Tragic And Bizarre Electrocution

[JohnW2]

And now I remember ... I found the plotline where he just phoned up, asked for a circuit to be turned off, and the DNO just did it ... a bit implausible.

You say it is 'implausible', and we have agreed that it could result in a lot of unnecessary 'power cuts' (some maybe due to 'prank calls) - but, in relation to the 2012 incident ...

UK Power Networks said it had since changed its policy so that when similar issues are reported, power is turned off before technicians are sent out.

 

[morqthana]

All true - and they said that they had now changed that policy.

However, one has to wonder how many 'reports' from the general public they receive that would/will result in their turning off the supply until it has been expected when the nature or severity of the problem did not actually represent an immediate threat to anyone?

These days there's a good chance that someone calling in a report could send photos or a video of the problem there and then.

 

[JohnW2]

These days there's a good chance that someone calling in a report could send photos or a video of the problem there and then.

Indeed they could, and I imagine that many would - and if they didn't volunteer such 'evidence' one might hope that the person on the DNO end of the phone call would ask for it. However ....

.... I have to say on the few (only 2 or 3 come immediately to mind) occasions on which I have tried to 'report things' to a DNO, I have had grave difficulties in getting the person on the end of the call to even understand what I was talking about!

 

[AdrianUK]

I pleased to say my experience is the opposite.

I called National Grid Yesterday to report damage (well, half the boards ripped off) to a wooden substation door that I walk past with the dog.

I dialled 105 and got connected with a knowledgeable call handler who understood exactly what I was telling her, had a good grasp of the possible dangers & the risk posed. She gave the expected warnings about do not approach or touch etc and, after I informed her that I have knowledge of 11kV and wouldn't be going near the thing, told me that she would pass the details onto an Engineer. She did ask if I had any photos (I didn't ... it didn't occur to me at the time to take them)

When I went past a few hours later the door had been patched up & secured.

 

[SUNRAY]

I pleased to say my experience is the opposite.

I called National Grid Yesterday to report damage (well, half the boards ripped off) to a wooden substation door that I walk past with the dog.

I dialled 105 and got connected with a knowledgeable call handler who understood exactly what I was telling her, had a good grasp of the possible dangers & the risk posed. She gave the expected warnings about do not approach or touch etc and, after I informed her that I have knowledge of 11kV and wouldn't be going near the thing, told me that she would pass the details onto an Engineer. She did ask if I had any photos (I didn't ... it didn't occur to me at the time to take them)

When I went past a few hours later the door had been patched up & secured.

I have to say I've had a quick response to calls too, 5-10 years back A saw the bottom wire of OH LV distribution sagging onto a telephone drop wire and pulling it down to about 7 feet. As it was nearly school chucking out time I volunteered to stand guard if they were coming straight out. 10-15 mins was all it took.

2 cases of earth cables removed from poles (seen while walking) were repaired by the following day but I don't know what the response time was.

A neighbours dog yelped at a particular spot a couple of times then wouldn't get near it, neon screwdriver detected that problem. Reporting the grass was live it was dug up and repaired within 2 hours. But took over a week to fill the hole in and reseed, apparently that wasn't included in the emergency callout teams remit.