Accidental Electrical Contact

[RIVERRAT]

Pay attention to what? Cutting your boot?

On removals when I would spike up the saw would swing a bit & thats were it would cut my boot. With the saw on my saddle bar tip down.

The balance of a saw with a ladder hook through the top handle, has the saw laying in a horizontal position on the saddle. Bar tip only slightly down.

Hope that helps. I will post a pic later.

 

[Blinky]

I had to remove limbs a few times from service drop wires that had worn through all the insulation. Since it's just 240 phase to phase is won't buzz you through contact with dry wood... but somebody needs to come back and fix the insulation in my opinion.

I was cutting a hanger out of a crotch, in NOLA, in the rain, and happened to pop my head out of the canopy to notice I was a LOT closer to some big bare transmission lines than I thought I was, 8' to 10' maybe. The crotch was in a limb that extended to within 3' of one of those lines and when I released the hanger it jumped toward the lines another foot. I haven't puckered up like that in years... very memorable. It's hard to judge how much a limb will move as you unload it.

 

[RIVERRAT]

I had to remove limbs a few times from service drop wires that had worn through all the insulation. Since it's just 240 phase to phase is won't buzz you through contact with dry wood... but somebody needs to come back and fix the insulation in my opinion.

It's hard to judge how much a limb will move as you unload it.

The client was told of the issue & the service will be replaced. Blinky thanks for your understanding thoughts also.
I would also like to thank Carl for posting that clip of himself. It is not an easy thing to come to an open forum & reveal things of this nature. There is always the thought of ridicule & judgment coming from others.
I even got wind of some calling me a dumb ass on my last accident.
I can only say I know of none that have done this work for any length of time with out incident.

We strive for perfection in this vocation but because of our human nature we are destined to fail at times & fall short.

 

[Al Smith]

I've seen people do dumb things with service drops,especially on the farms.They might have an out building that needs power that has a tree in line with the source that they use for a pole.

The dummys screw an insulater into the tree and run the wires through the canopy which in time shreds the insulation off from movement.In time it actually wears through the aluminum and the wire burns in two. The only way to get the insulater out of the tee is to cut it out,they will not unscrew in just a short time. We had an electric chainsaw in the bucket truck we used for just such things.It also came in handy to lop the bottom off of class 4 southern yellow pine poles they tried to sell roots and all for length.

 

[RIVERRAT]

wow, great pictures and am glad your o.k.

I take nothing but the best of pics of my mishaps

 

[squisher]

Well like others here Jeff I apreciate you sharing this. It's a good reminder for all of us. You posting this could potentially save someone's life, so good on ya for risking the ridicule and sharing a valuable experience.

I had forgot to mention that in my post razzing MB.

 

[RIVERRAT]

Thanks Squish. The reason you brought up is why after some thought I posted this.

 

[JonnyHart]

Glad all is well Jeff. The power company puts you on a waiting list for months to drop a service line here. Similar situation there?
Carl, that was friggin scary.
I got zapped badly in the summer of 06. Doing a large weeping willow removal very close to some primaries. I had just started spiking my way up, and using my silky to cut little suckers out of my way. One little 1/2" diameter sucker I cut laid across one of the primaries and I really didn't notice, the butt end kinda stuck back against the tree, and I absent-mindedly swiped it away with my hand. ZAP! I was stuck there holding it, just cooking. I couldn't let go. It took all my strength to bring my free hand around and push my arm to move the sucker away from the wire. The next day and for a week following, the muscles in that arm I moved were incredibly sore. I came out of that tree at about 9 am, called the boss and told him to take me home.
Can chalk it all up to not paying attention. My mind was on what I was gonna do when I reached the canopy, not on what I was actually doing. Almost got myself killed. If that sucker was a bit longer and laid across 2 of the wires, I probably would have been.
I don't think I've told you guys about this before.

 

[pantheraba]

Dang, Jonny...I'm sure you probably dreamed about that one for awhile. Not being able to control your arm had to be scary. Sounds like you kept your head, didn't panic and found a way to save yourself. Stay safe.

 

[sawinredneck]

Looks like something my buddy would have done
(Sorry Jeff )
Glad you came out alright!!! Scary deal for sure!!!

 

[lumberjack]

The way I understand electricity, I was at minimal risk. My lift was grounded, I wasn't. If I would have grabbed the wire I would have been in the circuit, but otherwise I was golden.

If Jonny's sucker would have been on a primary and a ground, he would have been golden, 2 primaries would have been 2x the voltage and he would have been golden brown, extra crispy.

 

[Big A]

The way I understand electricity, I was at minimal risk. My lift was grounded, I wasn't. If I would have grabbed the wire I would have been in the circuit, but otherwise I was golden.

If Jonny's sucker would have been on a primary and a ground, he would have been golden, 2 primaries would have been 2x the voltage and he would have been golden brown, extra crispy.

As someone has said, these close shaves are a valuable lesson that electricity bites, and hard!! Its part of the groundies job to watch the power lines, and watch what the climber is doing near them. Dont forget a puff of wind can drift your ropes into cables too. Stay safe out there.

 

[MasterBlaster]

The way I understand electricity, I was at minimal risk. My lift was grounded, I wasn't.

I'm having trouble understanding that. Isn't your rig all metal? Why do you think you're not grounded? Are you standing on a rubber mat and not touching anything?

 

[Jonseredbred]

Carl, in your lift you are part of the ground. If you are in a wire as shown in your vid all it takes is for the electricity to find an easier ground (thru you to a more conductive control switch) and you are toast.

Your lift provides you with NO protection as the operator and NO protection for your groundcrew.

 

[vharrison]

I don't think I've told you guys about this before.

Jonny, I don't think you did either. That is scary stuff. Glad you are okay.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Wow!

 

[stehansen]

I'm glad everyone is OK.

 

[sawinredneck]

This has been a very educational and informative thread!!!
Thanks guys!!

 

[Al Smith]

It only takes about a tenth of an amp across the heart for about 1 second to be fatal. Arm to arm you have about 10,000 ohms of resistance in your body with dry skin. Persperation,rain etc would lower this resistance so in theory it could get low enough for 120 volts to do you in.

Actually more people buy the farm every year from just low voltage household current than get zapped from the primarys.That being said though you need to be very mindfull of the primarys because you seldom get a second chance if you tangle with them.

Most trimmers are not trained nor have the safety equipment to deal with close proximity work around distrubution lines. If you must,be carefull.This is a situation where speed is not the essence .One wrong move could leave you as a burnt cinder. Perhaps my use of words are grim but it does paint a picture of what could happen.

Another thing I should mention is the ground help.It is the part of a good groundie to keep an eye on the guy aloft,either a climber or in the bucket.At times situations may arrise where the groundman can see a potential problem that may escape the climber or bucketman.A "heads up" can make all the difference in the world.

 

[RIVERRAT]

Another thing I should mention is the ground help.It is the part of a good groundie to keep an eye on the guy aloft,either a climber or in the bucket.At times situations may arrise where the groundman can see a potential problem that may escape the climber or bucketman.A "heads up" can make all the difference in the world.

 

[Ax-Man]

Glad to hear your OK and all came out well. I sincerely mean this too because the outcome could have easily been different. I have had a few encounters with live wires myself over the years and can say I have been lucky. I think most guys who do treework can say the same thing but unfortunely others can't say the same.

From reading the thread it sounds like a case of neglect on the part of the homeowner letting a tree get so far out of hand to have this tree and wire conflict get so bad that they finally had to do something about it. I bet they might have had a few service interruptions before you were hired to cut the tree down and knew the there was a problem with the electical service.

Did the owners say anything at all to you before the cutting of the tree????

It just gets my blood pressure up somethimes when I go to do estimates and see obvious cases of neglect on the part of the owner when it comes to their trees. Most times if they had taken steps earlier it would be much easier and cheaper to remedy the problem than to let it get out of hand and not have to have to pay so much money. To top it all off they don't want to pay as it is and don't see the danger or realize that their tree is a hazard and could cause someone to get hurt.

 

[RIVERRAT]

.

Did the owners say anything at all to you before the cutting of the tree????

No they said nothing. Half the tree busted out from the ice storm. They called us to take care of it.

I think, maybe, it might be expecting to much for the home owner to know about these things

 

[fallguy1960]

Electricity is my line of work I can say that what has been stated here is correct, more people are killed from 120/240 volts than all others combined. Part of the reason is that everyone has acess to it, and because we do we take it for granted. I work substations so I work around 120 to 500,000 volts so I am always looking at the lines. The other thing that can get you with 120 /240 volts is the insulation can get worn through on the limbs and not blow the fuses because there is not enough leakage. So if you have to handle the wires always look before you grab them. Glad to here you are alright.

 

[stehansen]

I used to take them for granted. Not anymore.

 

[Al Smith]

Another heads up.In the rare case of a double set of distrubution being used even a dead line can get you.

They often run a double feeder ,three on one side of the cross arm and three on the other. Even if one side is deenergized the mutual induction from the other can charge those lines to a lethal level.

Miles upon miles of totally deenegized line can also act like a giant capaciter and light you up also. I got the piss knocked out of me working on an insullated pipe line that parrelled a 138 kv transmission line.I had to file the coating off to cadweld an anode to it. I got down to metal then zap,like getting kicked by a mule .Who knew.