extremely dangerous job changing high voltage cable isolator

[djtowo]

i would love to get up there :D

[MrTodd198126]

Imagine getting up there and forgetting your cable snips! FAAAAAAK!

[sk8er4ever0101]

@MrTodd198126 lol thats not funny

[TheMsautobodyman]

that is just plain bravery

[lvll138inrs]

why is this dangerous? all they have to do is shut the power off.

[daobagua]

@lvll138inrs Just in case you were not joking. They don't shut off the power, because if they did, then an entire city would blackout for several hours (or until the item was fixed) this would likely cost millions of dollars in lost revenue for the economy. Cheers.

[LaVidaStartsHere]

@daobagua you must be joking. you have no idea about electricity, one would NEVER work on a hot line with 25kV and more its just not possible, just look at the lines which are held by the guys on the ground these lines would be burned immediately and the voltage between the legs of a worker would burn him immediately

[daobagua]

@LaVidaStartsHere watch?v=Oy81YP-q8R4&feature=re­lated

Looks likeyou are incorrect about work being done on high voltage lines being impossible unless the lines are turned off. But you are right in this case, I was commenting before I watched the video. Either way, it is a dangerous job, the fall hazard alone makes it so. By the way, on high voltage lines (>125KV) they try to perform the maintenance and inspections without taking them offline. Hence using the faraday cage method in above vid.

[LaVidaStartsHere]

@daobagua yeah right in general work is done without shutting current down.

[MrTodd198126]

@LaVidaStartsHere Apparently you have no idea, it's more than possible and is standard practice.

[redneck101157]

@lvll138inrs when they do bassicaly like 7 counties are powerless they only shut them off if it is an extreme emergancy or there knoked down

[Marleyboybob]

you have balls my friend.

[ApolloWasReal]

@ssnakula YT has videos of lab tests where shorted/earthed ("grounded" to us Yanks) transmission voltage phases are intentionally energized. The shorting wires usually explode within a few cycles.

I would certainly trust earthing cables to protect me against induction. But not accidental energization. No way.

[ApolloWasReal]

I wouldn't call this an "extremely dangerous" job. Physically arduous, yes; certainly not one I want (or could) do. But they're trained, they're using safety equipment like harnesses, and in this case the line appears to be de-energized.

Follow the rules, think about what you're doing, and it's probably no more dangerous than driving a truck. That can easily get you killed too.

[fithare]

There are two dangers in this job.Falling down and electrocution.

[MrBishopss]

shoot they got the guts to do that

[ClarkTrentMusic]

wow - quite fascinating.

[MaoSuratt911]

A brave men,very brave.But hey,what ever it take to send Junior to college...

[glaglaglaglaeddy]

Scary, but cool........do you think you could raise chances with cancer with this kind of job?

[xxHarveyMoonxx]

its good money, they know the risk

[jctlover]

I'm strongly believe that all men/women working on electricity job is not because of money, it is because of they believe what they can do. This is really amazing job and I love it. By the way, I'm also an electrician and I'm a girl and I am so proud of what I learn and do my work done.

[El23edvin]

i would say this job is crazy but....its a small word...

[mustange550]

OMG!! How can they do that!!! The height alone scares me shitless.

[Chevalier765]

The problem is not only the height but also the voltage.

[skrymtet]

@Chevalier765

This is not live wire... 

[brandon14872]

should'nt they be wearing faraday suits

[mfx1]

@brandon14872 Only if it's a live line which this isn't

[mfx1]

They may as well not have bothered with those safety belts/lanyards! The lanyards are WAY too long even if they have shock absorbers fitted to them and you need to be wearing a full body work harness not just a belt. If the fall didn't kill you then the loss of blood circulation while dangling waiting for a rescue crew certainly would. I thought linemen in the USA had to be certified?

[dblk]

@mfx1 Who said this is from the US? Poster of the vid is from Romania.

[renekenshin6573]

You just gotta have to respect these guys bravery

[zspearo]

This mofo is old school! 

[Nivicoman]

You couldn't pay me enough to do this. It doesn't matter how much procedure is followed, all it takes is one incident. Even an electrician may get nailed because his co-worker is a loose cannon and doesn't know if he's coming or going. 1st electrician: "Didja lock out PSC1"? 2nd electrician: "Yep she's locked out". (Actually was confused and locked out PSC2)!

1st electrician: "ok I'm undoing the breaker" (puts T-handle into lug and makes contact with adjacent phase:BOOM!! Arc blast at 480).

[DJGahann]

@Nivicoman quite right. One mistake with high voltage is usually your last. I always ALWAYS measure before I even come close to a circuit.

[ApolloWasReal]

@DJGahann Is it standard practice to lock out a circuit yourself and pocket the key before you perform work that requires a circuit be de-energized? Or do you have to take somebody else's word for it?

I know you should be able to trust your coworkers but I'd rather not routinely trust them with my life unless I absolutely have to. And, like you I'd *still* measure, just in case *I* made a mistake.

[cpchehaibar]

Respect!

[redsquirrelftw]

Wow that's crazy, would be fun going up there, but don't know if it's something I could do as a job. Must suck in winter, or when it rains.

Is this actually done live? Considering the guy was right on the insulator while touching the top, I'm going to guess no or he'd probably get shocked from an arc. Think some of his cables are even touching the wires at some point while also touching the tower. Either way this is a serious undertaking. :o

[RegistrationCop]

Damn that's some dangerous shit.

[DXWXMX44]

Courageous guy - thanks for what you do

[jschoones2009]

you have my full respect....

[mfx1]

@jschoones2009 They don't have my respect. Job is only dangerous if not done properly. The lack of regard to safety put their lives AND the lives of anyone called out to rescue them at risk. Was this a lowest bidder job?

[flubbeflabber]

@jschoones2009 People shouldn't deserve respect for doing something brave... Remember, people who do, CAN (Just possibly) be total bitches!

[xXGuitarMuffinsXx]

@flubbeflabber You're a fucking dumbass .. Not only are they keeping you're power on, but they're risking their lives trying to keep it on. You wouldn't even be able to last an hour of what they're doing. Respect these people, without them, you would not have power.

[flubbeflabber]

@xXGuitarMuffinsXx I don't think you got my point... Of course I respect them for risking their lives to keep our electricity on. But that doesn't change their personalities. For example, one could be racist? A homophobe? A complete douche bag? Some maybe even has raped a child! What I meant was - You shouldn't judge people by the works they're having or stuff like that, judge them by the persons they are.

[xXGuitarMuffinsXx]

@flubbeflabber Yeah, clearly I didn't get your point, because you have no point .. o.O

[flubbeflabber]

@xXGuitarMuffinsXx Of course i have, it's a very short and simple point: Don't judge people by their works, judge them by their personalities!

[xXGuitarMuffinsXx]

@flubbeflabber So if a fireman happens to be a homophobe, he shouldn't be considered a hero?

[flubbeflabber]

@xXGuitarMuffinsXx Of course he should, but he COULD also be a cocky, selfish attetion seeker.

[flubbeflabber]

@xXGuitarMuffinsXx Ok, selfish isn't the right word, but you get what i mean.

[flubbeflabber]

@xXGuitarMuffinsXx Oopsie, i forgot that when you add 2 or more comments to a video, the inbox will only display the NEWEST ones! Just telling you so you won't get confused, because i actually posted 2 comments before this one.

[galulescu]

not really.. about 220$ for one mounth...

[tripleleap]

@galulescu 220$ my ass. You earn more than that working in mcdonalds

[tarcal87]

@tripleleap

You clearly have no idea about any other part of the world other than your might U.S.

[tripleleap]

@tarcal87 im not from the U.S, english is not even my first language, so fuck off.

[bobbyknight1970]

@galulescu It should be 220$ an hour.

[spartand001]

@bobbyknight1970 no,$220 per min

[heavyrain24]

@galulescu 220 for u maybe . not for human . 220per hour is quite like it . u bitch loser jealousy son a bitch faggot

[freestuffpl0x1]

@heavyrain24 lmao that made me laugh.. 220 per hour? ROFL

[Henzzman]

These guys must get a huge salary for doing a job like that.If i would have to be up there,id definitely crap my pants.

[MrMiscojones33]

MUY MAL. No usan escaleras ni de amarre ni de suspensión, pisan los aisladores poliméricos.Aislador suspensión mal cambiado... No llevan casco ni guantes de protección mecánica. Los anticaídas no cumplen norma, hay dos o más unidos, si se cae, aunque vaya sujeto, se parte la espalda.

[adris2000]

I bet this is in Romania country...they are professional workers from E-on, they have big balls too working untied on height

[Coasterfreak900]

What are those things hanging from the wires right before and after the insulator?

[joeltheasshole]

@Coasterfreak900

Those are vibration/stockbridge dampeners. Wind kicks up an aeolian vibration, which actually induces voltage causing a vibration. Since the conductor is aluminum and under such strain, any vibration can cause a weak spot in the conductor, especially near the connection/insulator.

[RODALCO2007]

@Coasterfreak900 That are corona rings

[sw8741]

3:04 dude is an animal!! not even tied off!! one of the few jobs where u don't have a some safety ninny writing you up for every little thing. don't get me wrong...these guys r expert climbers thoroughly trained and safety comes first. but there r still some jobs where you have to man up.

[nivacabrio]

if the power was still on, they would have been obliterated... Isolators are there for one thing. Isolate the line from the tower. so if your climbing along a live line, then decide to jump on to the isolator, so you can get back on the tower, 300kv through your body, bye bye, your DEAD!

[jsj297]

That guy at 3:17 is my new hero. Jesus H Man!! That was a sweet lil move!!

[simontay1984]

WOW!! Imagine the wind up there, not to mention the height. The power company will obviously switch off the power before linemen go up there!

[TRENT2JZE]

nope, they dont turn power off. that cost too much money, these guys are very well trained and know how to stay phased with the power so it doesnt hurt them.

[freakboynv2000]

most of the time you are right, they don't de energize the line but in this particular video the line is off. you can tell because the linemen are not wearing faraday suits and they lower one of the phase cables onto the tower arm below.

[joeltheasshole]

Only from buckets, helicopters, and hot ladders, my friend. It isn't possible to maintain the minimum approach distance by just CLIMBING right over the insulators. It's pretty much be on either side of the insulators if it is energized, but do not cross... Or else, poof. IBEW 1245, work safe fellas.

[ApolloWasReal]

@joeltheasshole I've seen videos showing a lineman moving along a deadend insulator from conductor to tower on what appears to be a 500 kV line. It looks like barehand work but it's not explicitly stated if the line is live. I did wonder if these insulators had enough safety margin to allow that on a live line. Are you saying that you can NEVER move across an insulator on a live line, at least not in the US?

[richardd2063]

Total respect for these guys, large cahunas, love to see the risk assessment, i bet its as long as a street

[Haxor1021]

respect

[marioskoutroulos]

The upper top cable is it the neutral?

[VoltAmper]

No. That is the lightning protector cable. At this days it contains optical conductors too for the communating: the new protections can communicate with each other, different datas are travelling: susbstation control, statuses etc and the inside telephone grid of the power industrty.

Nice job: We don't hang down the cable, we hang it upper a little bit to getting out the insulator and put back the new one.

[ktmrdr617]

static line, its the neutral to some the ground to other so yeah. People think that cause its like a ground u can touch well u can but if ur splicing it or what not never get in between the 2 ends of it, A guy in my local got kill when he became the path between a static line.

[freakboynv2000]

no, there is no neutral used.  only 3 phases and a ground static wire.

[ApolloWasReal]

@marioskoutroulos High voltage bulk transmission lines don't have neutrals. Their loads are 3-phase delta-wired transformers, i.e., each winding connects to two phases. That top wire is grounded but carries no load current; if you're American, think of it as being like the green wire, not the white wire. (If you're European, think of it as green/yellow, not blue.)

In the US that top wire is called a "screen" wire because its main job is to "screen" those below from lightning strikes.

[kingmike40]

An electrician told me a story about a guy who was working on high voltage lines but he was in a bucket truck. The wind swung the bucket into the 250,000 volt lines. When the guy was taken down his skin had turned blue. They said that the electricity boiled his blood. It took a year before he was well enough to work but even then he wasn't the same.

[DJGahann]

I find it very hard to believe somebody could even survive a 250kV jolt with associated current. Odd also how the bucket was not on an insulated boom?

Nevertheless, this goes to show how very dangerous this job is, I'll pass thank you :-)

[kingmike40]

I don't know all of the details of the accident. I had the same thoughts you have. The guy who told me about the accident also said that the guys who do this work must be available 24/7 without notice. They get a call they go. No well wait a few hours and let me mow the grass. I meet an retired lineman whose legs were ruined by climbing poles in the old days. I think he got paid well and a good pension because he just bought a larger $109,000 RV.

[DJGahann]

Plenty of highly dangerous jobs out there that pay well. Still, would you be happy to go to work everyday knowing you may or may not make it that old-age payout?

I work with HT myself be it in very safe environment, I'd definitely not ever take a job as a lineman.

[nomofica0]

This isn't believable at all.

a) The bluish discolouration of the skin would most likely be due to Hypoxia, or lack of oxygen to body tissues.

b) If his blood truly "boiled", he wouldn't be alive. I would suspect that some of his RBC's and other blood cells were denatured and/or coagulated by the heat and would cause body cell damage due to the heat+lack of O2.

c) of course he wouldn't be well enough to work if he lived. He just had massive amounts of body tissues die (some for good)...

[mstaves1]

When ever you have an electrical contact and there is a flow of current through the body. everything the in path of current through the body cooks. The person may for a day or two IF he or she survives may look like nothing happened to them. aside from superficial flash burns and entry and exits points, that will show discoloration. It is only days later the burns begin to surface from the inside out.

[Delta9son]

Man he must of gotten a shit ton of money to do this

[lapulapu12345]

damn, that is very high

[honborg]

why the hell arent the company using a lift... primitive...

[FritzboxsieheWiki]

Maybe it's too high or there could develop an electric arc from the cables to the lift (if the cables are inuse)

[macrosmarcus]

i tried to slide through the bare cables transfer to another tower. I use PVC pipe as my traveler (were i sat on it) to another tower. Im a newly grad electrical engineer at that time.

[koolbossjock]

I need a change of pants after watching this.

[soundseeker63]

Applicants with vertigo need not apply!

[DrMR2000]

Those wire are dead, they ground the wire to the steelwork.

[ajgio]

if thde lines were live theeses guys would be GONE because they HAVE GROUNDED THEM SELFS DURRR!!!

[18monthehoops88]

heath and safety rite out the window good vid

[Blitzhaven83]

Its dead can clearly see them dropping line onto crossarm, had it been live you would of seen a big arc flashover, and none of those men would be still alive.

[bobjimed123]

During 2:01 - 2:50 the top conductor is lowered down and rested on the steelwork below it whilst the insulator string was replaced. This could not be done live. Neither would I recommend climbing up a string of live insulators!

[somersetman]

yes i think it live because he using ground scrap round his wrist or waist

[southofchaos]

wow he's got the balance of cat

[Svendogga]

The lines are not live!!

[ericsonnorberto]

esta linha ainda está sendo montada. logo, esta mortinha da silva.. not one volt in this line.

[Spartreeman]

Must be nice, working up in he wind and the sun all day....not to mention the payola!

[RickArter]

I would never be up there no second chance you are fried instantly to nothing.

[XyleJKH]

no you wouldn't... think people would be doing it? Its dead though their grounding techniques need some work