Pulling the dno fuse

[M1k3y1992]

Hi all

The other day a friend of mine who owns a restaurant lost power so I went to take a look for him as I was only around the corner. Upon arriving I found that the tails straight off the meter into the switch fuse had burnt out and one of them was hanging out the box (it was quite a mess and I took photos). As i didnt have any tools on me at this point i couldnt check to see if the cables were safe (although I suspected it had blown the main fuses) so I pulled the main fuses (I didn't cut any tags) as this was the only means of isolation. I then called the electric board to come out and went to fetch my van to take a closer look.

When the man came out he gave me a lot of ---- and wanted to report me saying I put myself in huge danger (in the end he calmed down and said he wouldnt) but Its been playing on my mind. I was well aware of the risks of pulling the fuse but I thought there was a greater risk of leaving it and in the hour the at they took to come out what if i had my back turned and a member of the public had walked in and touched something.

Was he right in saying that I should have just left it because as far as I believe, if something was to have happened they would have said it was the electricians responcibily as it wasn't on their side of the meter. Do you think I did the right thing or could I have handled it any better?

 

[Midwest]

my bad, I didn't realise I wasn't a person lol

I see, that's clarified things

 

[ipf]

What "earth nuts" or "good workmanship"?

Both......love DIYers, plumbers, DNO meter men, domestic installers doing industrial work, short cutters.......and takin the pee.
You've got 9 years on me Mate, I'm just a young learner.

 

[The Ghost]

I must be a jobsworth then.I would not have removed the DNO fuse/seal. Apart from being a criminal offence and other potential offences from an H&S viewpoint there is a very real danger to my/yourself and others. From the picture you show you had disconnected the offending load and there was no need to go further. You took an unecessary risk. You could have phoned the DNO and asked if they would like you to disconnect. We are not in the business of risk taking but risk management. Whether your friend wants things running or not and wants to get going faster is no part of doing what is the best thing. Sorry but that is my opinion no offence intended.

 

[GREEBO]

I once rang the DNO to ask them to come pull me fuse and they said that I was the first to ever ask.

 

[Pete999]

I once rang the DNO to ask them to come pull me fuse and they said that I was the first to ever ask.

There's a story there Greebo.

 

[snipersmith87]

IMO OP did the right thing.

E@WR states no working live. So that voids the cut live cable & tape up or Henley block it.

Your duty is the safety of
1. Persons
2. Livestock
3. Property
In that order.

So with people in the building it was safest option to pull the DNo fuse imo.

Completely agree. Safety first is always paramount. We'd all be slating the guy if someone got a belt. Including any judge in the land. Next time we change a consumer unit, we,'ll just change the tails live. Cut a few more corners. You have to be responsible for your own actions. Your responsible being the last person to interfere. Safety was your intention. As much as the customer wanted power back on let's see how much he would be moaning when someone got injured. Started looking into the last inspection dates etc. Which would also be interesting??

 

[GlenTavener]

Has anyone ever been or known anyone be prosecuted for removing the main fuse, I haven't? I trained many moons ago with an electricity board was issued with the blue passport type book authorizing me to work at certain voltages and though that was many years ago I would not hesitate to remove the fuse today if I deemed it necessary. Happy to appear in court because some of the people who represent suppliers these days still have the mentality that you find among council employees and other institutionalized bodies. I would back myself any day simply on the grounds of common sense which for some is non existent.