Primary burns my driveway!

Bob, you're doing a wonderful job of explaining, much better than what I've seen so far regarding what we call here as step potential and the hazards associated.

I wonder if you would take a stab at touch potential as it applies to arboriculture and climbing in particular. So many misconceptions about trees in direct contact or indirect contact and how to deal with the issue.

Mike
 
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Why take the chance?

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Isolation or insulation from electricity is the safe harbor. Just having electricity nearby is the danger. Our occupations increase the chance. You're absolutely right, it can be a high stakes game, and innocence doesn't make any difference.


bob w
 
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. That's why they teach you the bunny hop when moving away from the downed line.

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They no longer teach the bunny hop. try to hop and have both feet land at the same exact time. hard to do this would create the same issue as taking a step.
 
Keep your feet close together and taking small shuffles.

The question that always comes up in EHAP classes is: How far to shuffle?

My answer...the next county! There are way too many variables to give a safe answer.

There are many pages about 'step potential' that explain how to come up with a distance depending on local soils.
 
Rickytree, absolutely you can get shocked and killed from a coated primary (or secondary low voltage for that matter). Most of the time that stuff is weather guard and not insulation.
Some places use an insulated primary line with "Tree Guard" but even then I would never trust it.

We individually check our Class 2 rubber gloves at least once a day to inspect for holes in them just for this reason. Turn the gloves inside out and role them up from the cuff to see if the air trapped inside leaks out. If it does, the glove is junked.

The tiniest little hole in these thick rubber gloves can kill you if you come into contact with the primary high voltage lines even indirectly through a tree branch.
I've removed branches that have been in contact with the overhead line and seen a sizable arc between the the two cut surfaces.

Rubber gloves, insulated hydraulic pole saw, insulated and tested aerial device or a system outage are all used to clear vegetation safely.
 
I grew up in Delaware and here is a photo that was posted in one of the online newspapers there after flooding rains today.

Notice the 220v. underground service drop on the side of the house. People just don't know better. I find this a very alarming photo.

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Hope the local utility has turned the power off. I'm betting that they have as the people are sitting outside.

I'm always amazed at how people actually come outside when we have an outage and get away from the television.
Of course they come out to bitch about being without power but at least they're outside.
 
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