I found that even General Contractors who are taking NFPA 70E standards seriously are bending the rules in order to keep from losing clients. They will say one thing and do another. Once the "safety doors" close, another mentality activates. In order to be competitive, other electrical contractors will be asked and are performing live work that OSHA considers feasible to shut down. Until all electricians get on board to protect each other, the deaths and injuries will continue. There are already too many of us that have been killed or disfigured. Enough is enough.

Thank You Mike for helping us press this issue.

Mike,

I have been reading your articles for years and have always walked away with a better understanding of the electrical world. Thank you for being there. This article on Electrical Safety is by far ONE OF THE BEST. It imediately hits the nail on the head. Again, THANKS TO YOU AND YOUR STAFF for sharing these moments demonstrating some of the hazards and the proper ways to work with electricity.

Steve Hurst

Is any of the following data available on the electrical system for the accident video?

1. Calculated arc flash energy at 18, 24, and 30 inches in cal/cm sq 2. Calculated bolted fault current 3 Calculated arcing current 4. Arc duration from the TCC Curves for the upstream protective device 5. Basic singleline drawing.

This information would aid in stressing the hazard in similar situations.

Thank you for the fantastic articles and for any of the above information. I am a PE and perform Arc Flash studies.

When I watch this clip all I can think of is how many times I've been there. I just got lucky. What bothers me is the ease at which I can be talked into that by a superior and then not even afraid due to the mentality of,"It won't happen to me."

Seems to me the employees had a level of responsibility in this accident. If they were not trained adequately to be asking questions about working inside an energized 13.8 kV bus work, the were not qualified to be working inside the enclosure.

I am a safety consultant for PNMR Resources and would like to use this clip for a safety illustration.

Could you send it to me please.

Tom Hicks Sr. Safety Consultant Texas New Mexico Power Company 702 36th Street North Texas City Texas 77590

• Reply from: Mike Holt   
  Here is the link so that the zip file so you can download the clip:

  http://www.mikeholt.com/files/movies/Accident-%20live.zip
  Reply to Mike Holt