Bucket rescue question

[topnotchtree]

Bucket rescue

This was brought up at mondays safety meeting and had everyone stumped. If a trimmer has an accident and needs to be rescued, and you see a wire on the truck or boom and think the truck may be energized, whats the procedure? We are trained to use a pole pruner to move the lower controls on the truck to manuver the boom to safety. But what do you do if you have no access to the lower controls?

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Call the emergency in.

John Balls analysis of the deth stats show that most multiple death accidents are contact related where the second worker tried to help the first.

 

[topnotchtree]

Definately call for help. Any more guesses?

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

What else can you do, unless you have a full set of hot gear.

There are times when trying anything will make things worse.

So stand out by the street to flag the rescue people in.

Kenny has a very good emergency system with the job location and a script for the caller to go through so nothing is forgotten.

 

[topnotchtree]

Use your pole pruner to move the outrigger controls just a little bit. If the boom is in the air and you move the outrigger controls out, the 1 inch farther you extend the outrigger translates into moving the boom over quite a distance, hopefully moving operator out of danger. Honesly re-reading my own post I realized I should have worded it differently. If the wire is on the truck this wouldnt work. But if the wire is on the basket or operator, movint the outriggers OUT may move the operator from danger.

 

[glens]

Not to necessarily advocate it, but couldn't one <i>leap onto</i> a "hot" rig without getting hurt?&nbsp; Birds essentially do that all the time, happily sit there until they get bored, then safely "leap" off again.

 

[MasterBlaster]

That's how I was trained.

 

[duartebigmex]

Did you asked that question.
Just curious. :blob5:
I guess what was the answer they gave you or you gave.

 

[darkstar]

if another bucket or crane is available ..get into position and lower into the rescue situation using non conductive materal ... haha jump the last 3 feet .... better yet take out your duck gun and blow the wires to heck ,,,, once they are out your ok haha but no seriously ..... really call the power board imm. and the rescue team .... if it was my guy id get into position .... problem is getting back out dry poly pro does not conduct vey well ...,my2 cents

 

[clearance]

Here opinions are not good or called for. "I think" is wrong, it had better be "I know". Guys, this isn't about wearing spurs pro or con, it is about life and death facts. In the first place, if you are working around power, the groundsman should be trained for emergencies. He should know the phone# of the utility at the very least and preferably the name of the circuit. He should know about step potential and touch or contact potential. To the question-you think the truck is energized, what now? Stay back at least 33ft on voltages under 75kv. If you are closer when contact happens, shuffle or hop away. Call the utility advise them what has happened and they will de- energize the circuit and send emergency personnel. Keep everyone out of the area, even if you have to use force. No matter what, do not enter that area untill you know the circuit is shut down, the utility will tell you on the phone. Forget about jumping onto the truck like a bird, forget about using a hotstick even if you have one. Maybe the guy in the bucket will die, but your primary responsibility is to make sure you are safe and to keep people back. A lineman told me " if it hits the fan, fire, transformers exploding, whatever, and you are still alive, you are going to stay alive unless you do something stupid" If you are not trained for it don't work in close proximity to the line.

 

[tophopper]

very well put clearance- i would agree, unless you are trained to deal with that particular situation, you are probably putting yourself at risk as well,call for help and dont become victim number 2!!!!

 

[darkstar]

i think my 10 guage would solve the problems of hot lines ....jus kiddin

 

[VTMechEng]

There was a time when jumping onto an energized truck was acceptable but that has changed. ANSI now states you will stay away from the truck and let the pro's take care of things. I look at it this way, we say only pros should do tree work and as for energized rescue we should let the pros do their job.

 

[MasterBlaster]

There was a time when jumping onto an energized truck was acceptable but that has changed.

Yah, it was twenty-five years since I was supposedly "trained" to do that.

 

[topnotchtree]

I believe every rescue situation is different. As I said I should have been much more specific as the details of the situation. If the bucket operator cannot move and needs rescued and is in contact with a wire, moving the outrigger out on one side of the truck will manuver the bucket, hopefully away from danger. Again using a non conductive tool to move the controls. I understand fully calling the utility company immediately, but I for one would have a very hard time watching my coworker being hurt in such a situation. I believe I would try anything I could do to save him, understanding my own safety. I believe the idea of moving the outrigger controls to move the bucket is just another idea to keep in the back of your mind. Just incase anyone gets in that situation, the more ideas they have to attempt a rescue, the better.

 

[dayman]

Calling local electric utilities can be problematic. Even if you have the main number precious time is lost getting in contact with the right person to cut power to an area.

Take the time at your convenience to call the utility. Talk to them and let them know that you're putting together a list of direct contact numbers to the person who sits next to the on/off switch. There may be several numbers depending on the size of your work area. With the various map drawing programs available it would be a simple thing to make a map with zones outlined and the direct number attached. Color coding the zones would make it very easy to make the right call.

As we all know, going through phone trees takes lots of time and there is the chance that we can get dropped out of the tree at any time.

 

[clearance]

Here there is an emergency # that linemen or treeguys can call at the utility control centre. I saw this phone when I visited there, it sits alone on its own table and it is answered r.f.n. always. One call does it all, they kill the line then they send fire, police, ambulance, a line crew, compensation board, whole cavalry. Second question-the guy in the bucket is contacted by the line, what now? A bucket truck used around power should be dielectrically tested, they all are here. So then, the upper boom a few feet past the knuckle is insulated, the hydraulic fluid is insulated and the man in the bucket will be at the same voltage as the line, as long as he is not contacting anything else (like a tree). If you have been trained about power and can work the boom then use the lower controls to get him out of there. This is assuming that the line is not broken and that the bucket is underneath or beside the line. It would really suck to bring the line onto the knuckle or something like that. I would want to be using the overide, deadman controls while being on the truck. Whatever you do in an emergency you have to think twice about it.

 

[dayman]

What if the lower boom is energized?

 

[clearance]

If the lower boom is hot then the truck is hot. The lower boom is never insulated, only part of the upper boom. Look at my first post on this subject.

 

[alanarbor]

That may depend on the bucket. I know the Aerial Lift of CT buckets have an isolator on the lower boom, just above the turret. I belive most high rangers do as well. I know you're correct on some of the older Altec/Asplundh buckets though. I think the current running through this thread (pun intended) is.........

Don't be a second victim! If you're not sure what to do, call for help and don't touch anything.