I NEED INFO ON LOCK-OUT/TAG-OUT PROCEDURES WHEN DEALING WITH UTILITY POWER. OUR UTILITY COMPANIES IN CENTRAL PA. ARE DO NOT ALLOW US TO PLACE LOCK-OUT DEVICES ON ANY OF THEIR EQUIPMENT. ON BUILDING SHUT-DOWN PROJECTS[ESPECIALLY ON GEAR THAT DOES NOT HAVE A MAIN BREAKER]WE ARE FORCED TO DEPEND ON GROUNDING DEVICES FOR OUR PROTECTION. POLE MOUNTED CUT-OUTS POSE THE SAME PROBLEM. WHAT WRITTEN PROCEDURE CAN BE FOLLOWED FOR THESE EXAMPLES?
safety
- Thread starter tlm
- Start date
- Status
- Location
- Lockport, IL
- Occupation
- Semi-Retired Electrical Engineer
Re: safety
Please turn off the ALL CAPS feature. It makes the post harder to read, and is considered by some to represent SHOUTING.
That said, I'll have to leave the answering of your question to the other members. It's outside my area.
Please turn off the ALL CAPS feature. It makes the post harder to read, and is considered by some to represent SHOUTING.
That said, I'll have to leave the answering of your question to the other members. It's outside my area.
charlie
Senior Member
- Location
- Indianapolis
Re: safety
Each electric utility has their own procedures and you using something else would cause a lineman to be confused and could lead to a death.
For example, if one of our linemen opens a cutout to kill a tap, he will leave a hotstick hanging next to the cutout. That is a visual indicator that it is not to be closed under any circumstances. The line crew will go to the area they are working on and install a grounding conductor from the phase wires to the neutral on both sides of the work location. The are now free to work bare handed between the grounds. Our service dispatcher will fill out a hold card on that cutout and hold it for that crew. Our policy is to call in the pole number that the cutout is located on before opening or closing the cutout. Our service dispatcher is required to give permission before a cutout is either opened or closed.
I assure you that each company has a set of procedures that are similar and they are not about to introduce something strange into the mix. Talk to the serving electric utility and let them know what you are trying to do and see if you can work up some sort of safety interface with them. If they are aware of what you are trying to do, I would bet that they will be willing to work with you.
Each electric utility has their own procedures and you using something else would cause a lineman to be confused and could lead to a death.
For example, if one of our linemen opens a cutout to kill a tap, he will leave a hotstick hanging next to the cutout. That is a visual indicator that it is not to be closed under any circumstances. The line crew will go to the area they are working on and install a grounding conductor from the phase wires to the neutral on both sides of the work location. The are now free to work bare handed between the grounds. Our service dispatcher will fill out a hold card on that cutout and hold it for that crew. Our policy is to call in the pole number that the cutout is located on before opening or closing the cutout. Our service dispatcher is required to give permission before a cutout is either opened or closed.
I assure you that each company has a set of procedures that are similar and they are not about to introduce something strange into the mix. Talk to the serving electric utility and let them know what you are trying to do and see if you can work up some sort of safety interface with them. If they are aware of what you are trying to do, I would bet that they will be willing to work with you.
- Status