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#1 Posted : 28 September 2001 17:18:00(UTC)
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Posted By Peter Rees Can anyone give me some advice as to what information etc needs to be addressed when setting up a workable live electric PTW system? Will the IEE 16th edition allow the system only to raise a permit for non-routine live electrical work, or must it be all live work, including fault finding? We currently have qualified and competent electrical engineers employed full time on site who are trained on the current permit systems that we have (including all SSOW, isolock procedures and so on). We also have controls in place for barriers etc to prevent unauthorised personnel and the engineers are in the process of being trained in basic first aid techniques.
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#2 Posted : 28 September 2001 23:39:00(UTC)
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Posted By George Wedgwood A severe test of Unreasonablility and reasonableness must be undertaken before live work is commenced, as per the E@W Regs. How this is done and understood is not for the fainthearted! Few undertakings have actually cracked this test properly and those that think they have will still fail when they have a fatality! A properly thought through system of assessment must be in place with checking by competent persons who can demonstrate their ability to assess live working situations and environments. Typical environments include operational switchrooms and substations - even with metalclad gear. The assessment must concentrate on the potential effects of a short circuit fault arc and the energy release - not an easy assessment! Typical control measures are distance, screening and heavy flame retardant PPE, with full face screens and FR gloves. All of this does work but is understandably not fully accepted by industry due to cost and difficulty of application. Certainly, competence helps but most of the fatalities occur to highly competent employees! I believe we have a way to go yet and we need to be specifying arc proof gear with very stringent measures before allowing live work. The alternatives are clear - work dead and shut the board or circuit down before allowing persons near live apparatus, or design and install gear that cannot affect personel when under extreme fault conditions, even when partially exposed or open. The assessment for risks is difficult and not fully explained by the current HSE guidance. However, the Electricity Association has produced guidance for Member Companies on FR clothing against arcs. Contact me on george.wedgwood@pgen.com for further information if required - or better still, work dead under a PTW!!
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#3 Posted : 01 October 2001 13:44:00(UTC)
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Posted By Jim Walker Peter, the IEE regs (BS 7671)have little to do with working on electrical systems safely. THE document is E@W 1989 regs, as George points out. You need to study this first, I suggest the Guidance doc rather than the regs themselves. The main problem I have is convincing people live work is only acceptable in a small number of cases and inconvenience does not come into it. As George says "what is reasonable".
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#4 Posted : 02 October 2001 09:51:00(UTC)
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Posted By Ken Taylor Essentially, a safe working method is needed based upon risk assessment. This may (and probably will) require a PTW system unless regular and essential live working is being undertaken in specifically designed environments using the correct equipment with established, taught and known safe procedures.
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