electricity

G

Ghivelder

An ex-student of mine has had an amazing accident in which 15.000 volts passed through his body. After 40 days in hospital, he is very lucky to be alive and has just started working again. Now, the lanyard he was tied to (a 10,5 mm kermantle semi-static line) became burnt-black and obviously has to be replaced. But what about the other hardware? A ropeman, a few binners, the saddle, were all stricken even though they don’t show any outward sign of it. Must they be replaced as well? Stupidily enough, he wasn’t tied to his main climbing line which was just hanging there nearby and therefore didn’t take more current than that which dissipated through the whole tree. So, what are the consequences of high voltage passing through our hardware?

Sergio
 
I would venture to say if it doesn`t show any sign of external damage then it might be ok.
We use aluminum wire to conduct electricity and it only becomes a problem when the flow of electrons become impeded.
I think it`s still a personal choice when it comes to safety.

How did the problem occur in the first place?
 
Having worked right along with the linemen of the Pacific Gas & Electric company for 18 years I can say with some qualification " A routine inspection of the gear should suffice" I have never heard a lineman say otherwise.

In the first 12 years of my line clearance work we worked it all "HOT" Energized trees. It's one thing. But if your rope or hardware is in the circut of electrical fire, that's another.

Sounds like that 'ex-student' was very lucky. A fellow working for the cable company last spring wasn't. Lost both legs, and one arm right up to his neck.
 
This raises another question ...
How conductive is the rope you are using?
I haven`t put an ohm meter on the different ropes I have but it might be worthwhile.
 
I was also inclined to think that if the binners and the rest of the metal hardware don’t show any outward sign of damage, it must be OK. On the other hand, the lanyard’s ropeman was definetely “in the circut of electrical fire” and I also didn’t know that synthetic rope could burn with electricity which makes me worry regarding the saddle and the other main rope on the tree.
Yes, my student was really lucky, other than stupid. He was using on of those chainsaws on a pole and simply didn’t notice the high tension line behind him. The current went in through his finger and out through each point of his body that was in contact with the tree. It seems his luck was that the line is protected by a device that in case of dispersion cuts down the power for 3 seconds, in which the chainsaw fell from his hand. He fainted from the pain and the people that looked up saw him fuming everywhere. Not only – he woke up still hanging there and because he wasn’t tied to his main line (in which case he probably would have managed to come down by himself ) it took them another hour to get him down.
I think that if something like this happened to me I would most likely replace my entire equipment without even bothering to know if it was necessary or not, but since he bought everything from me, I can’t advise him to do that. That’s why I need a more scientific feedback.

Sergio
 
Sergio,
Was he on gaffs, were his feet in contact with the tree at the time, what was he wearing for footwear?
The rope would melt from the heat from the metal and wouldn`t be conductive unless it was dirty or wet.
What kind of tree was it?
 
He wasn't on gaffs, so I guess his feet were in contact with the tree, which was a pine. I don't know what was his footwear, I'll ask him next time.
I must say I'm really happy he's alive...
Any other input concerning the equipment?
 
He`s very lucky to be alive.
It would be interesting to know what route the power left his body and entered the tree.
The power should have been killed if he was that close to it and hopefully others will learn from this mishap.
 
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