier to contend with than a flash at arm's length.

Well all know that safety is of the utmost, right?

[Fiberglass Cowboy]

Old Okie from Muskogee. Always good to hear from you. Was down your way a few weeks ago working that Ice Storm with my company. Stayed in Clinton,OK. but worked the Hobart,OK. area. Showed around by great people. Some very knowledgeable guys that used to be linemen. Had good time. All but 1 thing. PSO (now AEP) recommending we used class 2 rubber gloves on lines that were isolated, dead and grounded (wound up being 3-5 sets of grounds per) between visual opens. Our safety department took right to that and made us do it. COMPLETELY unnecessary. But other than that, & other than the fog, we had a good time. How are you doing now ? Shoot me a pm when you get a chance. Later brother. :cool:

[Longstepper]

We bare hand (no leather gloves) with sticks on our 69 kv and our 138 kv. Gloves are filthy and dirty up the sticks. Bare hands do allow you to feel any trickle of a problem. Humidity is our biggest problem. Safety programs are eliminating some of the decision making. I'm old and hard headed but safety practices generally won't get you killed. I may be slow but I listen.

[tell me]

your so right.. just take your time and think... you make it safe...

[LINCRW]

Rubber gloves with sticks or no rubber gloves........ We all know safety rules are designed to keep the dumbest and most inexperienced person in the group safe. Everyone can't be the best.