My friend/acquaintance killed

[Kevin]

Page 29 of 120.

http://www.worksafebc.com/publications/h...ty_arborist.pdf


http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=9868
"Line-clearance tree trimming operations." This paragraph provides additional requirements for line-clearance tree-trimming operations and for equipment used in these operations.

1910.269(r)(1)

"Electrical hazards." This paragraph does not apply to qualified employees.

1910.269(r)(1)(i)



Just do a search on Buzz for safe limits.

 

[Jamin_Mayer]

Nice link Kevin

 

[TMW]

Most of what you need is in Section 4, ANSI Z133.1 -2006,

 

[MTCInc]

Very sorry to hear about this accident, and thanks for sharing this with us.

Your sharing this has made me rethink a job I have scheduled in March. A series of power lines run under one side of the tree, but they are not the real "high" lines. They run vertical of each other, in a set of 3. Each line is about 6-8"?? apart. In all honesty, I am not sure about the hazard of this setup. Will the power company shut these down in order for us to work on the tree? There are no other lines above these, and these lines are fairly low, maybe 20' up.

Hope you and your friends family are finding some peace in all of this.

 

[Kevin]

From the description only these don't sound like high voltage lines but rather a house service most likely 120/240 volt.
The power company in most cases will not work on these for free but they will drop them for a nominal fee.
I've had several services disconnected and then coiled up near the house until the work was complete.
It cost the home owners a hundred bucks but saved them rigging time.
Give the power company a call and ask what they charge .

http://www.nationalgridus.com/niagaramohawk/non_html/safety_tree_elec.pdf


3. Service Line, Service Drop or
Service Lateral: The electric wires that
run from the pole to the meter at your
residence. The most common service
drop (typically) is known as triplex wire
consisting of a bare center wire with
two black, coated wires wrapped around
it. On older homes, the service drop
may consist of three small wires running
parallel to each other from the
transformer pole or secondary tap to an
attachment point on your residence.

 

[treehumper]

MTCInc, do yourself a huge favor. Take a course that will teach you to identify different types of hydro service. While Kevin maybe correct I wouldn't want to take a chance that it's a 3 phase line.

Until you know how to identify line types and voltage then do mess with it.

 

[oldoakman]

Let's not be foolish out there. We are the tree experts(supposedly) and the power company workers are the experts when it comes to electric lines and transmission. Let them do their jobs so we can do ours safely. In a previous position, I taught EHAP and Line Clearance Certification classes. We used 5 criteria for a tree that was an electrical hazard:

If...

1; Any part of you.
2; Any part of the tree.
3; Any part of any tool.
4; Any part of the tree falling.
5; Any part of a crane boom or aerial lift.

...comes within ten feet of a conductor it
constitutes an electrical hazard.

I know that eliminates a lot of people out there, but the alternative is to obtain the correct training!

 

[Kevin]

It's not just the training but the equipment as well.
Most people are aware of the dangers but aren't equipped to deal with them, that's why we keep reading about them.

 

[JJackson]

Kevin, I agree that having the right training, right equipment and doing it right is what minimizes the risk to my clearance crews every day. I feel that this climber made a fatal mistake, in my opinion he was not aware of what was in the tree. First thing we're all told to look for is electrical hazards. It is sad to see this type of thing keep happening. Be safe and know the hazards in the tree.

 

[Kevin]

I see this at work where the tech becomes too focused on the job they are doing and don't see the hazards around them.
We just had two contractors killed in a confined space and it's business as usual.
You are responsible for your safety.

 

[treehumper]

Speed trumping safety. That is probably the biggest killer.
That and an macho attitude that safety procedures are not for real men....

 

[Rookieclimber]

Ya, one guy I work with almost every day has that macho attitude. Pisses me off a lot, scares me even more. All you gotta do is reason with them and if they say "no no no, i know what the **** I'm doing", I just tell them to hang out for a bit while I go get a drink and let him cool off.

Seems to work ok. Some guys are just stubborn and do not want to be corrected.

I think everyone just needs to keep in mind that even a new hand can spot something dangerous, the thing is, the one being corrected must be man enough to admit that he/she is wrong.

 

[NMETreeman]

Gentlemen, please don't confuse the terminology. The ten foot rule is for arborists the are not "qualified" as line clearance tree trimmers. OSHA has defined who is qualified. Minimum seperation is for those "qualified line clearance tree trimmers" and the seperation is dependent upon the voltage.