Ladders

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electricguy61 said:
How will you know for sure until you get up there & test?

After getting fried on an aluminum ladder working on an improperly grounded light on a pole (long story, volunteer project, middle of the night, grabbed what was handy) and getting badly shocked (I was locked in with one hand on the ladder and one around the top of the light. I believe God didn't want a dead volunteer, cause I sure couldn't let go), I gave up all use of metal ladders. And if I see my guys using one, they get a long lecture.

OSHA has something to say about it: 1910.333(c)(7)"Portable ladders." Portable ladders shall have nonconductive siderails if they are used where the employee or the ladder could contact exposed energized parts.

Note the word "could"
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FIFY, There is a distinction with a difference between shock and electrocution. Ouch tho. Would a fiberglass ladder have prevented that? If you were touching the pole anywhere, istm the same thing would have happened.

I want to go home everyday in my own vehicle, not an ambulance. I also want to go home w/o my back killing me because I had to manhandle something more suitable as an aircraft carrier anchor than a ladder.

Anyway, not going to make this a ladder safety thread, tho it's always good to be reminded of the dangers of our work. FWIW, the outside cable guys here just throw a ladder up a pole and start working. The POCO has what I guess is a non-contact meter (big one) and they check the pole for voltage, you know, in case on of those insulators has failed and there is a 13kV line sitting directly on the pole.
 
I was electrocuted. Fried for probably 10 seconds or so. One hand on rung of aluminum ladder, one on top of light. The electricity caused my hands to contract, gripping the ladder & light even tighter. Knew what was happening, couldn't do anything about it. I must have been making funny noises, because the guy at the bottom of the ladder said "Andy, you OK?"

For some reason, the hand gripping the light just let go. I slide/fell down the ladder into a big pile of mush. For a week, I felt like I had been stretched by the arms between two horses.

As I say, I lived to tell the tale. That happened the winter of 1981.

Never performed electrical work on an aluminum ladder again. But as I said: to each their own.
 
I know you got a terrible, nearly fatal, electric shock, but the dictionary (and word derivation) says electrocuted is a fatality by electricity (electricity and execution). Luckily you did not pass into that category:) . The safety message is there in your story.:thumbsup:
 
I understand a fiberglass ladder will help minimize risk, but doesn't automatically mean there is no risk.

What is the voltage rating of your ladder from a PPE perspective?

You still are not supposed to work live - you still are supposed to use PPE when checking to see if the circuit is dead.

I don't have any aluminum ladders myself, but have used some at times for electrical work. May have done some stupid things in the past, but in general will not use one for working on something I know is going to be live.
 
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