pulling main fuse

[ricicle]

I used to really enjoy plugging in/pulling out tap-off boxes on 1200A fused busbars

 

[martinxxxxxx]

Also a car accident could wipe out the power for an entire street.

No worse than this piece of equipment just a couple of feet from the road, next to a bus stop and a Royal Mail storage box.

What is that thing?

Martin

 

[plugwash]

As regards the PPE the meter inspector that was hospitalised in the 90's would agree to the use of it and the user being trained and qualified to interfere with a DNO main fuse.
The one he was working on looked fine until it exploded in his face

Maybe he would but then he is hardly unbiased.

IMO one of the big problems with H&S is that very little quantitive risk assessment is done. Does anyone know of any statistics on the risk of pulling service fuses so we can compare it to the risk of say driving to work every day?

 

[westie101]

very little quantitative risk assessment is done

I can find out but in non quantitative terms it is the only serious incident I can recall after 38 years with essentially the same company in the industry.

So in those terms the risk of it occurring is very low or low, the seriousness of the incident if it does is however high. This would put it in the level of requiring some precautions in most risk assessment techniques

 

[mbga9pgf]

very little quantitative risk assessment is done

I can find out but in non quantitative terms it is the only serious incident I can recall after 38 years with essentially the same company in the industry.

So in those terms the risk of it occurring is very low or low, the seriousness of the incident if it does is however high. This would put it in the level of requiring some precautions in most risk assessment techniques

Lets not forget though, that with any risk matrix you have an unmitigated risk and a mitigated risk, for example, training or equipment. So by wearing a pair of marigolds, a sthil chainsaw facemask and wearing wellies, most of us could reduce the outcome and thus mitigate the risk.

 

[westie101]

training or equipment

Would come under the risk reduction part of any RA.

marigolds, a sthil chainsaw facemask and wearing wellies,

There are other precautions that a trained employee of a DNO would be taking.

 

[mbga9pgf]

training or equipment

Would come under the risk reduction part of any RA.

marigolds, a sthil chainsaw facemask and wearing wellies,

There are other precautions that a trained employee of a DNO would be taking.

Such as billing a customer 700 quid for lopping off 3 foot off a supply cable perchance?

 

[chappers]

There are other precautions that a trained employee of a DNO would be taking.

or would have been trained to take.

Had a service alterartion done just before christmas the engineer just waltzed in pulled the main fuse holder (load still on) and that was that.
No precautions no protective gear nothing.

 

[westie101]

Had a service alterartion done just before christmas the engineer just waltzed in pulled the main fuse holder (load still on) and that was that.
No precautions no protective gear nothing.

That does not surprise me in the least.

 

[flameport]

What is that thing?

No idea, but it is certainly electrical (not telephones or cable TV).
Will be driving past it tomorrow so could have a closer look then.

 

[efiste2]

Having seen DNO MAIN FUSES (Cut Outs or Cablehead in modern speak) Break up when the fuse is pulled and also seen the damage a faulted one can do PLEASE take notice of the warnings the chaps on here are posting....The only protection is the 315A fuse at the local S/S and even then is some areas it may have an infeed at both ends....Iven the best Jointers treat older cutouts with the utmost respect.....

 

[mbga9pgf]

Having seen DNO MAIN FUSES (Cut Outs or Cablehead in modern speak) Break up when the fuse is pulled and also seen the damage a faulted one can do PLEASE take notice of the warnings the chaps on here are posting....The only protection is the 315A fuse at the local S/S and even then is some areas it may have an infeed at both ends....Iven the best Jointers treat older cutouts with the utmost respect.....

I take it the modern ones dont pose anywhere near as much of a problem then, without a load across it?

 

[bernardgreen]

I take it the modern ones dont pose anywhere near as much of a problem then, without a load across it?

I believe they are less likely to cause a problem. But accidents happen.

And a 72.45 Kwatt roman candle as the ancient lead and paper cable burns itself down the wall is spectacular. They don't last long as the network fuse will melt out, eventually.. ( 72.45 Kwatt = 315Amps @ 230 volts )

If you are some distance from the network fuse the candle has less power due to the volt drop along the network cable but might burn longer .

 

[mbga9pgf]

I take it the modern ones dont pose anywhere near as much of a problem then, without a load across it?

I believe they are less likely to cause a problem. But accidents happen.

And a 72.45 Kwatt roman candle as the ancient lead and paper cable burns itself down the wall is spectacular. They don't last long as the network fuse will melt out, eventually.. ( 72.45 Kwatt = 315Amps @ 230 volts )

If you are some distance from the network fuse the candle has less power due to the volt drop along the network cable but might burn longer .

The DNO still has this cable on their network? I would have thought they would have been mandated to replace anything like this on their networks?

We have modern double insulated cable supplying us from the overhead.

 

[JohnD]

my old mum's house still has lead and paper supply from about 1920. The wrapped steel armour remains above ground but is probably long since rusted away below. The pitch is probably still in place unless it has been touched or moved (there was quite a lot of ground movement in the area round about 1940)