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10-09-2009, 08:27 PM
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#1
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Member
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Raleigh NC
Posts: 88
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Got to do better
I got lucky yesterday. Was working on a 277/480 volt panel fed with 125 amp breaker. Building is 40 years old and we are doing a remodel. I was installing a ground bar in the panel when one of the grounds in my hands (last one to land) slipped from my hand and hit the c phase lug. Nice little pop and flash and it scared the **** out of me. Anyway I got to do better, I know the risks and I have been reading of the dangers of working hot and at my company I am probably the guy who cuts stuff off the most. However, I didn't want to kill 2 floors of light including the one I was working under so I didn't kill it. Stupid, stupid, stupid!! Lucky I didn't get hurt or killed. I will be turning it off in the future. In a side note it tripped a ground fault breaker in a switchgear that was in an underground vault that no one was aware of. Took 2/12 hours to find the gear, keys, etc. to get it turned back on!
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10-09-2009, 08:38 PM
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#2
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Moderator
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Beautiful Cumberland Valley, in PA
Posts: 5,846
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On the bright side, now you know where to kill the power and you can be pretty sure the GFP settings are okay.
__________________
-Marc, ABC, XYZ, PhD, 1-2-3
-Someday, I'll wear pajamas in the day time.
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10-09-2009, 09:26 PM
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#3
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I am a RAT.
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Charlotte N.C.
Posts: 5,187
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Just think if you would have shut it off you would have still cut the lights off for the 2 floors. Cut it off or suit up. I glad you didn't get hurt.
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10-09-2009, 09:44 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Virginia
Posts: 219
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Did you have any PPE on?
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10-09-2009, 09:46 PM
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#5
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Hack and Rat all in one
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Stars and Stripes
Posts: 3,276
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This is exactly how you become a statistic.
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10-09-2009, 09:59 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: missouri
Posts: 676
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Thats not cool.
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10-09-2009, 10:01 PM
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#7
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Member
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Raleigh NC
Posts: 88
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No PPE. I don't think our company owns any. No excuse though. SHould have turned it off and will from now on. I must say in the company I work for now working hot is SOP. Another thing about this job. About four months ago we scheduled a shutdown on a Sunday morning to remove some wires from the MDP. We were told this was the only way to shut the building down. Killed 3 buildings at shutdown and was a major deal. Big company and I guess there entire worldwide network is fed from one of these buildings. Anyway went through all that and there was a breaker the whole time.
Thanks to this site and Mike Holt's site I am getting the picture about working hot. 1 year ago I would have thought nothing of it.
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10-09-2009, 10:12 PM
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#8
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I am a RAT.
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Charlotte N.C.
Posts: 5,187
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter D
This is exactly how you become a statistic.
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You are exactly correct.
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10-09-2009, 10:16 PM
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#9
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Hack and Rat all in one
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Stars and Stripes
Posts: 3,276
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Quote:
Originally Posted by william1978
You are exactly correct.
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Thanks Billy. Before I wasn't so sure, but now I don't doubt my answer anymore.
Last edited by Peter D; 10-09-2009 at 10:19 PM.
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10-09-2009, 10:19 PM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Long Island, N.Y.
Posts: 2,185
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter D
Thanks Billy. Before I wasn't so sure, but now I don't my answer anymore.
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wanna try that sentence again?? 
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10-09-2009, 10:20 PM
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#11
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Hack and Rat all in one
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Stars and Stripes
Posts: 3,276
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Black4Truck
wanna try that sentence again?? |
I fixed it. Left out a word. 
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10-09-2009, 10:20 PM
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#12
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I am a RAT.
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Charlotte N.C.
Posts: 5,187
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......................
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10-09-2009, 10:56 PM
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#13
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Maine (Tal Afar, Iraq presently)
Posts: 353
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Quote:
Originally Posted by blueheels2
Took 2/12 hours to find the gear, keys, etc. to get it turned back on!
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Probably would have had it off half as long if it was planned huh?
Glad you are OK.....don't beat yourself up about just LEARN from it!
__________________
Rick Boudreau
TASK FORCE SAFE INSPECTION TEAM LEADER
Tal Afar, Iraq
"fool-proof systems do not take into account the ingenuity of fools"
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10-12-2009, 01:11 PM
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#14
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Member
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 57
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The pressure to work on energized systems is only going to increase. Companies are looking to speed things up and be more efficient to increase profit.
Or it's just not "practical" to turn things off. Which is the absolute worst part of all this. My most common reason to work live is lighting. Which is so stupid honestly. The amount of lighting down time is less than 1% of it's total duty.
So frig who cares if some losers gotta wait in the dark. If they don't like it then ask them to climb up the ladder to work live. See if they got balls then. Geeze. Now I'm kinda mad.
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10-12-2009, 02:46 PM
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#15
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Canada
Posts: 633
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It's a great job... But not one to die for.. 
__________________
 Don't fight .. Play nice! 
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10-12-2009, 02:47 PM
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#16
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Master Electrician
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Eldon Missouri
Posts: 890
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safety is the first thing to go when profits are down
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10-13-2009, 12:26 AM
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#17
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: kentucky
Posts: 671
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Turning circuits off
You are the one who said you are "stupid, stupid, stupid. That is just a point in time that you wished that you had done something differently. Experience is a good teacher.
RIVETER
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10-17-2009, 02:07 PM
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#18
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Member
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: central Missouri
Posts: 87
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"No PPE. I don't think our company owns any." HUH?! We have been issued arc flash PPE and if I don't use it they will fire me.
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10-17-2009, 09:47 PM
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#19
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Eighty Four,Pa.15330
Posts: 1,353
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OSNA has been notified.
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10-17-2009, 11:23 PM
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#20
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Senior Moment
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Amite, LA
Posts: 374
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bobelectric
OSNA has been notified.
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What the heck is OSNA?
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