How close to disaster

[chartrock]

We arrived home Wednesday with strong winds and lots of tree debris around to find our garage door would not open. Oh, power must be out so use the key to go into house then tried a light and it worked. Checke power points and no power on points. Check the meter box and master switch for power had tripped. I figured something in the house had tripped it and switched it on to see if it tripped again. It didn't so I guessed it was just a random thing and went back inside. I looked out the back door and there was our electrician son just finishing up wiring in a new power point for our tank pump. His van was parked around the side of our house out of sight as well.

If he had still been fitting wires to the power point he would not have been happy although he probably would have been dancing. I got up him for not putting some indication in the box NOT to turn on power but it shook me up thinking what could have been the consequences.

 

[dagree]

That would have been a heart starter for both of you if only a few minutes earlier!!!!

 

[skippy]

Wow how close was that.....lucky . . . Very lucky

 

[DRW]

mmmm a bit frightening, yep at least tape across the breaker

 

[bigcol]

there is a reason (right there) why on the Mines, EVERYTHING needs to be Tagged out when someone is working on it

I even like the idea that it should be mandatory everywhere.....

damn lucky there for sure..........

 

[achjimmy]

there is a reason (right there) why on the Mines, EVERYTHING needs to be Tagged out when someone is working on it

I even like the idea that it should be mandatory everywhere.....

damn lucky there for sure..........

Is it not? Commonsense should dictate the sparky would do it anyway or do they put blind faith in The RCDs?

 

[dagree]

there is a reason (right there) why on the Mines, EVERYTHING needs to be Tagged out when someone is working on it

I even like the idea that it should be mandatory everywhere.....

damn lucky there for sure..........

Not just minesites @bigcol Most (Hopefully) industrial/construction sites are/should be tagging out these days.
We have a mandatory rule on our sites that for any isolation's there shall be, as a minimum, a double isolation or air gap where possible.
If not able to do the above a lock is required

 

[bigcol]

I agree @dagree I have seen my electrician use these

out of service tags
when he was working on my place, even though there was nobody but me in the house.............

yes, we were out the back, while he fitted a new 15A socket for me..........

 

[achjimmy]

Tbh given that every meter box I have ever seen has the ability to be padlocked . You have ask the question of any sparky who doesn't lock it when working on the power?

 

[BigSkiddy]

Yep doing something very simple can make a difference between life and death.

Knew a bloke who was jump starting a backhoe, had it in gear as he stood beside the machine and turned the key. He was standing in front of the large tyre as the machine drove forward. It drove straight over him. Died at the scene with his family watching. Very sad.

Glad your son is ok.

 

[Drover]

Nearly did same to a mechanic, checked that truck was ready to go, yep no worries they said, so I walk out climb in but the ole spider sense acted up, so I do a walk around, there's the young bloke laying underneath tying off some cables on the engine.