Author -
Submitted By -Near Miss
We had a call for a transformer fuse down on a 480 bank feeding a large oil field. A quick look told us that the fuse was melted. The customer service disconnect was open, but the fuses were still in place. I opened the other two transformer fuses, removed the X jumpers and checked the transformer out, it checked out fine.As our policy dictates, we informed the boss of what we had, he told us, "close the bank back in and check voltage, and then put a load on it and check it again." I told him that the customer disconnect was already open when we got there, and I don't feel that we should close their switch. He said that since we had been out there several times over the past 3 months, he wanted the problem found. Again I told him that the problem is somewhere on the customer. side open secondary, and I don't feel that we should close the switch. He then agreed and said to refuse the trans. and he would contact the oilfield operators. I closed the bank in and checked voltage at the meter. It checked out good, so I turned to go to the truck. That's when I heard a clunk and a loud buzz. I turned around and saw that my apprentice had closed the disconnect switch. I yelled at him to open it back up, and saw that it had again melted the transformer fuse. Shortly after that, a man in a pickup pulled up and said that he was here to close the disconnect. I explained to him what had happened and when I told him about what my apprentice had done, his eyes got as big as silver dollars. He said that he and his crew were down the line about 600 yards from us in a wooded area pulling his open wire that had fallen, back up!! He said that they were all wearing just leather gloves, and that his boss told him that we(the Electric Dept.) were not supposed to touch their switches. It was determined that the fuses in the customer. disconnect were too large, and my apprentice said that he only heard the boss say to check voltage with a load on it. A total breakdown of communications and frustration from repeated visits to the same location and just plain stupidity contributed to a simple trouble call ALMOST becoming a deadly incident. The GOOD LORD was looking over us.....AGAIN!!