Safety

Just another reason not to have one of the things!

I just got a 20mm wire that was 10mm under the skin dug out of the rear of my thigh. Left a hole needing 3 stitches.

Must of done it when I wire buffed some engine parts last Sunday. What strikes me as odd and hence the post:

- Normally they are a nuisance and jab in a few mm, not full length under the skin

- Was wearing thick overalls, glasses so has me thinking if it would of hit something more sensitive

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I just got a 20mm wire that was 10mm under the skin dug out of the rear of my thigh. Left a hole needing 3 stitches.

Must of done it when I wire buffed some engine parts last Sunday. What strikes me as odd and hence the post:

 

- Normally they are a nuisance and jab in a few mm, not full length under the skin

- Was wearing thick overalls, glasses so has me thinking if it would of hit something more sensitive

 

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When I use a new wirebrush on a angle grinder I wear a heavy lether coat, goggles er better paintball mask.

I got a single wire against my lip once, painfull. Also a few times wires sticking in my skin.

It also depends on the quality of the rotating wire brush, some shed wires more easily..

yep bit of a wake call, as like you said they normally only go in a few mm, not all the way in. I think in future I will use a leather apron or get somebody else to do it :-D

The twisted and knotted brushes are best but as with all things I can't get them every time

As safety is a hot topic again, I thought you would like these, I was forwarded today:

 

"GPS was placed in its bracket in the windshield and left in the sun. The battery overheated and exploded!" Ok not going to happen in the UK, but we must remember this is an international forum :-D

Appears to be a spoof... http://www.snopes.com/horrors/techno/gpsfire.asp

I just got a 20mm wire that was 10mm under the skin dug out of the rear of my thigh. Left a hole needing 3 stitches.

Must of done it when I wire buffed some engine parts last Sunday. What strikes me as odd and hence the post:

 

- Normally they are a nuisance and jab in a few mm, not full length under the skin

- Was wearing thick overalls, glasses so has me thinking if it would of hit something more sensitive

 

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The scar tissue has gone soggy 3 times now and had to had the area excavated each time, so 6 months later it's still annoying me.

On a lighter note typed in Jalopy in the search engine and this video came up. It is quite sobering looking at the car races before seatbelts, crash helmets, roll bars etc etc or before HSE

I once took an axe to chop some wood, took the backward swing and...

When I came around I was lying on the ground, the axe beside me and I appeared to be still complete. I had forgotten that there was a washing line behind me, which the axe had hit as I swung it back.

The scar tissue has gone soggy 3 times now and had to had the area excavated each time, so 6 months later it's still annoying me.

 

On a lighter note typed in Jalopy in the search engine and this video came up. It is quite sobering looking at the car races before seatbelts, crash helmets, roll bars etc etc or before HSE

 

 

Some amazing and as you say quite sobering footage in that montage.

Something I think people don't think about with the large whip ariels on their vehicles and also the much larger masts when setting up their camps at shows is how much distance they should leave from electric overhead lines, I have seen masts very close to even pylons of which some can carry 400,000 volts, does anyone know the sort of distances of clear space there should be.

Something I think people don't think about with the large whip ariels on their vehicles and also the much larger masts when setting up their camps at shows is how much distance they should leave from electric overhead lines, I have seen masts very close to even pylons of which some can carry 400,000 volts, does anyone know the sort of distances of clear space there should be.

Hi Richard, it depends on various factors such as distance between poles or pylons and the current the line(s) carrries.

Safety margins range from about 4m from a 1Kv line to about 23m for a 220Kv line, this is for clearance below a line but it can run up to more than 40m for side clearance. These are only guidelines but after the distance I have seen current jump personally I would leave a much bigger margin.

Well, I've done the CDM Regs/MEWP Training/Various others and as per their guidance, its 9m horizontal from the pole for cables on normal wooden poles or 15m on steel pylons. This goes for people, cherrypicker baskets and anything else conductive!!

This is a wee bit contradictory as the minimum heights for respective cables above the ground, taking into account the droop between poles are 7.2m for 400kV, 7m for 235kV, 6.7m for 132kV and 5.2m for 33kV and lower. Considering a telehandler's reach, or the height of a fully stacked bale trailer, the propensity for a f@@k up can be considered high!!

In practice, just keep the hell away, minimum 10m, 20m better......

Just one of the fires I have to fight on a regular basis, don't even mention earth bonding of scaffolding :argh:

Mind you, that's only guidance (but try arguing it in a court of law..... :angel:)

Just wear rubber boots and a pair of marigolds and you'll be fine :cool2:

Alec.

http://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/information/overhead.htm

As a very rough guide, dry air will ionise (breakdown, conduct) under a constant stress of about 30,000 volts per centimetre. So, if you had a peak voltage of 400kV between the power line and the ground, about 13cm. That's the third form physics, doesn't sound to bad, does it? But, there are many other factors to take into account, most of which would result in breakdown at a much larger distance.

Common official guidance for plant operators is that up to about 50kV the safe stand-off distance is 3 metres.

As far as display vehicles and pretend fixed aerials ( I haven't seen many at shows that are connected to a radio set) are concerned, just don't do it. It's not worth the risk. There's plenty of frightening evidence of people being killed by equipment coming into contact with lines at only 11kV .

Regarding working radios, the likely radiation from corona discharge on the lines would make the situation hopeless anyway.

runs for cover.....

Tony

FCS1362 (formerly MPT1362) which is the standard for mobile radio (PMR) installations mentions the risk in section 3.4.4 but gives no recommended limit. See: http://www.fcs.org.uk/my%20files/fcs_pdfs/codesofpractice/08-05-12%20fcs%201362%20final.pdf

I am sure I looked into this when I had the SUMB with vertical antennas (given that I live near a mainline level crossing between me and the nearest petrol station) and found that the lowest limit is for level crossings on electrified railway lines and is around 5 metres but I can't now find the reference on line.

The HSE advice for agricultural work near overhead power lines at http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/ais8.pdf gives a minimum height of 5.2m for such lines in the UK over fields and 5.8m over roads and recommends that vehicles higher than 4m / 12 feet are not used near such lines.

National grid give advice for higher voltage lines in ENA 43-8 which is summarised at: http://www.nationalgrid.com/uk/LandandDevelopment/DDC/devnearohl_final/appendixIII/appIII-part2/

and downloadable from:

http://infrastructure.planningportal.gov.uk/wp-content/ipc/uploads/projects/TR040005/2.%20Post-Submission/Section%20127%20Application/130402_TR040005_WPD_Addendum_Appendix_9.PDF

Note 2 to table 6.1 in the last referenced link explicitly states that the 5.8m clearance is intended to permit vehicles up to 5m in height to pass under conductors at up to 33KV. This is 0.8m separation between wires and top of vehicle. Given that antennas with pointed ends will cause higher electric field strengths (and more chance of a spark) than a vehicle roof I would be inclined to add some more safety margin and 4m from ground to tip of antenna is probably more sensible (and aligns with reported state laws on mobile antennas in the USA, I believe)

Regards

Iain

So, if your vehicle is a bit tall, it might be an idea not to fit one of those things designed to ground out static electricity?

Hi Richard, it depends on various factors such as distance between poles or pylons and the current the line(s) carrries.

Safety margins range from about 4m from a 1Kv line to about 23m for a 220Kv line, this is for clearance below a line but it can run up to more than 40m for side clearance. These are only guidelines but after the distance I have seen current jump personally I would leave a much bigger margin.

We have Metrolink tram lines on the main road now all fully energised and trams running upon them. So no aerials on the Ferret any more.

Was thinking about our hobby when I read this.

http://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/news/gold-coast/helensvale-man-found-crushed-under-his-car-in-garage-believed-to-have-been-there-for-days/story-fnj94idh-1226892894134?sv=6c66349cc13ca9e4bec33d03f3e5b6c5

My mechanic mate in the UK always makes me cringe, as he never uses axles stands and relies on a trolley jack. Last time I was there he was changing an Alpha Romeo exhaust and he's under it yanking on the exhaust with one side propped up on a trolley jack.

Was thinking about our hobby when I read this.

 

http://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/news/gold-coast/helensvale-man-found-crushed-under-his-car-in-garage-believed-to-have-been-there-for-days/story-fnj94idh-1226892894134?sv=6c66349cc13ca9e4bec33d03f3e5b6c5

 

My mechanic mate in the UK always makes me cringe, as he never uses axles stands and relies on a trolley jack. Last time I was there he was changing an Alpha Romeo exhaust and he's under it yanking on the exhaust with one side propped up on a trolley jack.

The worst bit about this one is that the third picture clearly shows a pair of axle stands sitting right there on the ground. He had the equipment but must have been too lazy to use them

Cheers,

Terry

I have a sloped cul de sac outside the flat. Came home one day to find a Mobile Mechanic had a car with two wheels on the kerb, and a trolley jack under the other side completly jack uped, while he was under it. Fortunatley I'd turned in slow or would have taken the jack handle out as it was horizontal into the road. The car was also sloping back to front. He didn't appreciate my comments on his sanity.

I have a sloped cul de sac outside the flat. Came home one day to find a Mobile Mechanic had a car with two wheels on the kerb, and a trolley jack under the other side completly jack uped, while he was under it. Fortunatley I'd turned in slow or would have taken the jack handle out as it was horizontal into the road. The car was also sloping back to front. He didn't appreciate my comments on his sanity.

Funny how people often dont appreciate this sort of advice. One hopes this is because of their pride and that they do actually take note. On occasion I find myself working on or under vehicles on my own, and sometimes the temptation not to put an extra stand or prop in is strong, esp if it is just a quick job, but I always try to remember its a 30 second diversion that might save your life!!!

I replace the exhaust on my civvie car last year.

For safety I put it on 2 piles of tiles on the left wheels, used the parking brake AND left it in gear.

Funny how people often dont appreciate this sort of advice. One hopes this is because of their pride and that they do actually take note. On occasion I find myself working on or under vehicles on my own, and sometimes the temptation not to put an extra stand or prop in is strong, esp if it is just a quick job, but I always try to remember its a 30 second diversion that might save your life!!!

Did that once. When the Long Wheelbase 109 Safari Land Rover fell off the jack narrowly missing my head. I had a VERY large Revelation!

:angel:

This type of incident is not that uncommon....here is one from last week in USA:

http://www.620wtmj.com/news/local/Man-crushed-while-working-on-car-in-Racine-County-255929271.html

My experience of serious accident investigations over last 25 years is that in many cases the injured party knows exactly how they should have acted, but for a number of reasons (ranging from being late for a date with girlfriend or wanting to get home for dinner to not wanting to appear a "wimp" to uninformed workmates OR pressure from their employer) they deliberately take a short cut from the known safe way.

On most occasions they get away with it, just reinforcing in their minds that its ok and "safety is a waste of time"....that is until they don't.....

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On a more serious note, I opened a tin of paint stripper on the weekend and when the inner seal came off it exploded off with a huge bit hitting my face millimetres from my eyeball. The can had not been in the sun.

One of those 5 minute jobs that could have ended badly

For those people who chock their large heavy toys I learnt a lesson a couple of years ago while I was crewing a 1914 traction engjne with a couple of other people and as we went to head for a parade I went to remove the chocks under the drive wheel, the engine had settled down on the grass trapping the front one so the driver rocked the engine back under steam while I pulled it. Unfortunately we had no chain on the chock and as my finger was between wheel and wood he released the regulator pinning my left index finger, I politely asked him to rock it back again which being a steam engine meant bouncing it out of forward gear and got the chock second time round then went to the a and e with a finger 1/4" thick and with every pore highlighted in red. Luckily I still have almost complete movement of it and all our chocks now sport long chains. Taught me a lesson.

Another example of what can go badly wrong ! Luckily no one hurt ! http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-27508118