another tree guy gone !!!!!!!!!!

just_a_tree_guy

just_a_tree_guy

Location
pitts pa
http://www.wtae.com/news/local/allegheny...fz/-/index.html

this poor guy died not far from where i use to live . there is a very wealthy neighborhood close by . all us tree guys are always doing work all around there . this guy hit a powerful wire that caught him on fire in the bucket . they tried to get him down but it shorted out the truck . man does this stuff bother me . please guys stay focus no matter how good and experienced you are . the other thing i was thinking about is why doesnt the power company make it safer for us tree guys to do our work ? maybe they should start using all insulated wires . why dont they ? we have requested at times if they could shut down the lines and of course they never will or can . sometimes we have requested them to remove what is closest to the lines, hit or miss on this one . sometimes they help out other times no . i also always recommend to have a tree guy that is line certified , because i feel they are the most quilfied for this . not sure if this guy was or not . never heard of these guys before . please guys be safe . i love everyone here on the buzz ( well almost everyone ) but i want you all to be safe . peace !!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Insulated wires only protect the wire from the elements, they don't protect people. What the power companies need to do to protect people is to better inform the general puplic. Power will bite you every time, if you don't have the proper education, equipment, and experience then stay away from it.
 
Electricity can be worked around safely but one needs to certainly pay attention to the direction of travel of the bucket and the location on the other parts of the boom. Dielectric (tested) booms and tools, dielectric hydraulic oil and lines, FR clothing all help keep you safe, but as soon as you break minimum separation you can unleash the dragon and now you're really playing Russian roulette.

Power Co. need to do their part as well, I know we try our best but you can't educated them all. We just had a case where the landscape crew told the customer they kept getting shocked touching the trees (burning in the wires) when the co. rep showed up they all claimed it did not happen (except for the customer). Crew came in and made it safe. We can't always respond right away but should be able to make arrangements so that it can be made safe. The last thing the utility that I work for wants to do is get mentioned in the paper, especially when things go bad.

Sad to hear about this gentleman, I know I will be sharing this with the crews in the morning.
 
"From what we can see, we believe his back hit a very powerful line. I witnessed it as I was coming up the road," English said. "We tried to get him out. The truck was dead because it didn't appear as if it was grounded, so we were having a difficult time getting it down."

Lucky that the system control and fuse coordination worked or there would have been more fatalities.

We routinely make trees safe for contractors to do their job all at no cost to them. It amazes me the chances that people take around high voltage lines.
 
Definitely sounds as if they were close to having a few more casualties.

Guess they didn't notice the posting on 4 sides of the truck that say don't touch the truck.

Could someone tell me who certifies for line clearance?
 
it is my understanding you have to get certified for line clearances by working with a tree company that does that type of work . i wanted to get cert ,there are some courses you can take but ultimately you get your cert through the company you work for . a friend of mine got his that way .he worked along side the guidence of other guys who were cert for lines . since i am self employed and do not work for any other tree service i do not know how to get mine . i have done research and this seems to be the only way i have found in order to accomplish this. if i have a job around powerful lines i usually give the job to my friend . or sub him to come out and help us if it is not to crazy of a job . the utility companies out here never help us and if they do (which is rare ) it is like pulling teeth . you would think they would because really we are saving them money from a tree that could take out lines or do some other type of damage . not sure how this guy touched the wire on his back but he was defintely being careless ( as though it seems . ) his truck was right under the power lines . to me that doesnt seem right . i would think working from the sides would be safer and to keep a good distance from the wires so no arking occurs . what are your thoughts on this ????????
 
That is what I had heard about being line clearance certifed. TCIA has a class that you can take a test and be "certified" I think. We sat throught the class, but we ain't takin the test. Not my cup of tea.

One recurring piece of advice I have heard in several places is do not turn your back to the lines.

You would have to assume he knew they were there. Other than that assumption, sadly, no telling what the thought process was.

We have a terex XT75. We had an incident a few years ago and thankfully the fuse blew and no-one was in contact with the truck. The elevator is not insulated AT ALL. When the elevator is raised, then the lower part of the boom will reach most primary conductors. Wanna guess what contacted the wires?

Another rule: NEVER REACH OVER THE WIRES with the bucket!

I am pretty strict with my staff about anything over house service wires. Minimum approach distances will be followed. Since I write all the work, I punt on anything that will bring the crew closer than that UNLESS the customer will allow me to involve the power company to gain the clearance before I start. I will be a PIA about it to the power company. Since I charge for the time I will be spending on that arrangement, we usually end up high. I have lost plenty of bids that in now way shape or form should a non-clearance company should be working on. I lost one one time where there were 6 lines at a corner with the tree as close as 3 feet to 19.5kV and all over the 8-9kV line under those. No business in there AT ALL, yet they did the job.
 
Look up ACRT. They have a line-clearance certification program. I have looked at it before. Their website has the information as far as what is in the class, how long it takes, cost, etc.
 
I've taken the ACRT course and while it is good in teaching fundamentals regarding safety and that electricity is dangerous. I was shocked at the utter lack of knowledge of power transmission the instructor had. I studied electrical distribution and transmission at college so have more than a passing understanding of it. What the instructor related as the way a transformer functions had me stunned.

Yes, they teach you to never turn your back on a live conductor ever. So why would this occur? Like many breaches of safety procedures it was a short cut that worked once and thus became the standard operating procedure (SOP) (my reading of the events only). We need to instill in our workers that safe work practices must be adhered to every time in order for them to become habit and thus SOP. Then we will be able to work productively and safely. As long as we condone overtly or tacitly anything less we will continue to be reading of these tragedies.
 
I almost feel bad to point out that in the photo there's an aluminium Silky pole saw on the ground, there's an aluminium ladder onboard the truck and that the truck was parked right under the lines.
 
Another reason "Tree Services" need more than a chainsaw to have a business. Why is the tree industry overlooked in work place accidents? A Barber can't open shop without a health permit.
 
A massage therapist that I go to told me that in order for her to pass her state boards she had to do a real massage on a person. Her test was video taped and graded. She has frizzy hair and the humidity made it wild. She was concerned that the points for 'personal appearance' were going to be jeopardized which could lead to not passing her boards.

I think that it's rare that a person would die from a bad massage. Bad treework on the other hand...
 
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