Let's talk about electrical awareness

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DRBetz

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Yesterday I was trimming the top of an unbalanced maple tree about 50' up in an insulated bucket. I was holding onto a 2" branch as I cut it off with my hand saw and it I foolishly let it tip towards the electric lines. I don't know how big a piece came in contact with the wire but it was too much. For about a second I felt a strong tingling of electricity. I've spoken with a doctor and everything seems fine at the moment.

I'm not sure all the factors that led to my accident, but I'm sure a few of them include rushing at the end of a Friday, becoming complacent around lower voltage wires, and not focusing on the current job.

Does anyone have advice on working around wires and staying focused on them?I knew the wire was there and I was aware of how close I was to it, but I want even thinking about them when I cut the branch off. I've taken EHAP regularly since starting the job and I work around wires not infrequently, but that doesn't seem to have been enough.
 
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First of all, congratulations on surviving the shock unscathed. I am very glad you're still alive. In hindsight, you might eventually come to regard this incident as a good thing since it will likely affect your level of focus from now on.

I suspect most accidents are caused not by an error in thinking but by a failure to think as you just experienced and acknowledged. Robots can focus on their job 100% of the time. People can't. You're human, and thinking is not the human's default mode of being. People can focus only so long, and how long varies with the person and the task and many other variables. As long as people are doing dangerous jobs, there will be accidents. Frequent mental breaks and focus reminders can help minimize the non-thinking time and risk of accidents, but I don't know a way to eliminate the risk entirely.
 
Did you have a ground helper?

Talk with them before every cut near a line. Will get old...but they probably could have recognized it and warned you: "hey, if that branch swings down, this one is long enough to touch the wires... either cut it shorter or throw it the other way"
 
What was the voltage on the line? I presume in the kV range to conduct through wood, gloves and a tree or the bucket truck. Odd if it went line branch you -insulated- bucket ground.
 
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I'm not sure on the voltage, it was the upper distribution lines on the pole, I think through town they are in the 14kV range. I suspect the charge ran through the branch, zapped me and continued into the tree through the other branches still touching me.
 
I’ve seen guys successfully pull branches away from primary only to have the branch swing back into the line before throwing, I’ve also seen guys be “poked” (indirect contact) through down guys on maple trees that were in contact down the lead. Most of the fatalities in the last couple years haven’t been from the primary voltage it’s usually the secondary or even house drop voltage. Honestly it’s just about being focused patient and methodical.
 
Is there a publication for the specifics/stats of tree worker electrical incidents? Curious about the 220V being statistically more lethal/dangerous than the 14 kV.
 
End of the day, newbie or Journeymen - always, always be on guard for working on "Autopilot". So many incidents in so many industries are caused by autopilot or cruise control work, in a rush to finish or not. Same can be said of coming to work after a fight at home or money or something, where your head's not fully in it. Stop. Plan. I like the comments on working thru the cut and the lowering, a couple of times, and working what if's.
Had a couple of cases where a twenty-five foot top woulda gone just peachy without wedges, IF the wind woulda kept blowing and another, a snag, woulda been pulled by hand OK, IF the screamin' Chinook wind hadn't appeared early (blowing it clean off the stump).
OTH, if your work keeps your head fully in it, that work can be very stress relieving because there's nothing else on your mind but what you're doing. Same maybe as drive home to/from work can be "your time". Like Inspector Clouseau - "It's not my dog" - so it's not my problem . . .
Glad you made it OK.
 
Bart_ said:
Curious about the 220V being statistically more lethal/dangerous than the 14 kV.
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Probably a result of doing more work around lower voltages and being maybe less concerned about incidental contact than with higher voltage. Also, lower voltage = lower height, more chance to contact.
 
Wires are tricky. Having done 10+ years in private side then journeying out in line clearance and going back to private, it's a totally different game. You can brush a house, a fence, etc. and often your target is lower than the tree. Wires are often in the tree, in the canopy site line, and are very hard to see.

Tbh, if you're not used to working around them, don't. I love the advice to call in a clearance prune. The new ANSI standard opens the liability to the contractor a lot more for these types of incidents. In fact, from the info sessions I've sat in on, you are supposed to have a written plan for the utility and approved by the utility to do any work within a specific distance of the wires, even service drops.

I'm glad you're okay, and I think a lot of us have been bit before. The key is to make sure it doesn't happen again. Electricity is so unforgiving. Line clearance, even incidental, is a bit of a different trade than every day private side. Now you're consciously incompetent to the dangers. Lol.
 
Bart_ said:
Is there a publication for the specifics/stats of tree worker electrical incidents? Curious about the 220V being statistically more lethal/dangerous than the 14 kV.
Click to expand...
No direct publication, however my area (SE Michigan) what’s reported (key word there “reported”) tends to be secondary or house drop voltage and if I had to guess it’s because the lower voltage numbers aren’t as intimidating and the M.a.d is simply avoid contact leading to less overall concern. I’ve heard it expressed that the house drops are actually more painful(I imagine higher amperage) than being “poked” by 4.8kv or 13.2kv lines here.
 
DRBetz said:
Yesterday I was trimming the top of an unbalanced maple tree about 50' up in an insulated bucket. I was holding onto a 2" branch as I cut it off with my hand saw and it I foolishly let it tip towards the electric lines. I don't know how big a piece came in contact with the wire but it was too much. For about a second I felt a strong tingling of electricity. I've spoken with a doctor and everything seems fine at the moment.

I'm not sure all the factors that led to my accident, but I'm sure a few of them include rushing at the end of a Friday, becoming complacent around lower voltage wires, and not focusing on the current job.

Does anyone have advice on working around wires and staying focused on them?I knew the wire was there and I was aware of how close I was to it, but I want even thinking about them when I cut the branch off. I've taken EHAP regularly since starting the job and I work around wires not infrequently, but that doesn't seem to have been enough.
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the fact that you would call them "electric lines" is a good indication that you shouldn't go anywhere near them. Were they service lines to the house or street primaries?
With that level of unawareness, maybe you shouldn't be doing tree work at all. have you thought about a career change????
 
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A sometimes previously mentioned comment is that stoves are direct wired 220V house drop yet we plug and unplug them with bare hands (?) I know there's an overcurrrent don't-melt-or start-a-fire breaker

High voltages flash and de-insulate normally insulative stuff. 60 Hz mA causes heart issues. Something seems askew with volts vs danger(?)
 
Daniel said:
the fact that you would call them "electric lines" is a good indication that you shouldn't go anywhere near them. Were they service lines to the house or street primaries?
With that level of unawareness, maybe you shouldn't be doing tree work at all. have you thought about a career change????
Click to expand...
Semantics, the OG post mentioned taking “EHAP regularly”, choice of the phrase “electric lines” not indicative of the poster’s lack of awareness of service type they were dealing with.

Yer hitting them a bit hard considering they’re being honest and asking questions. That’s a mindset positive for tree work.
-AJ
 
Daniel said:
the fact that you would call them "electric lines" is a good indication that you shouldn't go anywhere near them. Were they service lines to the house or street primaries?
With that level of unawareness, maybe you shouldn't be doing tree work at all. have you thought about a career change????
Click to expand...
As opposed to communication lines, cable lines, fiber optic lines, telephone lines. Were you somehow confused?

What the hell are "street primaries"? Maybe they were street secondaries? Banked secondaries? Feeders? Sub transmission? Tie lines? Who the eff cares?
 
Daniel said:
the fact that you would call them "electric lines" is a good indication that you shouldn't go anywhere near them. Were they service lines to the house or street primaries?
With that level of unawareness, maybe you shouldn't be doing tree work at all. have you thought about a career change????
Click to expand...

That’s a bit too harsh

For quite a while I taught ehap classes around the us. Like many things there is regional language. Soda/pop. Skillet/frypan. I would put up an unlabeled pole and ask what pieces were called. There was a consistency with utility workers but commercial workers used many names even in the same region.
 
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I appreciate the support, and advice. To clarify they were the primary lines, around here they're generally the only lines 50' up, sorry for any confusion.
 
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