33 KV Power Line

I just Goggled "safe working distance around 33k volts" and came up with 1.17 million results. The question is, " What are the standards for your county for working around 33kv and what type of equipment are you going to be operating in the area of the transmission lines?

Thanks.

I have also try with the Google. In our country the exact regulatory language is "Keep safe distance!!", but no clarification on what distance is safe.

Our work nature is general civil works, like brick wall, plaster etc. We have to facilitate safe working environment for the worker, that's why I am searching the exact distance.

The safe distance is proportional to the paranoia of the individual or regulatory body concerned. No exact value may exist.

SHOCKHISCAN,

Good answer.

I know in my experience with mobile high reach equipment that the rule of thumb was to get no closer that 10 feet away from aerial suspended high voltage wires.

If it is a high voltage long transmission line, (69 kV and higher) Don't get any closer than 30 feet from the conductor, but those are usually very high up and not too many civilians get too close to those types of high voltage wires!

Show the OP this picture!

That's one hell of away to earn your handle, I'm glad your here to talk about it, tho I have never felt that type of pain you've incurred, I have heard some stories , and one where the man wasn't lucky enough. He was dealing 120kv and his supervisor not only removed the but energized the equipment without doing a head count. Left behind a wife and 3 kids. No money could replace him

I am not so sure surviving is being lucky.

In most MV and HV contact cases where the power enters then travels internally through the body and exits at another location the person is better off if they expire.

Most of these type of electrical contact victims suffer immensely for a few months then die.

The most important thing to keep in mind in these circumstances is to get away from mainstream medical treatment as soon as possible then get to a specialty treatment center such as the one in Denver or the one in Chicago where they do not attempt to mask the symptoms with drugs and instead actually treat the damage physically and mentally.

As one of my mentors told me when I first started out in the electrical field; "Dying is easy. It's getting there that is hard."

Electricity is not to be fooled with.

I was nearly electrocuted when I was 19 years old. I was working on a surface grinder which was located in a dark corner of the shop. I reached up to turn on the clip on lamp and as soon as I grabbed the lamp, I made the circuit between my right and left hands. I took 120 volts straight across my chest and was unable to let go of the machine or the lamp. I stood there for what seemed like an eternity, being electrocuted, not another soul around to help! I thought to myself, OK, this is it, I'm done! I made my peace and accepted that I was about to die. The next thing I remember is coming to on the shop floor, still not a soul around! I guess I was lucky, when I passed out, the lamp had come dislodged and I fell backwards away from the machine. I believe that I was being shocked for over a minute, my body was in a spasm for the next few hours. I guess I was just lucky, I know there is a big difference between 120 volts and 12 kV but both can be deadly in their own way!

Yep, most deaths occur with 120-240 volt contacts.

There is no single answer because there are multiple unknowns here. How is the transmission line fabricated (shielding, insulation thickness, damage, cable sway)? What work is being performed near the cables (excavation, survey, etc.)?

IMHO A reasonable "rule of thumb" guide is to look at how far apart the power lines are from each other. I would not get any closer than three times that distance without added protective gear and/or a better analysis of the situation. Frequently that distance is about as far away a person's head when standing directly beneath a sagging cable. This assumes that the work to be performed cannot disturb the cables if something goes wrong. Any excavations might undermine a cable support or cause something else (tree) to topple into the cables.

I agree, that's a good rule to live by. There are so many environmental factors to take in consideration when dealing HV. I won't play golf in a lighting storm, and when the hair on the back of my neck stands on end- it's time to change my local

Ccalculate? Well, I'd start with some numbers about the weather conditions and the shape of your earthed objects.

Bear in mind that an umbrella protecting an individual in the rain at a railway station with 25kV overhead electrification contravenes most standards applicable to the workplace!

If you are working "NEAR" a 33Kv overhead line, then you know its there. How close do you want to get?

I would say to the further away you can be and still do your work is a safe distance.. the further the better.

If you are using lifting equipment, and i guess you are.. then the more distance you can have the better and safer you will be. Mobile crane drivers, and many are very good are aware of overhead power lines, but they can make mistakes and if the banksman is not aware, then you will have contact!

Apply a bit of common sense!

Basic safety & fire precautions,first aid etc should be taught to everybody not only to electrical guys.

A well-run organisation engaged in <...civil construction work nearby 33 KV overhead power transmission line...> ought to have at least a risk assessment and method statement in place to protect its own workforce and its own indemnity, and in an ideal world a comprehensive set of procedures already in place.

The reason for asking the posted question in an international anonymous Engineering forum is therefore somewhat worrying...

In my opinion, if the clearances above roads and working area are as per NESC C2-2017 Part 2. Safety Rules for the Installation and Maintenance of Overhead Electric Supply and Communication Lines Section 23: Clearances, the distances will be safety for the working people, also.