AA6DX,
I can tell you of a recent instance here in Omaha when two guys working
near a power pole were instantly killed when a powerline unexpectedly drop
to the ground and killed both men. They were cable TV line installers
putting up a cable TV line. The powerline never even touch either man;
they were apparently killed due to the tall wet grass they were standing
in. The line probably fell after they had been banging on a pole to mount
their cable TV line.
We've also lost a couple line technicians in the last few years due to
other safety issues. If well-trained line-techs regularly die working on
or near this stuff (and they do all over the country), what makes you think
the average ham will have better odds when he goes around banging on poles
that are old and poorly maintained? Statistics are interesting; they make
you feel safe until you're the one exception that makes up the small
percentage who do die. I've heard of a utility in Montana that was loosing
one man per year over several years. Seemed only a little high to me until
I heard they only had a line crew of 20 in the whole company!
My advice: Let the line techs take the risks working on the poles. That's
what they're being paid for. And tnx for the quote Charlie, but I'm not
the RFI investigator at work. But that area falls under my
responsibilities since I'm the RF (radio systems) guy. I leave the
dangerous investigations work ;^) to our technicians.
(Off-topic Warning!)
By the way, has anyone seen the stats for professional tower climbers from
last year? I just read it was 40 times more deadly to be a professional
tower climber than a policeman in the USA. It was possibly the most
dangerous line of work (in the US) last year. The human cost of HDTV and
cellular is becoming very high indeed.
And the Lack-of-Safety Award for the most stupid photo goes to the makers
of those Ham Calendars sold by CQ. If you have last year's (15-month),
look at the photo for Febr 2004, and tell me where the ham's safety
harness/belt must be stored. It doesn't look like he's wearing it. Come
on guys, we just lost a ham last June in Texas (I think) who was climbing
alone (didn't hear if a safety harness was used). I wonder how many die
that we never hear about? Searched google and found another ham seriously
injured from a tower fall in 2002. That's one per year that is reported.
Others may go unreported.
Let's try not to look like a bunch of "amateurs" out there and get
ourselves injured or killed. Before you know it, the politicians will
outlaw Ham Radio due to the health risks.
73,
de ed -K0iL
-----Original Message-----
From: AA6DX
Hmmm .. I find that interesting. I have long been a "pole thumper" ... can
you tell me of ONE instance a ham person was "lethallized" by clanging on a
power pole? Not saying what you type is not true, but .. I don't
personally
believe that for a moment, and wanna learn!
73 de AA6?X
----- Original Message -----
From: <n0tt1
| Tom wrote:
| > Generally a bad lightning arrestor or punctured insulator fails
| > within a few
| > years. This almost has to be sloppy installation. A walk around the
| > area
| > with a 50MHz AM radio and a sledge hammer to "tap" poles would tell
| > you more
| > than a year with a ultrasonic detector.
|
| True, one should find the troublesome structure *first* with a
| radio, but *then* use a ultrasonic detector to locate the piece(s) of
| hardware on that structure that are causing the problem.
|
| Mike, of RFI Services, told me he would never be without both a
| radio *and* the ultrasonic detector.
|
| As far as tapping the poles...it works most of the time to locate loose
| hardware/connections, but it's a practice that CAN be unexpectedly
| lethal.
|
| 73
| Charlie
| N0TT
|
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