Always double check for dead

[ccam108]

A friendly reminder - never ever assume anything!

I was stripping out a large number of spotlights (20 or so), so I found the breaker and isolated, pulled down the first light and checked for dead. Right enough, it was safe.

So I'm working my way along pulling each spotlight down, pulling the cable from the previous light, snipping the cable from the junction box to the next light, and throwing the lot in a box. On to the next one, climb down, wheel the scaff tower along, back up, pull the next one out, snip, etc.

Until I got to one where I pulled the light down, snipped the cable, and heard a pop. Right enough, about a dozen of them were fed from a different circuit entirely, and every one of the lamps had blown!

That'll teach me not to trust anything, even when I'm 99% certain it's dead. Thankfully the only damage was a hole in my good snips

 

[footprints]

A timely reminder glad you are OK.

I did think from your title that it might be a warning to "Double Tap" Zombies though.

 

[skotl]

A timely reminder glad you are OK.

I did think from your title that it might be a warning to "Double Tap" Zombies though.

And the joke where a redneck accidentally wounds his buddy with a rifle. Calls 911 and says "I think I killed my friend!!"
911 operator responds "OK - calm down - first thing, can you make sure he's definitely dead?"

pause...

BANG!

"Yep - he's definitely dead now!"



Oh, and on topic, lucky escape ccam108!

 

[333rocky333]

If the 12 lights were OFF before you started you then couldnt have seen them go off, more reason to have tested, not sure how you could have been 99% certain they were dead.
If as you say you tested the first one, then pulled the wire out as you went light to light, I fail to see how you cut a live cable, sorry.

 

[JohnW2]

If as you say you tested the first one, then pulled the wire out as you went light to light, I fail to see how you cut a live cable, sorry.

Surely we've been told that 12 of them were on a totally different circuit (which had not been isolated, so remained live) from the first one (which was tested and 'snipped'), haven't we?

Kind Regards, John

 

[333rocky333]

I realise that john

But

So I'm working my way along pulling each spotlight down, pulling the cable from the previous light,

Until I got to one where I pulled the light down, snipped the cable, and heard a pop. (

If you only test the first light and its dead , and the cable DID come from the previous light, then there would be no bang.

Cutting cables willy nilly inevatibly will lead to an accident.

 

[JohnW2]

If you only test the first light and its dead , and the cable DID come from the previous light, then there would be no bang.

Sure, but despite what he obviously thought/assumed (and that's the problem), the cable he snipped clearly DID NOT come from the previous light (well, not 'previous' in the direction he'd been moving, anyway!!).

Cutting cables willy nilly inevatibly will lead to an accident.

Unfortunately not 'inevitably' - it's the fact that people usually 'get away with it' which can, and does, lead to complacency and dangerous practices. However, he clearly did not do what I personally would regard as an important thing to do even before one starts 'testing for dead' in this situation - I would have wanted to see all (at least, most) of the lights go out when I opened the isolator!

Kind Regards, John

 

[333rocky333]

Sure, maybe its my grammer , what I am failing to see is HOW he got to a situation that could have been fatal.

The fact that it was not partly verified by the light seen going off
The fact that it was not the cable that came from the previous dead light which was assumed dead as it originated at the proved light.

Before cutting any cable you must be 100% certain its dead either by testing each point or confirming the other ends not energised, seems more like flawed plan of action rather than wrong assumption.

Sorry to be harsh

 

[JohnW2]

Sure, maybe its my grammer , what I am failing to see is HOW he got to a situation that could have been fatal. ... Before cutting any cable you must be 100% certain its dead either by testing each point or confirming the other ends not energised, seems more like flawed plan of action rather than wrong assumption. Sorry to be harsh

I can't really argue with any of that. I can certainly understand 'how' he got into that situation - but, as I think he acknowledges (even in the title of this thread) he shouldn't have.

Kind Regards, John

 

[333rocky333]

And no im not perfect either.

I once electricuted another electrician he lived.
Though I still beleive it wass his own stupidity

I was called out to a site with no power. the fuse carrier was withdrawn and was i thought on top of the fusebox, the site assured me no one had access to the room and security said no one on site that day had done it.
I refused to refit it, but the site insisted and signed to authorise it.
security said noone had been on site earlier and no one signed in or out and i instructed them to inform the site maintenance the next morning that it was refitted.

The next day I got a call to say the electrician had stripped a newly installed armoured bare cut off end and got a belt, even though he had the fuse in his toolbox.

He was negligent as he didnt notice there was another fused up carrier on top of the board.

He had made off the supply end and bunched into another circuit, took the fuse carrier then gone home thereby bringing the site to a standstill when they arrived for work that evening

He didnt put no warning on board failed to sign in, no work permit.

There was absolutely no need for him to even connect the supply end and I heard no more, I was prepared to go to court over it.

 

[JohnW2]

And no im not perfect either. ...

Which one of us is??? ... certainly not me!

Kind Regards, John

 

[RF Lighting]

I've done exactly the same as the OP. It's an easy mistake to make, but not one which you'll make twice.

 

[ccam108]

To clarify what happened:

This is what the room looks like (approximately) with the spotlights I was removing around the edge (actually close to 40 in all).

Untitled

• ccam108
• 17 Apr 2015
• 1

I isolated and removed the supply cables to the first light on either "leg" around the room (bottom right corner), and the first two or three lights clockwise (I couldn't go any further because the floor was covered in junk). I then starting my around the room anti-clockwise and reached the end of that "leg" (cables removed in red). I (idiotically) assumed that in the top left corner I had then reached the far end of the clockwise leg, not realising the supply to one small group was separate.

Only a small handful of lamps around the room were working, so it wasn't obvious that this group would be switched separately. I couldn't isolate everything because there are over 100 fittings total in the room, across 13 switches and 4-5 breakers, and no natural light or work lights to plug in.

We all do stupid things occasionally when the monotony kicks in. Thankfully I got away with just a broken pair of snips and a reminder not to be careless.

 

[footprints]

No need to explain yourself mate, you came on here saying you had made a mistake and to remind others to take care, but "Nobody expects the Spanish inquisition" as a result

 

[JohnW2]

I've done exactly the same as the OP. It's an easy mistake to make, but not one which you'll make twice.

I've also done something pretty similar, albeit many moons ago. It certainly does no harm at all for us to be reminded about these 'easily made' mistakes from time to time - so at least some can learn from the mistakes of others, rather than their own.

Kind Regards, John