A couple of days ago a young Enmax (the local power authority) employee was killed on the job by being electrocuted while working on transmission lines. The lad was a well liked and respected 25 year old member of his community and a volunteer fireman.
My question is this: what was a first year apprentice doing up a pole working on high voltage lines by himself? I'm thinking that somebody's head is going to roll over this one.
I hate when that junk happens. One of my best buddies back in high school's father worked for the REA.
ReplyDeleteHe had done that work for about 25 years...grabbed a live line. I guess you know the rest.
He KNEW better. Brain fart...dangerous business.
I had a right out of high school working for the phone company who was killed by power lines. Still makes me sad.
ReplyDeleteMakes you wonder, who sent him up there. I'm sure they will find out!
ReplyDeleteHe KNEW better. Brain fart...dangerous business. Andy I've taken a couple of belts in my time on the tools, fortunately for me they were 120v and not 600.
ReplyDeleteThey were definitely 'brain fart' moments but it made me really pay attention.
Lou, heard of 3rd year apprentice that got it when I was a 3rd and it really hit home. He caught a belt off 347v which messes with your heart rhythms and NONE of it was his fault, someone else didn't do their job right and he was killed because of it.
Scooney, his journeyman should have been there right beside him, no excuses.
Dealing with electricity is like dealing with horses, you know that they can hurt you and you govern yourself accordingly.
I agree: someone's head SHOULD roll over this. It remains to be seen if that will really happen.
ReplyDeleteI was pretty fortunate in my 16 years in the radar bid'niz about never gettin' seriously hit with anything over perhaps a couple hundred volts. I DID see some pretty ugly scars on co-workers during that time and heard some hair-raising (heh) war stories, given the fact we routinely dealt with electrical power required to produce megawatts of RF energy.
You may read "fortunate" as careful. Coz I was, and very much so, at that.
You may read "fortunate" as careful. Coz I was, and very much so, at that. Like I said Buck, you have to have more than a little bit of respect for these things.
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