High Voltage advice (11KV)

[Petej999]

Sadly all of that is down to me, somehow I'm the company SAP. I'm totaly on my own with this one, if I try and talk to any of the mangers all I get is 'I'm not technical, I dont understand what your saying' then they burry their heads back in the sand.
I think the RMU is a SF6 Schneider ring master.
Unfortuneatey the company is non union.

Do you opperate a closed or open ring? or is it a Radial?

 

[pc1966]

The door had been blown off the substation, the roof had been lifted and had landed back on the substation.

Where I used to work they had a transformer fault on the incoming 11kV supply and it literally blew the doors off. Thankfully nobody in the street at the time.

Out of curiosity I would like to do a HV course, but in reality I would rather stick to working with non-explosive levels of power.

 

[Lister1987]

OK, union joined! I should have someone to fight my corner now. I'm going to try to keep well away from HV, It's not my back ground, I don't like it, I was never asked if I wanted to do it and I'm not confident or competent in it. They need to look at employing a professional as this is likely to be an ongoing thing.

I came within a hair of giving the HSE an anonymous tip off once before over another matter.

Edit. Found out my training certificate, is says 'Authorised Person High Voltage-operation & Safety', no idea why everyone is calling me an SAP!

Now get an email to your employer with your concerns PRONTO and CC in your rep. If you are the SAP ( i know its not but it may as well stand for 'Sole Authorised Person' in your case) then I would be put in your email about that you have concerns and under EAWR 29 [Defence] that you are discharging your duty of care and bringing to thier attention your concerns that under 4(3) [RAMS/Permits] & 16 [Competency] that do not feel suitably trained, mentored and experienced [owing to the nature of the work] to undertake the work.

The highlight phrase is deliberate; you could be thr best LV spark in the world and be thr worst HV guy. That should be enough to start a conversation and if ---- comes to shove and you get treated differently thrn the union will put thrm through the wringer at a tribunal

 

[SparkMuffin]

Quick question, I need to raise the switching operation as a near miss to get it officially recorded, I think it was only luck that I didn't switch onto earthed conductors as I wasn't aware at the time that its possible to earth the incoming power to an RMU.
What would have been the likely result if had? If it had done some expensive damage, put the factory out of action for a couple of days and prevented the management from having meetings it may have forced the issue however I would have likely been badly hurt.

 

[Moley]

Take a look at this videoHere

 

[Moley]

I hate posting via my phone. Hit post by mistake there.
If you are VERY lucky you would be badly injured. More chance of being dead or surviving but so badly injured you would want to be dead. HV & EHV does not take prisoners.

 

[R-fur]

To work on HV systems you must be authorised in writing by the owner of the system. The person who does the authorising must make sure that the person being authorised is suitably trained and experianced. Putting people on a four day course can count as suitable training but not suitable experiance.
If your boss is authorising someone who is not experianced then they are breaking the law.
Keep talking to the union and consider talking to the HSE for advice.

 

[SparkMuffin]

It doesn't reduce the seriousness but the RMU in question is fed from a 400A breaker upstream, but its still some 7MW so would make a mess.

Definitely working with the union! I will be taking action against the company before they kill someone, I was very, very lucky.

 

[Petej999]

Ask the gaffer for the HV switching plan, permit to work, risk assessment and scope of works. Chances are they will not be forth coming. What brand of RMU and switch gear are installed?

The AP, in this case the OP who is doing the switching will have to draw up the switching plan and Permit to Work and alter the Mimic Digram before and after any switching is done Timbo

 

[TheatreSparks]

Out of interest, what has been provided as far as Personal Protection Equipment have they provided to you? Others here will know exactly what is needed but I know that it is not cheap and needs to be looked after.

 

[Petej999]

Sadly all of that is down to me, somehow I'm the company SAP. I'm totaly on my own with this one, if I try and talk to any of the mangers all I get is 'I'm not technical, I dont understand what your saying' then they burry their heads back in the sand.
I think the RMU is a SF6 Schneider ring master.
Unfortuneatey the company is non union.

Doesn't have to be union, they could put pressure you if you join one, but that's your choice, speak to PROSPECT the union for professionals, when you say you are on your own, isn't there an Authorising engineer in your outfit, who and how were you made AP, sounds like they are taking the preverbal out of you Mate, who agrees your switching programs, are you the only AP on your firm? get the HSE involved, looks like your bosses need a kicking from them

OK, union joined! I should have someone to fight my corner now. I'm going to try to keep well away from HV, It's not my back ground, I don't like it, I was never asked if I wanted to do it and I'm not confident or competent in it. They need to look at employing a professional as this is likely to be an ongoing thing.

I came within a hair of giving the HSE an anonymous tip off once before over another matter.

Edit. Found out my training certificate, is says 'Authorised Person High Voltage-operation & Safety', no idea why everyone is calling me an SAP!

Cus you are the only one in your firm Mate I should think how much are you getting paid extra for being AP?

 

[SparkMuffin]

No PPE, just a box of padlocks, a voltage indicator with proving unit, key safe and a couple of permit books. They wont buy me a mimic board or provide any sort of AP office. It wouldn't have made b****r all difference but I put some safety specs on as that's all I had.
And no extra pay!

 

[Lister1987]

No PPE, just a box of padlocks, a voltage indicator with proving unit, key safe and a couple of permit books. They wont buy me a mimic board or provide any sort of AP office. It wouldn't have made b****r all difference but I put some safety specs on as that's all I had.
And no extra pay!

No arc flash kit? Would've thought with those voltage levels, the energy would be huge

 

[Tigger]

Take advice from the HSE.