Results 1 to 8 of 8
  1. Default Ruber Sleeves or No Sleeves

    Featured Sponsor

    This will probably be like kicking a hornets nest. I hope I am on the right thread.

    I would appreciate your opinions about why rubber sleeves are worn or not for rubber glove working?

    In the UK all linesmen wear them but there are other countries that decided not too. I'm interested as to the reasoning behind each company decision as to why or why not.
    I have my own views but do not wish to share just yet as they may flavour anyones personal views.

  2. #2

    Default

    Proper training and the proper use of rubber cover, ie, rubber guts, blankets, hoods etc , eliminates the need to be dressed in a rubber suit in my opinion, I have only used sleeves while working off of a Baker board on energized distribution which was mandatory by company rules, never needed them any other time in the last 34 years and while I understand that a lot of company's mandate the use of them at all times to supposedly keep all their lineman safe, it provides a false sense of security to people who lack proper training , the company can't think for everyone.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Ontario Canada
    Posts
    1,284

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Lineman North Florida View Post
    Proper training and the proper use of rubber cover, ie, rubber guts, blankets, hoods etc , eliminates the need to be dressed in a rubber suit in my opinion, I have only used sleeves while working off of a Baker board on energized distribution which was mandatory by company rules, never needed them any other time in the last 34 years and while I understand that a lot of company's mandate the use of them at all times to supposedly keep all their lineman safe, it provides a false sense of security to people who lack proper training , the company can't think for everyone.
    I couldn’t agree more, never wore sleeves, not required in Ontario. The same reasoning applies when wearing rubber gloves on a properly grounded line.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    Jersey
    Posts
    2,512
    Blog Entries
    1

    Default

    All of my 43 years in the trade were done wearing sleeves in the primaries. Prior to 1967 the company I worked for sticked anything above 4kv. Leather gloves were and are still worn while sticking. In 1967 the I&I concept was introduced and negotiated into the collective bargaining agreement. One requirements of the I&I concept negotiated by the parties was the use of sleeves while working any primary voltage up to 15kv. This was 1967, the concept and negotiations were quite contentious and a strike loomed. I was not working for the company yet, but if I remember correctly, it was the union who stuck on the use of sleeves. Line shops around the company slowly transitioned to I&I while others remained conventional. The transition was still taking place when I started in 1972. We had adjacent line shops working under different work rules, example is sticking 15kv off the pole and no sleeves in primary up to 4kv, while the adjacent shop wore sleeves on any primary voltage up to 15 Kv. Caused a lot of problems. In 2002 the company was bought by Worst Energy from Ohio. They brought new rules into play, like cradle to cradle gloves, not gloves only where MAD could be breached. There is no reason anyone needs rubber on unless approaching MAD. If the person doesn’t understand the consequences of not wearing rubber gloves in an energized area, they’re in the wrong trade.
    "It is not the critic who counts:The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena" Teddy Roosevelt

  5. #5

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Orgnizdlbr View Post
    All of my 43 years in the trade were done wearing sleeves in the primaries. Prior to 1967 the company I worked for sticked anything above 4kv. Leather gloves were and are still worn while sticking. In 1967 the I&I concept was introduced and negotiated into the collective bargaining agreement. One requirements of the I&I concept negotiated by the parties was the use of sleeves while working any primary voltage up to 15kv. This was 1967, the concept and negotiations were quite contentious and a strike loomed. I was not working for the company yet, but if I remember correctly, it was the union who stuck on the use of sleeves. Line shops around the company slowly transitioned to I&I while others remained conventional. The transition was still taking place when I started in 1972. We had adjacent line shops working under different work rules, example is sticking 15kv off the pole and no sleeves in primary up to 4kv, while the adjacent shop wore sleeves on any primary voltage up to 15 Kv. Caused a lot of problems. In 2002 the company was bought by Worst Energy from Ohio. They brought new rules into play, like cradle to cradle gloves, not gloves only where MAD could be breached. There is no reason anyone needs rubber on unless approaching MAD. If the person doesn’t understand the consequences of not wearing rubber gloves in an energized area, they’re in the wrong trade.
    Labor, that is a typical management/company approach in today's times to have people who have never done linework make and implement rules for lineman to go by, we have fought the ground to ground/cradle to cradle rule for many years where I work and so far have been able to keep it out under the premise of enforce the rules that you currently have in place if they are working for you, corporate safety is another issue with a lot of company's these days as the safety man's job used to be a spot reserved for an older lineman who knew what he was looking at/for when he did crew checks, now it's usually a person with a college degree in occupational safety who is given a budget, which in turn has to have a manager hired to oversee the budget and in order to keep these high paying jobs they have to do something and it's usually making up new rules.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Location
    Florida in the winter Canada in the summer.
    Posts
    340

    Default

    We are telling our age Labor. In 1971 where I worked in the NW everything was worked off the pole or structure. We didn't have a bucket truck until 1974 and a crew of select older lineman were the only ones allowed to use it. I finally had my Limited turn with the bucket truck around 1976. Leather gloves were used up to 480 volts. Rubber gloves up to 4 kv everything else was hot sticks. Other places I worked in the 90s was my start with rubber on all voltages with cover any where there was a second point of contact. That was about the time OSHA started being a real hard ass and wrote new regulations. The different companies especially contractors went with gloves and sleeves ground to ground and cover as well. I think this was because the companies wanted to be able to blame any citation and accident on the worker so nothing would go against the company. It was cheaper than training. Now it is a new age and I am an old fart, Just my 2 cents.



  7. #7
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    Ontario, Canada
    Posts
    1,012

    Default

    Hey Fellas , hows it going,eh? As you guys know, I am up here in Canada, we don’t wear sleeves , gloves only . We teach proper use of coverup to our apprentices. Of course years ago the lawyers had the companies mandate ground to ground rest to rest rules. It sucks. Heck even the general public can come up to 10 feet. I have worked in sleeves when I worked in the US and my obvious choice is to avoid them. I keep telling our younger lineman, to take the time to cover up and make a safe work area, and follow safe work practices or they will find themselves being forced to wear sleeves. We have worked all voltages up to 27.6kv in rubbers since before I started in the 80’s.

  8. #8

    Default

    Featured Sponsorr

    Quote Originally Posted by Lineman North Florida View Post
    Proper training and the proper use of rubber cover, ie, rubber guts, blankets, hoods etc , eliminates the need to be dressed in a rubber suit in my opinion, I have only used sleeves while working off of a Baker board on energized distribution which was mandatory by company rules, never needed them any other time in the last 34 years and while I understand that a lot of company's mandate the use of them at all times to supposedly keep all their lineman safe, it provides a false sense of security to people who lack proper training , the company can't think for everyone.
    I agree 100% if you are trained properly from the start cover up can and should be your 2nd line of defense.We have to wear gloves and sleeves and get this a long sleeve shirt rolled down and buttoned if it has them.When cover up is used and installed properly just using gloves makes doing the job more comfortable and your not thinking well if i hurry the sooner i can get out of these sleeves.I dont mind wearing the long sleeve shirt if i didnt have to wear the sleeves.
    Birdog37: "Remember we're all on a journey in life, the only difference is, some people know it and some people don't."

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •