Supply fuse

[JohnW2]

Hmmmm ... interesting! How could they be sure that such a 'brute force and ignorance' approach was not going to result in the L & N conductors coming into contact, with all the possible consequences that people here have been warning about?

I imagine it was probably a case of cracking the section that is filled with pitch first and then opening it like an egg away from the fuse contact.

I don't doubt that was the intent but, as I said, such a brute force (and essentially uncontrolled) approach could presumably have almost any outcome.

I imagine that with PPE and a jointer who'd been doing them that way for years accidents were reasonably far between, but still possible on occasion which I presume is why the practice has been stopped.

Quite so. It just seems a little ironic that 'in the same breath', a discussion can include dire warnings about "open it and you may well die" and descriptions of DNO personnel taking a club hammer to it, with accidents being 'reasonably far between'

Kind Regards, John

 

[RF Lighting]

The point is that people HAVE died working on these cutouts which is why the practice has now been stopped.

It's no different to the chaps sat on the steel beam while building the Empire State Building, or riding a motorbike without a crash helmet. All three were common practice, but after people have been killed doing each activity, we have developed safer (not 100% safe) ways to do things.

 

[JohnW2]

The point is that people HAVE died working on these cutouts which is why the practice has now been stopped.

Indeed so - I'm just amazed that it was ever regarded as a sensible practice (and even more surprised that it apparently continues to this day). No matter how long ago, they presumably knew (from experiences) 'how many sticks of dynamite' an incident could be equivalent to, even then. I would also remind you that, despite what you say ....

I recently had WPD change one of these ... They smashed the thing to f**k to replace it, rather than try and remove the cable from it.

It's no different to the chaps sat on the steel beam while building the Empire State Building, or riding a motorbike without a crash helmet. All three were common practice, but after people have been killed doing each activity, we have developed safer (not 100% safe) ways to do things.

Well, just as with the first, I'm sure that the dangers of the other two were very well-recognised, even for long periods after 'safer ways of doing things' had become available. What has changed is society's attitude to what (AND/or how many) deaths are 'acceptable' and whether people should be allowed to put their own lives at risk.

Kind Regards, John

 

[securespark]

That's how my DNO used to do it. They would carefully smash the cast iron and ceramic to remove it in pieces from around the cable. They no longer do this, and cut the cable outside in the street instead.

Oi did a rewoire in Brizzle and thoy did the same.

 

[Iggifer]

When I say recently, I mean within the past month

 

[JohnW2]

When I say recently, I mean within the past month

That sounds pretty recent to me! I got the impression that RF was saying that the practice stopped a good while ago (which I took to probably mean 'years'). Maybe I misunderstood him.

Kind Regards, John

 

[RF Lighting]

It certainly stopped years ago in my DNO area!

 

[JohnW2]

It certainly stopped years ago in my DNO area!

Fair enough - that's what I thought you meant. However, this seems to weaken your argument a bit - it seems to be that ...

All three were common practice, but after people have been killed doing each activity, we have developed safer (not 100% safe) ways to do things.

... is not a universal truth. In some areas, at least one of those three practices seems to continue despite people having been killed doing it.

Kind Regards, John

 

[RF Lighting]

I don't think it's common to wear crash helmets on motor bikes in Vietnam.

 

[JohnW2]

I don't think it's common to wear crash helmets on motor bikes in Vietnam.

I don't think that Vietnam is in the UK - but, in any event, you seem to have picked a loser here According to this article, ...

Wearing a helmet on a motorbike has been law in Vietnam since 2007. This applies to drivers and passengers over the age of six. Officials estimate that about 90% or riders now comply with this law...

Kind Regards, John

 

[RF Lighting]

I don't know why you're taking me to task over this. Northern power grid used to smash cast iron cutouts. Some poor chap got killed, so they don't do it any more. Other DNOs may vary. I'm just the messenger!

 

[JohnW2]

I don't know why you're taking me to task over this. Northern power grid used to smash cast iron cutouts. Some poor chap got killed, so they don't do it any more. Other DNOs may vary. I'm just the messenger!

I'm not taking you to task, because I realise that you are just the messenger. However, you have (probably unwittingly and unintentionally) illustrated that none of this is as tidy or clear-cut as some may think.

You made the general (and seemingly very reasonable) point that when people die as a result of a particular working practice, we 'develop (and use) safer ways to do it'. However, although we have 'developed safer ways to do it, WPD is apparently not using those 'safer methods', even though they must know that at least one NPG person (and quite probably one or more of their own) has died as a result of using 'less safe' methods. I obviously have no idea why WPD have apparently not reacted to deaths in the same way that NPG have.

Kind Regards, John

 

[bernardgreen]

I would assume DNO staff only smash cut outs after the supply cable has been cut. Perhaps the death happened when the supply cable had not been de-energised. Possibly the wrong supply cable had been de-energised.

 

[JohnW2]

I would assume DNO staff only smash cut outs after the supply cable has been cut. Perhaps the death happened when the supply cable had not been de-energised. Possibly the wrong supply cable had been de-energised.

That's not what has been suggested. Unless I've totally misunderstood what has been said, the practice used to be (and maybe still is for WPD) to smash the cutout whilst still live, but (for at least some/most DNOs) that practice has now be abandoned in favour of cutting the supply outside of the building.

Kind Regards, John

 

[Iggifer]

as far as i am aware it was done live. I wasn't there when it was changed - there was no mention of digging up the road though, it was just two guys, an old boy and his apprentice