Free climbing poles

Double-belting almost killed me. http://lafd.blogspot.com/2007/07/utility-w...e-electric.html

Thats bad man.... why don't you elaborate a little and tell us what happened, the article doesn't say anything about what rendered you unconcious.

Yeah. After changing out a B/O primary arm I was in the process of descending the pole. At just above the secondary level I had my real safety above 3 spool racks w/ open wire secs. straight thru and w/ secondary bus from 6 'o' clock to 3 ' o' clock (75% of a circle basically). I was trying to fish my seatbelt under the racks (24" long top to bottom) and my left shoulder got in to the open wire bus. It was 12:30PM-ish on 105 degree day, so I'm sure I was soaking wet. When you climb with a double-belt system your hazards are often different going up than coming down. We were working trouble so now wasn't the time to fix every GO95 infraction we saw. Note it, generate a job, and comeback and fix it when all of the lights were back on. I understand the concept of " no man shall fall from a pole again " but If it were last year I would have just unbelted and climbed down. This is another example of why " our safety books are written in blood. Every day that I am still here is a gift that my co-workers helped give to me. Their heroic efforts, excellent medical response, my family and a little bit of heart has helped me bounce back.

Glad to hear your doing well!!!

Did you use any cover up material? I try not to climb around uncovered energized conductors. This rule is in our safety manual. We also have the option to deenergize if the climb is unsafe.

Obviously not, if I got into it. I don't remember anything from that day only bits and pieces of what I been told by my fellow crew members. It was secondaries and we were working trouble. I have often covered secondaries when I felt it was warranted. We climbed by it and changed the primary arm no problem but as I said there's a different dynamic that always being belted brings to the table. Plus you apply this relatively new (to us) system against everything you've learned over the years climbing and unbelting at your own discretion.

Wow! Kinda not sure what to say on this, but I do like your outlook on things, especially after going thru a real "hands on". Rock on bro!

yeah i agree i just went to climb school back in april and that's the same they taught us the proper way to free climb. with working with transmission lines its alot better to free climb to get up there faster and with us having x braces on almost everything it would take me an hour just to climb a 80 with double x braces with hitchhiking, get to the brace unbelt then rebelt 8 times up and down this is crazy, ive seen the 0 fallarrest thing it looked like a pain in the ass...

hope all is getting better when do they expect u to return to duty?

You keep on rockin' too TEXASLINE-BROTHER. I really like the site.



Sounds familiar to the CHAOS we're having to deal with. 75' ers with switch-rods or stand-off riser brackets etc.

Hopefully, right after the holidays. I'm lining up my doctors right now to get me back to light duty. I figure I can lick envelopes with the best of them. Plus it pays better than worker's comp. You guys be safe. I wouldn't wish this on anyone.

Edited by bestbudfam, 23 December 2007 - 01:28 AM.

Be well, bestbudfam ... hope you have a smooth transition back to work and thanks for the perspective ...

thedude

Ya hit the nail on the head with that one partner. The blood of our brothers. And every time I see someone cutting corners or blatantly disregarding major safety rules, it pisses me off that they could actually disrespect those that have paid the price.

Thanks "dude"


You're so right! It's funny (probably not the best word) to think that there's a good chance that I'll be one of the new rules in our safety book.

I agree rules are made for a reason. Sounds like a rule was broken. Working trouble or not we need to protect ourselves.
I feel for you. However, if you didn't cover up how can you blame a pole strap. I know your answer, but if you climb past energized conductors long enough belted or not you are asking for trouble. The rule you mentioned being made becuase of you will be broken too.
We are in a business of men. Real men know rules are made because of fallen brothers. There is a name attached somewhere to that rule about cover-up. Again, I feel for your accident, but please learn from your mistake and dont blame a rule attached to fallen brother and his pole strap.

This site is turning into a bunch of damn bellyachin. Is this a site for LINEMEN Or whiners? Idon't like my tools. I don't like my boss. I don't like my company. Sounds like a few guys are in the wrong business.

Hey man. I'm just happy to still be here to agree and disagree with you. There's more to this than you see. I'm no keyboard wizard, so I know what I posted can paint a different picture, that of a blatant unsafe act. So run with that if you want because you make some good points that may keep someone else in the clear. To this point I haven't been written up, but that can always change. I would never drag a fallen brother's name through the mud and I'm insulted by the implication.

Edited by bestbudfam, 28 December 2007 - 02:22 AM.

At our school MN West We learn to climb with no fall protection, and first start out leaning freehand no belt for the first week. There have been some people who have fallen and I myself have cutout and slid 10ft down the pole. We even have to hand dig our practice poles at the beginning of the year.

I have been in this business for over 37 years. I have seen men, very experienced linemen, die or become permanently disabled for the rest of their lives from falls from poles. The falls occured while free climbing, snaping-in the safety or changing positions on the pole.

Is it better to think that we are superman and look cool by free-climbing or eliminate the chance of unecessary death or disability by the use of the "Buck-Squeeze"? I will not risk my familiys' welfare when it is unecessary. I choose to use every risk eliminating device that is availble to me.

You have to decide the level of risk that you are willing to take.

Your workmates did well. Only one thing could have been improved in the way they handled your accident.... They could have had a company issued defibrillator in the truck.

I've already covered this subject extensively on the other forum, so I'll make it short and sweet.

AEDs (Automatic External Defibrillators) were first invented to try and curb the high death rate of linemen in the early days of the industry. the pioneering work was done by an electrical engineer with the financial support of the electrical industry. While testing the device they also discovered CPR when an animal they were experimenting on showed blood movement as they pressed the pads on.

Many years later and these units have become small, cheap and idiot proof. You open the box and stick the pads diagonally across the victims chest as shown on the back of the pads and the unit then analyses what's left of the heartbeat to ascertain the correct action. If the heart is beating healthily it will not attempt any action. If however the heart is showing signs of fibrillation, it will warn and then administer an accurately timed pulse to maximise the chances of restoring normal heart operation.

These things are so simple to use that a child can do it! They're certainly not the big scary machines you see in the hospital drama's. They are also so common now that you could go and buy one on Amazon right now!

Given that so much work in the power industry is performed live and at high enough potentials to cause harmful voltage gradients in the event of an incident, it's absolutely extraordinary that all line crews don't already have these essential units. I would hope this is down to naivety rather than penny pinching on behalf of the companies, since a unit costs only about $1000 which is less than many of the commonly used tools.

Please guys... Bring the subject of defibrillators up with your company and mention it at every safety meeting until you get the units. Although the emergency services carry these units, the chances of survival are reduced significantly every second that the treatment is delayed.

Linewives... Nag your husbands and their employers until they put this protection in place for the sake of your families.

Sermon over... Bestbudfam, your a VERY lucky guy. I hope you bought your colleagues some beer.

Thanks man. You ain't lying about my bros. We all know that the F.D. don't climb poles. We got AED's in the yard, and at our general office building. We need 'em on all trucks.

So the management DO know about defibrillators and have them in the offices for themselves, but the guys who routinely work on live electrical equipment DON'T have them.....

I think that's something worth remembering when one of the workers does get electrocuted. Something like that would make a scandalous news headline.

Our company uses a buc sqease! But I've allways free climbed thats how I learned not sure how I feal about the new deal but it lets the ground men get more time on the pole! I watched my grunt climb the other day and well it wasn t pretty but he got up there after taken a few breaks and bitchin about how much his legs hurt him! This lets me know that I"ll always have to run a bucket cause to todays ground men wasnt brought up like me with a group of old lineman throwing stuff at me and allways telling me how much of a puss I was! Lol I think Im a dieing breed! Like most of you im sure that you payed your dues! and climging was something we did on lunch break! and geting in the bucket for a C Class ground man only happen at the end of the day to put up THe A Class mans tools and wash out his gloves!

Edited by SMasH20x, 24 August 2008 - 09:25 AM.