The Mighty 3 Phase Flash

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Hi all,


Just to say i have been a vitcim of a shoddy elctricians workmanship, and his poor isolation skills.

Happened to be working in a local factory, and installing some Earth Bars in 2 old style Crabtree C50 boards.

anyway, my supervisor was working in the board, with the cover off and all still live ( all will know how scary the insides look with open busbars and the incoming cables with no isolator.)

back to the story, installing a new earth bar, and dilled the fixings for the bar, and he screwed it back to the side of the board, he started to remove some of the cpc's and an almighty great crack!! knocking both of us back, and being blinded. the PFC was 24.6 KA!! (earth loop around 0.02 ohms)

Found out the we took out the incomer to the building, through the main switch (200 A HBC's) and the main incomer (EDF service head) raed at 315 A!

Not bad?

Shame im going to be out of work for over a month with arc eye and serious sight problems. (oh and just to let know this is my missus writting!)

 

[wayne]

get well soon and dont let this knock your confidence ,i've known sparks give it up after an incident like this

 

[Bane]

Cooooooooooooooooooooool!!!

Seriously though.

As Wayne said, get well soon mate.

 

[danzor]

get well soon sir

 

[ian.settle1]

Hi all,


Just to say i have been a vitcim of a shoddy elctricians workmanship, and his poor isolation skills.

Happened to be working in a local factory, and installing some Earth Bars in 2 old style Crabtree C50 boards.

anyway, my supervisor was working in the board, with the cover off and all still live ( all will know how scary the insides look with open busbars and the incoming cables with no isolator.)

back to the story, installing a new earth bar, and dilled the fixings for the bar, and he screwed it back to the side of the board, he started to remove some of the cpc's and an almighty great crack!! knocking both of us back, and being blinded. the PFC was 24.6 KA!! (earth loop around 0.02 ohms)

Found out the we took out the incomer to the building, through the main switch (200 A HBC's) and the main incomer (EDF service head) raed at 315 A!

Not bad?

Shame im going to be out of work for over a month with arc eye and serious sight problems. (oh and just to let know this is my missus writting!)

Sorry to here that but what are you going to tell the HSE when they come knocking as they wiil have to be informed under RIDDOR regulations.

If they think that the isolation was not done correct someone is libel to end up in the dock make sure it's not you.

 

[wayne]

what exactly went wrong ? who didn't isolate or who incorrectly wired in the 1st place?

 

[ian.settle1]

what exactly went wrong ? who didn't isolate or who incorrectly wired in the 1st place?

Wayne as I said in my previous message he will need to get his story right with the HSE going to be involved if he doesn't they will crucify him.

 

[[email protected]]

erm... after looking at the very bugger'd breaker ( that i sneakily put in my tool box) it looks like the internals of the breaker caused a short. in this sequence, live to earth fault caused by the trailling earth, the breaker tried to operate, jammed up, some of the parts shorted between phases, and booom!

Th situation is, im stillcurrently off work with ark eye, and swollen retenai ( sorry about the spelling!) er, and as far as i know when i got back to work there is going to be a site visit, and a meeting about what happened, along with statements etc. The really stupid part about this situation is the guy i worked with was the deputy manager, and had permission from the factory manager for lock off ( perminant isolation for a period of time!) but yet still tried his bloody luck and did it live, and after all this im the innocent party with the blooming injury!

 

[ian.settle1]

erm... after looking at the very bugger'd breaker ( that i sneakily put in my tool box) it looks like the internals of the breaker caused a short. in this sequence, live to earth fault caused by the trailling earth, the breaker tried to operate, jammed up, some of the parts shorted between phases, and booom!

Th situation is, im stillcurrently off work with ark eye, and swollen retenai ( sorry about the spelling!) er, and as far as i know when i got back to work there is going to be a site visit, and a meeting about what happened, along with statements etc. The really stupid part about this situation is the guy i worked with was the deputy manager, and had permission from the factory manager for lock off ( perminant isolation for a period of time!) but yet still tried his bloody luck and did it live, and after all this im the innocent party with the blooming injury!

If thats the case a little trip down to a solicitors is called for I think

Is the deputy manager suspended at present?

Don't loose the breaker as that will be needed when investigation starts

 

[wayne]

please do as ian says by the sounds of it you could do this through a no win no fee claim either way they'll tell you if you have a claim
by trailing earth on the breaker was this an rcbo?

 

[LukeScotty]

sorry to here about it mate, never knew this could happen to be honest. tell your wife thanks for doing your typing, and get well soon

 

[rumrunner]

hi,
are they paying you sick pay ,if so this could be construded as a admission of guilt ,as you were an assistant ,the deputy manager should have had your safety in mind ,he was neglegent and proved incompitent,i cant get my head around what went wrong electricly ,but he should have carried out the correct isolation precedure,its not aceptable these days to work live if theres no reason ,was a permit to work issued ,if so you have a very good basis for a claim,i dont really agree with the compensation culture ,but you are inocent,and i feel within your rights to make a claim
i would dissmiss the manager if i was the factory boss.ask why this was not done ,as working with him again would bew plain stupid
get well soon ,lucky b.
atvbitwww

 

[markthespark]

is arc eye a long lasting effect?

 

[rumrunner]

It can be ,ive had it a few times welding without a mask ,its very sore ,the kind of flash he would have got would be a different colour ,not quite as bright so i think hell be ok,but no harm in blagging a bit of sick leave out of it.
atvbitwwwe

 

[[email protected]]

The breaker Wasnt an RCBO but an old crabtree board ( black MCB's!) daed around the 70's ish!

hi,
are they paying you sick pay ,if so this could be construded as a admission of guilt ,as you were an assistant ,the deputy manager should have had your safety in mind ,he was neglegent and proved incompitent,i cant get my head around what went wrong electricly ,but he should have carried out the correct isolation precedure,its not aceptable these days to work live if theres no reason ,was a permit to work issued ,if so you have a very good basis for a claim,i dont really agree with the compensation culture ,but you are inocent,and i feel within your rights to make a claim
i would dissmiss the manager if i was the factory boss.ask why this was not done ,as working with him again would bew plain stupid
get well soon ,lucky b.
atvbitwww

well as far as i know there was an agreement, between all electricans/trainees to isolate, as long as the other factory staff knew prior to it happening.Also my boss has put me on SSP (stat. Sick pay) very kind of him! so im am considering compo because i feel i need to claim the money i've personally lost due to someone else's poor workmanship. Also the person who caused the accodent (the deputy manager) is still working! and noting else has been said. if anything im being treated worse out of all this and im the victim. I cant wait to see the report notes! I tink im gonna cry with laughter!