ground Installation

[willy]

Once the line is tested to be deenergized. What is the prefered method to install the ground and the reason behind the installation procedure? One way is to smack the back of the ground to the line, and the other is to put the open jaws directly on line. Which way is best and why?

[PA BEN]

If you slap it and for some reason it's hot you got a ball of fire in your face. PUT it on like you mean it, it's best to blow a fuse or trip the feeder instead of burning down the world around your head.

[BillyMac]

Shouldn't be hot if you've tested it and tested your Tester, before and after.

[T-Man]

test your tester, test the line dead, and test your tester once more, and be sure you make your ground connection first then make your line connection like you mean it. It's better to make a good connection and cause the fuse downline to blow than to drop the jumper and create the ball of fire. We had a fella get badly burned while he was looking to ground in a cubical and he measured the duck bill with the ground detail to see if they would fit, The ground detail was a small one ground style, well he didn't have the other end grounded just laying on a steel cat walk and when he accidentally touched the detail he had fire in front and behind him on the cat walk and he ended up in pretty tough shape. Work safe.

[Pootnaigle]

By all means go on with a solid contact( the jaws) and if their is a problem it will clear at a line fuse or a substation breaker or some other isolating device,the really big flashes are caused by accidental and inconsequensial contact. Breaking load is much worse than picking it up .

[tramp67]

If you slap it and for some reason it's hot you got a ball of fire in your face. PUT it on like you mean it, it's best to blow a fuse or trip the feeder instead of burning down the world around your head.

Exactly. The purpose of protective grounds is 1) to bleed off induced voltage, and 2) to cause operation of overcurrent protective devices in the event a line is accidentally or inadvertently re-energized. Go big or stay home!

[thrasher]

Another point that all experienced guys know but should be spelled out since this forum is for learning. After you have isolated and tested; apply your ground to the grounded side first then to the phase. When removing take it off the phase first then off the ground.
A few years ago a contractor in VA was working on a parrallel 115 kv line where the circuit on one side of the poles was left energized and carrying load while the other line was isolated. When removing the grounds the apprentice took off the ground connection first. The swinging connected brushed his knee,the induced voltage shocked the man and knocked him off the structure. The contractor did not have the equipment on site to rescue the man from a 70 foot pole. The local Coop, who didn't even own the transmission line, ended up getting the man down when called by the local rescue squad.

[Boomer gone soft]

Another point that all experienced guys know but should be spelled out since this forum is for learning. After you have isolated and tested; apply your ground to the grounded side first then to the phase. When removing take it off the phase first then off the ground.
A few years ago a contractor in VA was working on a parrallel 115 kv line where the circuit on one side of the poles was left energized and carrying load while the other line was isolated. When removing the grounds the apprentice took off the ground connection first. The swinging connected brushed his knee,the induced voltage shocked the man and knocked him off the structure. The contractor did not have the equipment on site to rescue the man from a 70 foot pole. The local Coop, who didn't even own the transmission line, ended up getting the man down when called by the local rescue squad.

A rat contractor, Mustang Electric, killed an apprentice 3 or 4 years ago the same way in SD. The apprentice took the ground off of the tower side first and got an induction arc on his face and chest.

[Stinger]

Thraser- That accident was CW Wright, AUG 2000 0r 2001, do not remember, was on a another crew down line when it happened. What happened was this- On monday that week we put our master grounds on the line between wakefield and sullfolk. When they put the grounds on Wakefield, they used a bucket and when they put the grounds on, they put them out further than they should have been and had the C-clamps facing out instead of in, in-case they had to take them off by stick on the tower. The foreman putting the grounds on was told to put the grounds on so they could be taken off by the climbing crew in-case the bucket was not available. I was on the climbing crew, our foreman was basically told to shut the f--k up and get down line. Come Friday we were told the mater grounds would be coming off at 3:30PM. When we got to our last tower of the day, it was about 2:15. We knew we had plenty of time to unlip the the static and 3 phases. About 3:15 we were taking off our personal ground and drew a pretty good arc that was not normal for a grounded line. A GF came out and wanted to know if our crew was OK because there was a medivac on its way to our job site. When I told him about the size arc we got taking of the personal grd, he had the deer in the head light look and stated" no one told you we were taking the masters of at 3:00 instead of 3:30?" Our foremqn took off early and never told us. But we went to the yard and was told that when they went to take the grounds off in Wakefield, the bucket was not available, so they sent a 3rd class lineman to take the grounds off. You gussed it, could not get the stick on the C-clamps, so he stood up on the wind brace on the arm, reached out and used a screwdriver to loosen up the ground and then slid it down the line, knocked the clmp of the line, lost his balance and grabbed the conductor for blance at the same time slipping off the wind brace. The voltage went through is hand and out his ankle It cooked him. That particular line comes out of sulfolk sub, runs paralell to a 500 and 2-230 kv lines and crosses under another 500KV, plus the live line on the other side of the tower. No telling what he took for voltage. The sad part about it was there was a foreman and 2 JL's on the ground. No one had any climbing equipment because they were the bucket crew with no bucket. The CO-OP trouble man who was a former CW employee happened to be in the area when he heard the rescue call. This was a needless death that was clearly preventable. No white hats were held accountable to to include the worthless superintendent who allowed to the whole mess in the first place. It goes to the point we are making here- PROPER GROUNDING IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THING WE DO IN OUR TRADE -take a short cut- 20 year old lineman apprentice dead. When i see some lineman short cut on their grounding I have falsh back. When you see a cooked lineman or one severly burn and injured for life, it sinks in just exactly what we are working with.

[PA BEN]

Who had the Line clearance on the line? I see your foreman took off early? Did he hold the clearance and not transfer his clearance before he left? If your GF thought you removed your grounds and in the clear. Is it possible your GF could have energized the line on you and your crew? :confused:

To release a clearance, the employee in charge shall:

(a) Notify employees under his or her direction that the clearance is to be released;

(b) Determine that all employees in the crew are clear of the lines and equipment;

(c) Determine that all protective grounds installed by the crew have been removed; and

(d) Report this information to the system operator and release the clearance.

[electric squirrel]

Where I'm from we don't have 3rd class lineman, your either an ape or a journeyman,so I'm not sure what a 3rd class is and can do. But I do know that guy shouldn't have been up there by himself!!! I know I CAN install or remove grounds by myself, but why? Once the line is ungrounded it's considered HOT, right? Now I have a feeling that a 3rd class lineman is just a glorified ape, so why was he allowed to pull grounds by himself, our ape's have to be supervised at all times and never near energized circuits.

Why didn't the guy holding the clearance get a conformation from EACH foreman about pulling grounds at a NEW time other that what was first discussed??

Aren't we supposed to tailboard EVERYDAY, and WHENEVER the job scope is changed ....

I don't claim to know everything,I'm still a fairly new JL, but I do know that when you get in a hurry or complacent or change from standard procedure bad **** happens........E.S.

[44kv]

i remember that happening, i worked for cw then bad **** man, should have been alittle more talking, hell when i was a third class i took grounds off and worked secondarys, hell shook down a few towers, just should have had another tailgate, thats the problem these days nobody talks to each other and everybodys trying to be the hero, it dont matter who you work for, the job is only as safe as you make it and tailgates are a **** good start!