Another Unnecessary Death

[hbiss]

Re: Another Unnecessary Death

I saw the piece about this on the local news channel last night. They showed some pretty good footage of the area. Seems the pole is on an underpass and just behind an aluminum railing. In order to get at the handhole you have to reach through the railing.

Picture showed the usual rubber pigtail lampholders used for plug fuses in the handhole. It was a hot day and he was wearing a T shirt and I'm sure he was sweating. My guess is as he was working on the fuse holders or wiring with one hand and leaned on the railing he was reaching through with the other arm. Poor guy probably got it across the chest.

-Hal

 

[lady sparks lover]

Re: Another Unnecessary Death

How sad!! My condolences to his family!

 

[charlie b]

Re: Another Unnecessary Death

Originally posted by hbiss:In order to get at the handhole you have to reach through the railing.

Let us all take heed of this statement. If anyone, anywhere, ever, tries to tell you that you can work on a live circuit that does not have proper "working clearance," as required by 110.26, tell them the story of Charlie, and then just say "NO!"

 

[D.Rater]

Re: Another Unnecessary Death

AFTER I'd read about this I was doing an upgrade today,new ser through brick, and while drilling the joist I nicked the existing HOT entry cable and saw the bit shaft spark to the brick.There were guys working inside so I didn't want to pull the meter.Drill I was using is plastic, or...

 

[charlie tuna]

Re: Another Unnecessary Death

you can never be too careful! i lost one of my men (27 years old and a mike holt student) when he went onto a roof to find the wattage of a light fixture mounted just below the roof edge. he was kneeling on the aluminum parapit(a good grounded surface) flashing and leaning against the closed fixture to see the top of the lamp to determine the wattage when the time clock energized the fixture and locked him on the fixture. the fixture was not grounded and the capacitor was loose inside and in contact with the fixture housing. the previous contractor had the fixture bouncing around in his truck for two weeks before installing it--- 120 volt power supply---780 volts on the capacitor and housing!!

mike holt tells the story of one his students who was wiring a 120 volt light switch in a new resturant kitchen --- it was hot--he was sweating--the switch had a stainless steel table in front of it. they found him dead slumped over the table!

point is guys and gals---sometimes you can smell a dangerous situation and too many times we overlook a death trap!!! it took me five years to get over loosing my employee and friend --he was a very smart and hard working journeyman - a leader and a craftsman! only if we learn from this new loss of life will mean something for us that remember it and pass the word throughout our industry. your friend will be in my prayers! god bless......

 

[peter d]

Re: Another Unnecessary Death

As long as electrical workers keep ignoring safety rules and continue to work on live circuits, then we will continue to have unnecessary deaths and injuries.

 

[jimwalker]

Re: Another Unnecessary Death

posted August 09, 2005 09:20 PM
Read about it in the paper this morning. He is going to be missed by many, what a tragedy.

I'm also interested in knowing what happened, keep us posted.

-Hal "

What paper was it ? perhaps its an online paper,i would like to read it.

 

[hbiss]

Re: Another Unnecessary Death

Local Westchester County Gannett "The Journal News". Not much information on his death just what a great guy he was. Latest news is the medical examiner expects it will take about 8 weeks to figure out why he died.

Here is the link if you want to read it http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050809/NEWS02/508090313/1018/NEWS02

-Hal

[ August 10, 2005, 07:29 PM: Message edited by: hbiss ]

 

[jimwalker]

Re: Another Unnecessary Death

thanks

[ August 10, 2005, 07:34 PM: Message edited by: jimwalker ]

 

[mike@mikeholt.com]

Re: Another Unnecessary Death

Pierre, I'm so sorry to hear of the terrible loss of your friend. I have never personally experienced anything like this so I know I can only imagine how great your pain is.

I will be lifting you and the family up in prayer so that God gives you all the strength to cope with the loss.

God Bless

 

[OneWay]

Re: Another Unnecessary Death

My thoughts are with his family, sorry for your loss.

 

[CaseyM]

Re: Another Unnecessary Death

I did not want to see this post while I was surfing, how awful. I am very sorry Pierre,and I wish his family and your community the best. I tripped a gfi, and no it did not take a 60th of a second, I was caught with one hand on the ground and one hand on the hot for a long time. Long enough to feel like I was caught in the generator itself, not fun. I was hung up and I feel very strongly that that gfi saved my life, and believe me I believed in god when the circuit cut out. That was my wake up call. 120 will definately kill you that's no doubt. Most of us work circuits hot from time to time for various resons but for god sakes be carefull.

 

[pierre]

Re: Another Unnecessary Death

Thanks to all who responded!!!

To make a sad tragedy worse.... his employer is protecting themselves, and have announced that he did not die from electrocution...this is called CYA. Trying to avert the ensuing lawsuit, a real blow to his family and the community. I guess we should have expected this to happen.

Again Thanks

 

[peter d]

Re: Another Unnecessary Death

Originally posted by pierre:


To make a sad tragedy worse.... his employer is protecting themselves, and have announced that he did not die from electrocution...

What a bunch of crap.

 

[charlie tuna]

Re: Another Unnecessary Death

standard law practice --- deny anything and plant a small doubt in the minds of a jury!! after a 16 year old boy was found electricuted with his body in contact with an energized metal bus shelter -- the installer claimed it was lightning. even though the unlicenced installer, working on county property, without a permit and without any inspection, depended only on the driven ground rod for a return path to the power source!! they found other shelters wired wrong within the county that he had wired. sad part about all this is --- "no lesson is learnt" !
the national electric code has been changed throughout the years to correct electrical practices that were found to be dangerous to the public. it sounds like the cause of the electricution in this man's death is a clearance issue. "but it will be expensive" to bring the clearance issue "up to date" ---- most of us have worked on energized equipment for years and no doubt "without proper clearances" and as long as they exist---and there are plenty of them--- we must train ourselves and others in our industry the danger of this practice. those unlicensed and untrained people will continue to create death traps at the public's expense. the responibility of this man's death will be pointed in so many directions that everyone will walk away without "learning a lesson"!!!

 

[celtic]

Re: Another Unnecessary Death

Originally posted by charlie tuna:
standard law practice --- deny anything ....

To expand(very briefly) on Tuna's comment:

Standard corporate law practice ~
Admit Nothing
Deny Everything
Demand Proof


**********
Thanks to whomever deleted my first post in this thread(it was the first "REPLY" to Pierre's original)...it was a blank posting signifying a "moment of silence" for the family.