American Utility (powerline) workers

[David Riding]

Just been watchin "how it works" on national geographic while suffering from man flu. Showed American Utility workers crawling along 2 single power cables fixing them cone things, with normal harness clipped on to cable (not fall arrest) like you would crawl along a lateral limb with no above anchor. Did not look like the most athletic of blokes wondered how he got back on to both cables if he slipped. Got dropped off by helicopter on to 345,000v powerlines. Is this still common and was this technique ever used in UK.

[Bald Ed]

Just been watchin "how it works" on national geographic while suffering from man flu. Showed American Utility workers crawling along 2 single power cables fixing them cone things, with normal harness clipped on to cable (not fall arrest) like you would crawl along a lateral limb with no above anchor. Did not look like the most athletic of blokes wondered how he got back on to both cables if he slipped. Got dropped off by helicopter on to 345,000v powerlines. Is this still common and was this technique ever used in UK.

 

Can you imagine the risk assessent for that, The HSE would have a field day:icon1:

[ecolojim]

in this country dont they work from within a cage that is lowered onto the lines by helicopter and then runs along them?

 

We've got YEDL doing a run of new poles and cable here at the moment, was chatting to one of the blokes earlier and was suprised to hear how much they still spike up the poles to do work including setting and securing new cables. I expected it was all done off platforms.