The importance of proving de-energised(isolated/dead) before starting work.

[Knobhead]

Possibly the companies NICEIC registered.
So the customer confidently uses them without checking out the man on the tools.
Happens all the time.
Qualified guys are busy earning the big bucks so send young Luke out.
He's a bright lad, doing well at college. Give him a bit of responsibility.
BANG !!
Seen it far to many times.
JIB card to all, and needs to be seen before commencing work.

What a load of bollox!

 

[Knobhead]

Had an interesting one last week where a specialist company came to a site where we carry out general maintenance. They were changing some equipment fed from an old panel and turned off the panel isolator and commenced work....BANG!
It turned out the panel isolator was defective...(there is another local isolator on the supply outside the panel). They are now threatening to sue the site because their man could have been killed. I suggested the site ask if they have ever heard of safe isolation proceedure as this is the first question H&S will ask.........it seems they've suddenly gone very quiet on the legal action front.

It may have gone quiet for a reason. Don’t think your isolation procedure covers every situation.

 

[Marvo]

I remember years back a qualified electrician liven a supply to a busbar with the cover still removed.
The apprentice with him reached forward as if to touch the bars and luckily he caught him out the corner of his eye and pushed him away before he made contact.
What the hell do you think your doing you idiot (he says)
Sorry !! the apprentice said.
They looked dusty I was just going to wipe it off.
This is a true story, and in my book it wasn't the apprentice who was the idiot.

Apprentices are scary things, I had a similar problem with one many years ago.

 

[trev]

Took my oldest lad on a job with me at a mates house when he was about 15, I knocked off the supply and told him to strip out a ceiling rose. I crept up behind him and just as he was about to put a driver on a terminal I screamed BANG. He very nearly fell off the ladder but after he'd gotten over the fright I explained safe isolation to him and why it's done the way it is.
He's never forgotten it.
I had the lesson taught to me in exactly the same way.

 

[Darkwood]

Had an interesting one last week where a specialist company came to a site where we carry out general maintenance. They were changing some equipment fed from an old panel and turned off the panel isolator and commenced work....BANG!
It turned out the panel isolator was defective...(there is another local isolator on the supply outside the panel). They are now threatening to sue the site because their man could have been killed. I suggested the site ask if they have ever heard of safe isolation proceedure as this is the first question H&S will ask.........it seems they've suddenly gone very quiet on the legal action front.

Depends here who had the responsibility of ensuring the equipment they were working on was dead, if it was themselves then the buck stop with them.

I had fitted a rotary Isolator so a compressor company could send his Engineer out to service the unit, I watched him switch off and lock off the isolator and that was it, before he touched anything I stopped him and did a dead test for him, he didn't grasp the dangers of his actions if the isolator failed etc... I contacted the company and expressed my concerns they also seemed too relaxed about it all but they did say it will be looked into.

 

[Deleted member 9648]

It may have gone quiet for a reason. Don’t think your isolation procedure covers every situation.

Depends here who had the responsibility of ensuring the equipment they were working on was dead, if it was themselves then the buck stop with them.

I had fitted a rotary Isolator so a compressor company could send his Engineer out to service the unit, I watched him switch off and lock off the isolator and that was it, before he touched anything I stopped him and did a dead test for him, he didn't grasp the dangers of his actions if the isolator failed etc... I contacted the company and expressed my concerns they also seemed too relaxed about it all but they did say it will be looked into.

They were working alone and there was no request for the supply to be isolated,so they were responsible. It remains quiet on the legal action front.