Author -
Submitted By -Another Side To Lanyards
I don't know what many of you linemen think of these harnesses that they make us wear, but yesterday I had a phase break, 3/0 wire carrying 365amps, , we were spreading wire for a reconduct, was doing every thing by the book, Line hoses, blankets , sleeves gloves, the whole nine yards. The phase broke under one of the guts, caused a cross phase, the flash was right at my hydraulics, It set my hydraulic system on fire which in turn was like a flame thrower right at the back of my bucket. luckily both phases burned down and I was close enough to jump out of the bucket and hang on the cross arm before the bucket fell to the ground, but I was still connected to that boom by my lanyard, which I could not reach because of the fire, I had to hang on the arm until the fire burned the lanyard in two. Luckily we had a second bucket there to come rescue me off of the arm. I firmly believe these new lanyards that do not have a snap or break away point at your back is a death trap, Hope this gives you fellow linemen some thing to think about next time you strap yourself in. find you an old lanyard with snaps at both ends. Luckily I escaped with just a few blisters on the side of my face.