Live Working

[Thefailsafe2012]

Well, still wouldn't want to slip on the old drill eh? You done this sorta thing as well shanky?

 

[Engineer54]

Preparation is the key to safety here, and can take as much, or even more time than actually doing the job itself!!
The main objective is to eliminate or to reduce any potential dangers as far as possible.

The drill bits used by the way were special short drills (no longer than an inch or so) that produced niblets rather than a long stream of drilled material and were ...sharp!! lol!! The drill being connected to the bar being drilled, etc etc. The bus bars above and below were protected with insulating material within the area of work, rubber mats gloves eye/face protection and over shoes were in place, ... And most importantly, a big guy with a length of wood standing by!! lol!!

 

[shanky887614]

Well, still wouldn't want to slip on the old drill eh? You done this sorta thing as well shanky?

no, im too young but i understand the basic principle behind it.

frankly i would enlist advice/help from guys like yourself that know the best way to do it.


for a start with things like this its best to ask as i wasnt aware you could get these special drill bits and if i did attempt something like this with the wrong/not good enough equipement im creating unessicary risk's

 

[Engineer54]

no, im too young but i understand the basic principle behind it.

frankly i would enlist advice/help from guys like yourself that know the best way to do it.


for a start with things like this its best to ask as i wasnt aware you could get these special drill bits and if i did attempt something like this with the wrong/not good enough equipement im creating unessicary risk's

Wouldn't call them particularly special, perhaps that was the wrong description on my part to give them. Drill bits have always been available in different length sizes, to suit different applications. You could for instance use a standard sized drill bit and use a grub screw secured depth stop, it will do the job just as well!! lol!!

 

[Knobhead]

The question is, would you do it now?

 

[D Skelton]

As an apprentice we were trained for live working. I wonder how many here, have drilled live LV bus bars on a 800A sub switchboard, to accommodate wiring to a new externally mounted Breaker?? How times change!!! ....lol!!

They weren't live mate, you were just told they were to make you feel more hardcore

In all seriousness, training or no training, unless I was wearing a blimmin faraday suit I wouldn't be drilling live LV busbars, I value being able to watch my kid grow up! Lol

 

[PEM]

NICEIC recommendations state ZS on lighting circuits should be done by calculation as otherwise you'd be exposing live wires.

Having said that they also advise that inspecting the loft area as part of a condition report should not be necessary as its dangerous cos you need to use a ladder.

What will be next? Risk assessments for what?

1. Going for a crap at work all those strange toilet seats!

2. Someone self abusing with your tools when your not around?

I think disposable wipes, hand hell and face masks a must!! Alternatively just open your sandwiches and get on with life.

So much PC and HSE crap around these days.

Moan done! Well for now

 

[brookster]

2. Someone self abusing with your tools when your not around?

Might be a coshh

 

[TF and the wire]

As an electrician of 40 years standing, live working to me is actually touching a live part. I would never do this on anything above 110v ac.

Just in from the pub and took a quick look before bed and saw that statement.
Just to be clear mate...........are you actually saying that you work on and touch 110volt live conductors?

I'll move 110v control conductors around using my insulated tools if I have to. I wouldn't intentionally touch one though, but if I did, I know I would just get a tingle.

 

[44ALLAN]

I'll move 110v control conductors around using my insulated tools if I have to. I wouldn't intentionally touch one though, but if I did, I know I would just get a tingle.

Well I think we all do that ...moving wires with insulated tools.............but.........and I quote.....
" I wouldn't intentionally touch one though, but if I did, I know I would just get a tingle".

Your kidding right?

 

[PEM]

I touched something live the other day and got a belt!!!!

Twas the wife in Tescos!!!!

Not me Birthday !!!!

 

[Engineer54]

The question is, would you do it now?

Never really thought about it to be honest. lol!! I don't see why not if everything is in place, and i can satisfy myself that the preparations and safety equipment is adequate for the job. Can't really see it ever arising in the short time i have left though. You only really see, or should i say ''did'' only see, this sort of thing happening in industry where shutting down lines wasn't an option. It was generally expected that you worked live, when and as needed!!

Probably today, the company would have to take the hit, and shut the line down, but as you know yourself, that can be a very expensive hit for a company, which they weren't prepared to do, well not in my day anyway!! lol!!

They weren't live mate, you were just told they were to make you feel more hardcore

In all seriousness, training or no training, unless I was wearing a blimmin faraday suit I wouldn't be drilling live LV busbars, I value being able to watch my kid grow up! Lol

Biff,

I can assure you that switchboard and the others i have worked on were all live!! lol!! It all sounds very dangerous i know, (and is dangerous if you don't follow safety protocols) but is perfectly do-able safely. The actual work probably took up about an hour or so, but the safety side and preparation for the drilling of each bar in turn and the connections, and your talking about almost a complete shift!!

DNO and Lloyds certified Jointers, still work on live cables and joints, can't see how this would be any different to what we used to do. In fact i'd say it was safer for us, as we weren't working in a wet dug out trench, and had a lot more elbow room to work in... lol!!

You wouldn't want to be wearing a Faraday cage suit working on anything live mate, they would be conductive!! lol!!

 

[Knobhead]

It’s no difference to doing a live breach joint really. It was fun learning how to do them.

 

[Engineer54]

It’s no difference to doing a live breach joint really. It was fun learning how to do them.

To be honest, never had any training in live jointing work.

It's always a bit nerve racking the first time or so, you undertake any form of in your face live working, no matter how many precautions are in place. But then again it's not something you would want to get complaisant with either!! lol!! When it's all over, you do get a real sense of achievement though, along with equal amounts of relief!! lol!!

 

[brookster]

No one can force you to work live like this ^^^. I just wouldn't as a heavy handed git. You seen the guys who use choppers to clean the cables, that's pretty cool.

 

[Knobhead]

Do the DNO’s turn off the power to add a new service?
I didn’t work for the EMEB but I went to their collage to learn 11KV jointing (No UG MV work is done live).
While there I did a live 3Φ+N service breach and a through joint live. Both PVC on to PILC. Sweated connections instead of mechanical, compound, not resin.

 

[Engineer54]

No one can force you to work live like this ^^^. I just wouldn't as a heavy handed git. You seen the guys who use choppers to clean the cables, that's pretty cool.

Today's attitude is very different to those when i was a lad, at that time if you refused or was reluctant to follow your superiors instructions you weren't going to see your apprentice through, that's for sure. I have no idea really, what it's like now in industry, in my time it was just accepted that if live working was required then so be it. That's not to say that all precautions wasn't adhered too, they were!! Our company had the best set of fully insulated live working tools and accessories that i've ever seen, even to this day!! All by an American manufacturer as i remember and were rated at 3000V, not the standard VDE of today at 1000V.

 

[brookster]

What you have said is very correct, I have heard stories of guys insulating spanners to 1000v with tape and having there arms up to there shoulder in tranny oil

 

[44ALLAN]

What you have said is very correct, I have heard stories of guys insulating spanners to 1000v with tape and having there arms up to there shoulder in tranny oil

As an apprentice it was my job to throw a spanner across the tranny connections(making sure said spanner couldn't drop into tranny) when we were doing a tapping change just in case the engineer had isolated the wrong section switch................no-one ever told me what would happen if he had !!
I always wondered why they were all hiding around the corner lol

Bearing in mind all relevant tests had been done beforehand and this was just a final check

 

[brookster]

Doubt that would be on the method statement