"Not worth the electricity to access?"

[MI-Lineman]

Got my first copy of P.L. Magazine and WOW right off the bat I'm disgusted!!! Not by the mag or Byron of course but the so-called "rebuttal" to the discussions on the "BuckSqueeze!" What a "professional" phrase for a multi-million dollar company to use in it's "rebuttal"....."Most said the chat room is not worth the electricity to access the forum via computer!" So that's how much Buckingham cares about the lineman usin their product??? Could care less about feedback from the ones actually usin it huh??

I did not get the last issue but I was involved in the chat room discussions and was told about what was published in the last issue.

The FACT is I have used and will soon be FORCED to use this so-called safety device. Yes it does AT TIMES stop a fall, even most of the time I'll say but there have been falls in it at our company, one from around 20ft and another from around 35! Course improper adjustment was to blame!

I would say MOST will agree it stops falls but that's not the issue! The issues are, which of course was not addressed by the rebuttal, that it hinders your ability to work and WORK SAFELY, still no real solution to pole top rescues, and no matter how good you are it causes more wear and tare on your body! Just use it once you'll see!

"However, regardless of what people say, free climbing is dangerous and those who climb wood poles generally burn a pole sometime in their career." Strapping us to a pole with old out dated and at times defective equipment at high voltages on it is JUST AS dangerous also! The BuckSqueeze, to me, seems like a poorly engineered example of "Wood Pole Fall Restraint?" It has been updated more times than I can now remember because of issues with it and to me that shows just how "concerned" a company really is with our safety when they haven't even worked the bugs out of their device that has been in the industry for how many years now?

I'll agree "WPFR" needs to be in our trade but NOT in the form of a device which does not allow you to work with both hands (a practice preached since day one of Line work!), fatigues you usin it before you even reach your work area, can not be adequately incorporated in pole top rescue, straps you to the pole and hinders your ability to quickly respond durin equipment failure (like say a switch breakin and arcin on your pole!), and seems to not hold up to constant use? Rumors, and yes just a rumor I know, have it that Buckingham reps themselves have stated it was designed for "the occasional user" NOT for every day climbin??

I feel the so-called "rebuttal" is ANOTHER attempt to divert attention away from the real issues with WPFR "and the BuckSqeeze in particular!" Yes your device saves Lineman from falls but so would just not climbin at all! Both of course which are ridiculous in my opinion!

This is not just "resistance to changing from free climbing to WPFR" but more so concern over what seems to be a product touted as a "Safety device" that does not meet the criteria for our line of work to be truly "safe." Seems this implementation is more profit driven by the manufacturer and the companies buyin them? Devices like the "pole lariat" seem to be more on track as they are only for "fall restraint" and allow you to use your buck strap for work place positioning? Still I'm sure it has issues also as I have not used it myself but just watchin it used you can see a big and in my opinion BETTER difference?

Devices that strap you to the pole or ones usin ropes attached at the top are NOT the way to go! We need more thought and attention put into engineering a WPFR device before it is "crammed down our throats!"

This is merely my opinion and your PROFESSIONAL thoughts would be appreciated!! I know we have "beatin this topic to death" but I think the seriousness of the issue goes with out sayin!!!

Thanks!

[Pootnaigle]

Yep I read that N bout all I ingested was whoever wrote it was damn sure no diplomat. And if our forum isnt worth the power to acess it One would hafta wonder why they felt the need to even write such a letter???? But the thing at the end where he says that one day it will be just like using a seat belt or a hard hat is Probably more of a goal for them than a reality, In my opinion Power companies are being blackmailed into using this crap and it is costing them dearly from a financial standpoint. Maybe they will see the handwriting on the wall and band together to put things right so they can once again be in the business of linework.

[MI-Lineman]

Yep I read that N bout all I ingested was whoever wrote it was damn sure no diplomat. And if our forum isnt worth the power to acess it One would hafta wonder why they felt the need to even write such a letter???? But the thing at the end where he says that one day it will be just like using a seat belt or a hard hat is Probably more of a goal for them than a reality, In my opinion Power companies are being blackmailed into using this crap and it is costing them dearly from a financial standpoint. Maybe they will see the handwriting on the wall and band together to put things right so they can once again be in the business of linework.

Good Points! Sorry but "companies" are only interested in the "share holders" now NOT the business of linework!

[Trbl639]

Good Points! Sorry but "companies" are only interested in the "share holders" now NOT the business of linework!

Amen.......the almighty dollar!!

Agree 1000% about the f-squeeze!!! Will tell ya this, after we were forced into it in 08........the company paid a helluva lot more for filing ruts in customer yards and fixing trannies and axles, etc.......cause if there was any way we could get a truck to it, forget using the POS!!

I know, it's not what we were about, as far as taking pride in our free climbing ability, but we saw it a more of a danger than, than not using it!!

I know there are better alternatives out there, but our company looked at 1 and settled on it, without any 2nd guessing or research/thought.......

[Pootnaigle]

Fortunately I left Entergy before they made that damn thang mandatory. I know me well enough to know if they wernt lookin I wasnt wearin. N everbody knows how that turns out.
I just left the construction side of our trade and they havent adapted it yet either, But most of the work is in refineries and they would just as soon nobody climbed poles enyway, Some even mandate it cant be done. The sad part of this is that the younger guys have very poor climbing skills if any at all.And if truth be known I spect a great many of em would seek employment elsewhere if they had to climb. I dunno whats gonna happen if they ever hafta travel. Be short lived I spoze.

[Edge]

I will beat that gd dead horse to a bloody pulp for ya little brother...

It does not stop falls... it does now stop kickin out... only proper training and good form as well as regular practice or time...

it will catch ya when ya do something stupid... cuz ya got none of the above....

it might catch ya a few inches or hell 5-8 feet what ever it'll catch ya...

the dirt catches ya to...

sometimes the good trade takes us away from here...


sometimes you do everything by the book and a gas line explodes...

I hate the GD thing with a passion...


I hate the whole fu(kin concept with a passion...

but if you or JB or Drifter... or any of you cats that hate this ****ing thing as much as I do got a trouble call tonight...
and please forgive me and God fobide anything like this would happen....

wire down on a 40 you climb up there and you ground hikes it up to ya you reach out and kick out... take a ride to the dirt... just something FREAK as accidents go...

then were reading about you or me or one of the others on the saftey board...

and then your companys investigating... then the GS insurance companys are involed ... and they ask is there anything out there that could have prevented this?

BOMMM>>!!!!

you get to look from the here after if your so lucky that there is one... and see your wife and kids.... SCREWED outa any thing you worked for!


and thats just how it is...

those that can still free climb should charish it... and we that can't should FIGHT...

how ever my friend I feel It's an up hill battle... they have the upper ground and were just pop bottles in the field....

gonna change my usual sign off...

wpfa it aint worth shit...

Edge

[MI-Lineman]

I see it's probably here to stay but there's other manufactures out there also! Maybe one with a better engineered product and a little more thought put into how to still do the same work as easily and comfortably as we did before it?? A company who does care about the input the Line man usin it have and not what the "customers" aka the "companies" Mr. V.P. of Buckingham have to say!

I guess if all of us had to buy our own tools and we were the only "customers" (like the ones who allegedly complained to Buckingham??) complaining then they would have to listen to us? Guess it's really easy to snow ball a desk jockey into buyin contraptions like this??

Just another example of "capitalism at it's best!"

[Highplains Drifter]

wpfa it aint worth shit...

Edge, my answer to this is for me to use a squeeze to get to the top of the pole it would be quicker for me to go to the hall and take a short call splicing transmission cable while waiting for a 161 job to break….still loving that wire….
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That van was an old hotel’s shuttle bus and it was a nice splicing van.



But in all honesty I am an nonconformist and I think most employers will let you free climb for a pole top rescue..so I guess I’d be telling em I am practicing and staying shape for pole stop rescues until that excuse wore out. I Have never seen one and I do believe any one with natural lineman abilities should be able to modify something on your skid to look like it is authentic. Dang it Edge you are going to get me rambling now……I still do not have a double safety latch pole strap. I carry four with me two nylon and two leather. When they where pushing this down everyone’s throats, I’d take calls to small contractors that could care less. You know and I know what we learned with in the day is still good today and I wasn’t going to fight with that double safety latch.



I don’t and won’t wear steel toed shoes, I just to refuse to work with people that are dropping everything. all day long. It is hard for me to wear a hard hat doing transmission. Only thing that could drop on me in the air would be if an eagle shit. It is more of a hassle trying to keep them on.




These kids that are college certified safety directors do not have a clue what the real hazards are. They just look for what they want to see. About five years ago my buddy was putting spacers in going into a power house. The safety man wanted 100% belted in at all times. My buddy would pass the cart using his scare strap, standing on the wire. When he got to the ground the safety man came up to him and told him what a good job and that he like it that he was belted in 100% of the time….So there we go.. that is what we are fighting is the stupidity of no experience trying to tell you and me what to do….