Scaffolding Around/Near Residential Service Drops... and...

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JFletcher

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Williamsburg, VA
Does anyone know what OSHA regs there are for erecting scaffolding near an overhead residential service? Was at a house today where the siding guys were building a scaffold to go up to the top of the house, on the end where the service drop is. It looked to me like their next course would actually touch the drop. How close can one erect a scaffold to service conductors?

My recommendation was to call the POCO and have them drop the service until they were done, then reinstall it.

Also, on old aerial services where the cloth/outer sheath has deteriorated to the point where the neutral is exposed, what would be the proper way to repair it? If wrapping in electrical tape is acceptable, what tape would you use?
 
JFletcher said:
Does anyone know what OSHA regs there are for erecting scaffolding near an overhead residential service? Was at a house today where the siding guys were building a scaffold to go up to the top of the house, on the end where the service drop is. It looked to me like their next course would actually touch the drop. How close can one erect a scaffold to service conductors?

My recommendation was to call the POCO and have them drop the service until they were done, then reinstall it.

Also, on old aerial services where the cloth/outer sheath has deteriorated to the point where the neutral is exposed, what would be the proper way to repair it? If wrapping in electrical tape is acceptable, what tape would you use?
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No idea what OSHA might have to say about the scaffold and the open service conductors. Possibly might depend on if they are covered or if covering is deteriorating to some degree.

Your last question are you talking about an old SE cable with missing or nearly disintegrated sheath, or just open conductors with missing insulation?
 
JFletcher said:
Also, on old aerial services where the cloth/outer sheath has deteriorated to the point where the neutral is exposed, what would be the proper way to repair it? If wrapping in electrical tape is acceptable, what tape would you use?
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Is there any damage to the braided neutral? The meter can and the rest of the electrical service is uninsulated.
 
SE cable with disintegrating sheath. The ungrounded conductor insulation appear fine, however the neutral wires wrapped around them are exposed. I didnt see any damage or corrosion to the neutral wires on the 10' of cable before it joins the weatherhead and stand-off to the aerial drop.

My concern was if the neutral is exposed, and suspect (failing/old/bad) at the pole, it could energize the aluminum scaffolding enough to produce a shock and fall from a potentially fatal height.

It also seemed just a bad idea to erect metal scaffolding closely around a service drop, regardless the condition of the aerial drop or the triplex to the meter. I'd rather err on the side of caution than see the siding guys.. minus one.
 
JFletcher said:
My concern was if the neutral is exposed, and suspect (failing/old/bad) at the pole, it could energize the aluminum scaffolding enough to produce a shock and fall from a potentially fatal height.
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If you have a metal raceway but otherwise all the other same conditions it would still energize the scaffolding because it is bonded to the service neutral conductor at the meter.
 
kwired said:
If you have a metal raceway but otherwise all the other same conditions it would still energize the scaffolding because it is bonded to the service neutral conductor at the meter.
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No metal raceway. "Weatherhead" was a bad choice of words; tho the cheesy covers at the top of the SE cable are called the same here.

Was back over there today. The siding guys didnt chance it and put ladders and a walkboard up a decent distance from the drop.
 
Approch zones

Approch zones

I know when we did our sissors lift training they had a "no approch zone" depending on what the exposed voltage was. I would think it would be the same with scafolding.
Our idiot instructor tried to say first if was in conduit you had to follow the approch rules. We said no if it was that way you would never be allowed to work on a pipe rack with conduit on it that was on.
 
JFletcher said:
...n old aerial services where the cloth/outer sheath has deteriorated to the point where the neutral is exposed, what would be the proper way to repair it? If wrapping in electrical tape is acceptable, what tape would you use?
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The weather cover (sheath) can't be repaired, because it can't be restored to the manufacturer's original specs. Bear in mind that the weather cover isn't designed as insulation, it's merely to impede corrosion.
 
wtucker said:
https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=10752

1925.451(f)(6) Scaffolds shall not be erected, used, dismantled, altered, or moved such that they or any conductive material handled on them might come closer to exposed and energized power lines than as follows:

Insulated lines, <300V, 3 ft.; uninsulated lines, <50kV, 10 ft.
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Thank you for finding that section (and wayyy down too!). I figured there was some rule, just didnt know what it was. 3' it is.
 
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