Spring - Official

[clivehorridge]

Oops indeed Rich, it's the only thing you can guarantee on any project, that somebody will dig up at least one live service!

One of the biggest laughs we had was a contractor working in his own compound, digging up his own live cable supplying the office.

The cable came up from a duct, through the floor of the office to a master distribution box situated right behind the receptionist.

There was a sudden and almighty flash/bang and the receptionist legged it all the way down the corridor screaming!

He'd pulled the cable (without breaking it) so that the break was directly at the terminals in the distribution box. We all wandered into her office to see what had happened and there was still smoke whisping from the box.

Of course it was instantaneous, the master fuse (no trips in those days) blew, but it was a good laugh at the poor girl's expense, bless her.

I've got dozens of similar stories.... but sadly I'm no Fred Dibnah....

 

[StarCruiser]

I have come across similar situations Clive. One on a domestic extension where the mains cable was pulled out from the cutout breaking it and causing a short. The cable was repaired but they missed the damage to the service head (cutout) as it was not immediately obvious. Soon after there were reports of neighbour's equipment getting over voltage problems and burning out. The electricity board had to come out and diagnose the problem which they found to be a loose neutral (as is usually the case) in the first tee of the feeder cable. Trouble was, there was a huge tree directly above the joint so they had to bypass the whole lot around the tree and reconnect away from it. I didn't venture to make the connection between the earlier JCB meets cable incident as a possible cause having stressed the roomy under fault conditions.

The other was a friend of mine who banged a Metpost metal post spike into the ground to an almighty flash and a bang which in his words 'set light to the ground'. He hit the service going to next door and had only put a replacement Metpost in the exact same location! Too close for comfort that one.

 

[clivehorridge]

One story I'll never forget "because I was there" was installing drainage in the verge of the realigned road past Cardigan hospital (West Wales).

The Contractor had informed all the local service owners and called a Site meeting inviting any of them with concerns for the safety of their installations.

The only attendee was predictably the Telecom guy who had recently signed off the successful installation of a spanking new state-of-the-art fiber-optic that he'd been waiting for funds for probably 10 years or so, you can imagine his "interest".

Out we all go the the location and with drawings and Telecom as-builts flapping in the wind, we established the line of his beloved cable and marked it with stakes.

He, personally, hammered them in with his own hammer that he brought with him. That's passion. After agreeing with him a safe tolerance either side of his C/L, we hammered in 2 rows of safety zone pegs, to his satisfaction.

The backactor operator could see the fear in this guys eyes as he carefully lowered the bucket to the outer edge of the safe peg line. For good measure he moved over and away from the alignment by another 30cm, but that was his limit to get the drain in.

All good, lots of pensive faces as the bucket sank into the soft verge soil. After a few bucks loads excavated, 1.8m, the invert level of the intended drain, the bucket came up full of soil of course, complete with the remains of one end of matey's fiber-optic, and warning marker tape that should have been installed at 1.00m and again at 1.5m depths above the line.

We all beat a hasty retreat, and went off to drink tea.

£250k to build a connection chamber for the repair.

Happy days.

 

[Chas]

I worked on a building site as an apprentice electrician where one of the paddy labourers had a pee into a hole in the ground where unbeknown to him lay a mains cable junction box of some sort needless to say he didn't survive.

 

[StarCruiser]

I worked on a building site as an apprentice electrician where one of the paddy labourers had a pee into a hole in the ground where unbeknown to him lay a mains cable junction box of some sort needless to say he didn't survive.

Crikey Chas, he was unlucky, it must have been arc flash that got him. Mythbusters proved that peeing isn't conductive enough to kill (based on peeing on a live rail).

 

[StarCruiser]

One story I'll never forget "because I was there" was installing drainage in the verge of the realigned road past Cardigan hospital (West Wales).

The Contractor had informed all the local service owners and called a Site meeting inviting any of them with concerns for the safety of their installations.

The only attendee was predictably the Telecom guy who had recently signed off the successful installation of a spanking new state-of-the-art fiber-optic that he'd been waiting for funds for probably 10 years or so, you can imagine his "interest".

Out we all go the the location and with drawings and Telecom as-builts flapping in the wind, we established the line of his beloved cable and marked it with stakes.

He, personally, hammered them in with his own hammer that he brought with him. That's passion. After agreeing with him a safe tolerance either side of his C/L, we hammered in 2 rows of safety zone pegs, to his satisfaction.

The backactor operator could see the fear in this guys eyes as he carefully lowered the bucket to the outer edge of the safe peg line. For good measure he moved over and away from the alignment by another 30cm, but that was his limit to get the drain in.

All good, lots of pensive faces as the bucket sank into the soft verge soil. After a few bucks loads excavated, 1.8m, the invert level of the intended drain, the bucket came up full of soil of course, complete with the remains of one end of matey's fiber-optic, and warning marker tape that should have been installed at 1.00m and again at 1.5m depths above the line.

We all beat a hasty retreat, and went off to drink tea.

£250k to build a connection chamber for the repair.

Happy days.

Now I've heard a story identical to that before. Except from the machine driver's perspective. I got a groundworker in to price a job for me of laying 115m of 300mm 4 core (about 3" diameter) cable between workshop buildings. He had been the driver on a similar experience and went white and shaken every time I mentioned cable locations close by.
He had been pursued for the cost of repair but the cable owner had marked it out wrong. 100k was what I was told was the repair bill for that one.

 

[clivehorridge]

I worked on a building site as an apprentice electrician where one of the paddy labourers had a pee into a hole in the ground where unbeknown to him lay a mains cable junction box of some sort needless to say he didn't survive.

Oh my goodness, mind where you pee. Maybe it was wet weather and he may have been wet too, I guess it could all join hands and cause a fatality.

We've had workers too close to HV overhead power distribution lines. The minimum clearance (IIRC) for 100 kVA is about 15 m and a guy raised the tipper on his truck whilst in the minimum clearance band.

The tipper never quite touched the cable, but an arc flashed and did quite a lot of damage to the truck.

A pot blew which isolated the distribution supply, at which the driver jumped from the cab saying "what happened?" He knew nothing till he looked at the damage to the truck. All his workmates thought he'd be dead.

 

[StarCruiser]

You're ok if you jump clear, onto your feet and shuffle across the ground, don't separate your feet.

HV would have been a different matter!! Can't imagine something at HV would be left open in a hole though.

I'm guessing he set of an explosion which caused him to fall in but that's just guessing.

 

[Chas]

You're ok if you jump clear, onto your feet and shuffle across the ground, don't separate your feet.

HV would have been a different matter!! Can't imagine something at HV would be left open in a hole though.

I'm guessing he set of an explosion which caused him to fall in but that's just guessing.

IIRC they were men working in that hole but the job hadn't been finished yet, perhaps they had popped off for a cuppa, to answer Clive, Yes it was wet, snow, it was the 62/63 winter, I was only there to rig outside lighting for the builders, it was bl**dy freezing, we could only work outside for about 1/2hr before going back to our hut to defrost.
I was on site but I didn't witness it or hear a big bang.

 

[StarCruiser]

Poor chap probably peed an icicle! That scenario would only have been low voltage, 240v to earth and 415v between phases. a direct hit could have initiated an arc. Nasty!

 

[Chas]

Poor chap probably peed an icicle! That scenario would only have been low voltage, 240v to earth and 415v between phases. a direct hit could have initiated an arc. Nasty!

It was that cold he probably peed an icicle.

 

[StarCruiser]

Didn't get the chance to snap it off! Poor chap!

 

[BobMurphy]

There was a light smattering of snow here this morning .

Bob.

 

[Shayne]

https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/26dcab82-6106-4e23-8d62-2c482ebdb51f

 

[clivehorridge]

Hold it Bob, pee somewhere safe

I don't see that demonstration concluded much, there's too many variables that weren't simulated for it be conclusive.

It's like saying I've had 100 shocks off the mains, so it's proof the mains won't kill you.

There's some evidence to the contrary, in the graveyard.

 

[StarCruiser]

If you mean the Mythbusters one Clive, they did iirc do a revisit. They also increased the flow to try and get a result. I can't remember the result but they are generally pretty thorough and scientific (quite enjoy watching them when they're on!)

 

[clivehorridge]

If you mean the Mythbusters one Clive, they did iirc do a revisit. They also increased the flow to try and get a result. I can't remember the result but they are generally pretty thorough and scientific (quite enjoy watching them when they're on!)

Yep, me too. I'm always envious that they get a budget, time and the equipment to do these stunts.

It's a prog that has the right mix of seriousness, humor and technical content, like it. Some of the outcomes are quite unpredictable, too.

 

[Pat]

cheer up chaps here is a springtime one for Clive
'Tis dog's delight to bark and bite
And little birds to sing
And if you sit on a red-hot brick
It's a sign of an early spring.

 

[clivehorridge]

On that note Pat, the forsythia has bloomed and so have the narcissus (narcissae - goodness knows what the proper plural might be)....

It was a foggy start to the day and a bit chilly, but the colors have brightened that up already.

Next will be the fruit trees blossoming, the whole hillside turns white when they do, it's quite amazing.

 

[Chas]

On that note Pat, the forsythia has bloomed and does so have the narcissus (narcissae - goodness knows what the proper plural might be)....

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It was a foggy start to the day and a bit chilly, but the colors have brightened that up already.

Next will be the fruit trees blossoming, the whole hillside turns white when they do, it's quite amazing.

Spring has sprung!