Electrician badly hurt.

[binky]

One of the old guys i worked under whilst training always used to short out the ends of cables to double check they were dead because he never trusted anybody, so i still do the same. Some of the younger sparks find it amusing that after 'proper' testing that the circuit is dead, i still touch the ends to earth or as today with some large armoureds, jabbed them against the enclosure just to double check, and i always will.

I also do this- just in case

 

[kme]

And if a big armoured ISN`T dead; the resultant plasma ball would probably kill you anyway.......

KME

 

[Evans Electric]

One of the old guys i worked under whilst training always used to short out the ends of cables to double check they were dead because he never trusted anybody, so i still do the same. Some of the younger sparks find it amusing that after 'proper' testing that the circuit is dead, i still touch the ends to earth or as today with some large armoureds, jabbed them against the enclosure just to double check, and i always will.

Thought it was just me.

 

[binky]

And if a big armoured ISN`T dead; the resultant plasma ball would probably kill you anyway.......KME

On cables that size I wouldn't need to turn my volt stick on, it would glow anyway. I only do this on smaller stuff, or after dead checking with volt probes - for some reason I occasionally get spooked by stuff and don't believe test probes or anything. My other favourite is to gingerly touch with the back of a finger nail ray

 

[Evans Electric]

It can be just a seconds lapse in procedure to bring disaster.

Thankfully I was in the next bay when the following occured.

As an apprentice I was working with contractors at the (now gone) giant GEC Plant in Brum. New development. Switchgear with two 200A sub mains run out in 4 core SWAs, one to an isolator. It was switched on ,no power , they tried another set of testers , no joy, back to the sw/fuse, check the fuses , all ok, juice at the bottom of the sw/fuse.

Switched it back on.

Then one of the guys realised what had occured, the wrong cable had been made into the isolator, the cable still lying on the floor must be alive.

When it was lifted from the ground the cores sank down inside the sheath, as they do, the air in that small pocket can ionise ,it was said, sort of charge up, when the tester prods were inserted it shorted out .

The guy was taken to B,ham Eye hospital and we heard that he had lost his sight, strangely we were never told anymore, it was a huge contractor, I was moved elsewhere and never heard the outcome.

 

[Andy™]

Thought it was just me.

and me

 

[sellers]

I'm there too!

An old spark asked me to finnish off putting a cable in, It was coiled up above the ceiling in a school ready for a ring main to be finnished off. He said it was dead as the circuit hadn't even been put in the board yet. Dabbed the end on the nearest peice of metal, a ceiling grid and kaaabooom, It was live!

No harm at all in shorting the ends, it saves your life.

 

[Manator]

Thank you for the update, I am just hoping for a speedy recovery.

 

[green-hornet]

Thanks for the update I do hope everything is ok with the lads and their families.

 

[Sidewinder]

I also do this- just in case

Did this today myself as I always do, and the MCB was off, the machine isolator was off, the contactor for the motor was de-energised and I had tested that all was dead, but, before I touched the bare copper I toughed it to what appeared to be a reasonable earth point on the machine!

Habit I suppose!

Please pass on my regards to those concerned.

One comment that may not be popular is, I was working on a site about 20 years ago NGB were the main fixed installation contractor, I was installing CNC machinery at the time.

They had 2 guys up in a cherry picker pulling armoured cable into a bus bar tap off, bus bars were live as they were supplying the production line, everyone know this, however, the other end of the cable was not connected thus no earth path.

The issue was that the other end WAS connected the armour WAS earthed, and, it shorted across 2 phases in the tap off box, it shut down the CPD for the bus bar, thus most of the production hall. Also it blew the cherry picker electronics so the basket had to be lowered by the hand pump. The guy who had his "head" in the box looked like a cartoon character, not funny though, he was black & his hair was standing on end. I was about 20 feet from the base of the cherry picker at the time, the bang was SO loud.

The guys were OK, but the worst affected never returned to work so I was told. He just lost his "bottle".

Such incidents have a profound affect on people, beyond the physical, which hopefully this poor soul will eventually recover from. The psychological affects can be insurmountable.

This is a terrible situation which hopefully is extremely rare and will become even more so.

 

[bengie]

terrible news and i wish all involved my best wishes.

 

[Evans Electric]

There must be thousands of these stories, but the more they are told ,the more aware we all become.

We quoted a sub main on an industrial park, lost it as the didn't want to pay Sunday working in the sub to fit 100 sw/fuse to old 500A busbar chamber.

Another local firm got the job, next thing we heard , the spark was drilling the BBC with 2" Starrett cutter , a weekday, power still on, tank cutter breaks through , drill plunges into the chamber and hits a bar, the slug dropped out of the cutter and shorted another phase out.

The bloke staggered out of the sub, our mate told us , smoke blackened, coat on fire, hair on fire , grabbed an extinguisher and went to charge back in before he was dragged off and an ambulance called.

The power to the estate was off for 3 days and when we were there later we had a look. Nothing like what we had quoted to do. Replacement 500A BB chamber fitted , sub-main 35mm X 4core SWA connected direct to the busbars, no sw/fuse and no metering.

We were dismissed as being too expensive.

 

[muffin]

hope the guy recovers ok, im dont mean to come across harsh but imo and how i was taught the isolator should be locked off and everyone who is working on the circuit has a lock each and only they have the key. how can any circuit that has been locked off become live? unless a sw fuse clicks back in maybe? time will tell i guess. keep us updated for valuable lessons

andy

 

[bengie]

i understood that it was isolated within the area/enclosure they were working in but the means of isolation failed dramatically. i might be wrong though.

 

[vandalay]

Surely you mean 'did not use' correct isolation procedures.

Apologies, that is what I meant.

 

[M107]

Further update for those that are interested..

Jamie is now fully awake & yesterday managed to get some movement of his fingers & sat upright in bed.

He remembers absolutely everything right up until the air doc put him out before flying to hospital.

I am given to believe (his dad isn

 

[Badger]

that really good news, im glad that hes now awake, and that hes able to sit up in bed with a little movement back, i really do sincerley wish him a speedy recovery

 

[Apache]

Thanks for the update M107

 

[Sidewinder]

Thanks for the update hope he gets well soon.

Please pass on regards.

 

[Manator]

Would be nice to print out this thread and show him all the comments. Then get him to join and give us the heads up when he is well enough. His story and comments would be a good learning curve for any electrician willing to listen.