Lamp post under mains pylon question

[Jim90]

Hi guys,

We are replacing lamp post heads on a site and all is going well until we reached a set of 4 underneath 11/33kv pylons. We are getting a horrible ‘belt’ off the casing of the lamp post head. The post is coated so unable to receive a belt at low level. All we can think of is it’s the EMF off the pylons. We have used a non-conducive tower and gloves and you can pretty much hear the crackling in the lamp post head clips. The client is concerned and want a solution. The DNO have been on site and said they are above general clearance and will not take the slack up any more.
It is actually so bad that you can hear the ballasts buzzing when they’re switched off.

Anybody else thinking along the same lines of installing a few rods and earthing the lamp posts?
Any other solutions?

 

[Pete999]

Hi guys,

We are replacing lamp post heads on a site and all is going well until we reached a set of 4 underneath 11/33kv pylons. We are getting a horrible ‘belt’ off the casing of the lamp post head. The post is coated so unable to receive a belt at low level. All we can think of is it’s the EMF off the pylons. We have used a non-conducive tower and gloves and you can pretty much hear the crackling in the lamp post head clips. The client is concerned and want a solution. The DNO have been on site and said they are above general clearance and will not take the slack up any more.
It is actually so bad that you can hear the ballasts buzzing when they’re switched off.

Anybody else thinking along the same lines of installing a few rods and earthing the lamp posts?
Any other solutions?

When you said you have spoken to the DNO, who or what did you speak to, from my past experiences with HV lines, there should be a Permit to Work System in place, as you are working in close proximity to bare conductors, and not just take the word of a non entity from the DNO, my thoughts for what they are worth,

 

[static zap]

Unsure if earth is the fix , as brave-man , basket and Post
all need same potential !
( any conductor in the field will gain a pd )

 

[Strima]

I wouldn't be putting them there in the first place. I've seen the damage done when a crane slewed into some overhead lines in Germany, it wasn't pretty.

 

[Jim90]

It’s a tough one. Agreed about the possible potential difference. I was under the impression of carrying any static down to earth. Unsure on a solution.

The client called UKPN sorry. The overhead lines go through the land lords park and to which the actual pylons are out of bounds for obvious reasons. Our health and safety permitted the work with the use of a non conductive tower scaffold at a particular platform height.

 

[marconi]

HSE Guidance Note 6 - Avoiding danger from overhead power lines:

http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/gs6.pdf

See item 3.6.2.6 (Line conductor to street lighting standard) on page 6/25 and Note 6 on page 7/25 of Northern Power Grid's Guidance on Overhead Line clearances:

http://www.northernpowergrid.com/asset/0/document/1530.pdf

Try to get a copy of Energy Networks Association Recommendations for maintenance of street lighting columns in proximity to overhead lines document G39/2:

ENA Document Catalogue Login - http://www.ena-eng.org/ENA-Docs/

Take no risks. Sir - I get the strong impression that no or an inadequate risk assessment has been done and no safe system of work produced.

 

[snowhead]

In connection with the above post,.
At the first instance of the first person receiving a "horrible belt" off the first post all work in that area should have ceased.
The situation should have been reassessed and then someone should have put a Still saw through the base of all the nearby posts and dropped them to the ground.

There should not have been more than one incident.

Fibreglass posts?
http://pdfs.findtheneedle.co.uk/112480-1596.pdf

 

[Jim90]

In future I should explain the build up in better detail and the particular health and safety procedures to avoid scrutiny!!
I feel that it’s not applicable to add our particular health and safety procedures and the like however the relevant RAMs were completed and signed to which I paid particular attention to the f*ck off big pylons. This was taken into account during a health and safety visit.
The work stopped after various safety measures ie. non conductive tower and gloves failed to protect the user and a near miss submitted for good measure. UKPN then attended site as the client was concerned to which they found no issues obviously.

A fibreglass lamp post is a good idea. I was wondering about some sort of insulating paint or something.. or maybe install during drought, possibly too much moisture in the air.. obviously it wasn’t raining.

 

[Strima]

You're having to rely on PPE to protect your staff, PPE is the last resort and you shouldn't be putting people in harms way.

IMHO completely irresponsible.

 

[Jim90]

My staff? I wish! I am but a meer peasant.

Surely the PPE and the tower is a protective control measure? No one is in harms way? We’re not working on the lines.. the lamp posts are way out of the ‘danger zone’

Literally asked if there were any ways of grounding the static etc.

 

[Strima]

PPE is a last resort when you are unable to remove the risk and control measures are insufficient.

If people are getting a belt then control measures have failed. All work should stop and the client informed that works are too dangerous to complete.

What were the weather conditions at the time? Damp, raining?

 

[Jim90]

I agree. But that is kinda what I said?

Nah it wasn’t raining. Or particularly wet. The weather has been fairly warm so I guess humidity could be high if that’s a contributing factor.

The LED fittings could be more resilient than the SoN due to no metal chokes etc.
We were thinking all sorts, however replacing the posts could be a pain as we’re restricted on height for obvious reasons.

 

[elsparko]

i get paranoid just walking under pylons, as if its going to strike me like lightning , sod putting up lamposts under them! LOL rather you than me, no way would i carry on working getting shocks off a lampost

 

[davesparks]

Has anyone actually confirmed the source of the ‘belt’?

 

[StephenRowley]

Hierarchy of hazard control
elimination
Substitution
Engineering controls
Administrative controls
Ppe

Insulating paint wouldn't stop the charge building up as though electromagnetic induction.

Need someone who really know there HV system a earthing requirements ect to look at it.