Could i have been electricuted?

[Mustang71]

Don't strip phone line with ur teeth it hurts. If anyone wondered lol

 

[Westboastfaller]

BC Hydro has an easy to learn little hand book that you can download called BC Hydro Utility Tree Workers. (BC Hydro UTW) This is for all non Certified Utility workers that will be commencing work with BC Hydro. After reading_ then we would be asked a few questions by our companies Certifed
Utility Arborists (CUA) then given a ticket. Main things are line identity, Limits of Aproach (LOA) (depending on line kv. Touch & step potential and the difference. Energized zones and the distance you would need to be clear of the point of energy contact to the ground. (Depends on kV) (Hop or shuffle)
They have charts and help with line identity. Having said that, we positively know the Name of the line, the voltage as well pole # per as day play and carry a daily card that states this. Moreover; The CUA with Call in for a ANRP (recourse permit) when trees have potential to come into LOA. An ANRP really just protects the lines. as you can only die once but with out the ANRP the line will keep sending waves of power. After contact instead of blowing the power

LOA is the distance that a worker, their tool and the tree they are cutting; can not enter into.
I believe the 10ft (3metres) is recognized here as a safe LOA From .75kv (750v) to 60kv (60,000v) some lines are 46ft ,(15m) and up to 66ft (20m) with a few lines like the 500kv
The safe distance to be clear from electricity in the ground up to 60kv is 33ft (10m) had somthing gone wrong.
Hop or shuffle out of the energized zone or Wait with your legs together for help. What happened in the football accident is what is known as flash over. The post came into the limits. Flash over can be affected through weather conditions such as fog and rain. Also things like Conductor (line) sag is natural with temp change. Very longs spans of transmission lines are definitely way out of LOA looking from an advantage point in the morning but can sag 100ft in areas in that heat of the day.

 

[ropensaddle]

It was the top wire from pole to pole, and it was connected to insulators at the tops of the poles. I don't remember there being street lights in that community I could be wrong though. but another place in the city I live all the road trees have lines resting in them and they look to be 3 phase i'll try and get a pic one day when i'm in the area, and thanks for the recommendation for the utility arborist study guide, ill look into that.

Top wire pole to pole is some sort of single phase primary are they rubbered up ? Some power companies spray on rubber to prevent contact to trees but remember that still is not insulation. If bare wire and touching the tree it would be burning; without being there its hard to say. 3 phase has many combinations but most commonly have 3 hot on top and neutral underneath sometimes followed by open wire secondaries then cable and or phone. The open wire secondaries carry 440 to 880 v normally the 3 hot on top combined is 12500 volts but varies by conductor size and power companies needs. Picture is common 3 phase pole but there are as many configurations as there are size of conductors. Some people see open wire secondary's and think they are 3 phase because there's 3 wires but only 2 of those are hot and just 440 to 880 are carried by them. Just is a relative term because 440 to 880 could still kill an elephant if you understand what i'm saying just vrs 12.5 kv !

 

[Gugi47]

Check this out for a small reference:

 

[ropensaddle]

Thats pretty amazing you survived that! speaking of 12 volts, when i was trying to find a misfire in my car I figured i would just pull the plugs and listen for a change in idle; well I was a dumbarse and pulled the coil wire directly from the distributor while my hand was propping up the metal hood, needless to say I learned a lot about electricity that day. when I was a child i intentionally stuck my finger in a wall outlet to see what would happen. electricity has always facinated me I remember asking my grandma why birds and squirrels could sit on the lines and not get shocked so Somewhere down the line I at least learned powerlines where no joke.

Indirect contact is why I am alive, however; because the limb was detached it was more of a jolt. I was a greenhorn in those days but now I know how to prevent contact. I was zapped 8 to 10 times indirect in my first 2 years of my career but climbing miles of burning lines and learning how to stay out of the path of least resistance made the rest of the 24 years event less ! I was asked many times in those years was it amps or volts that kill of which my reply was; its neither it is resistance or lack of that kills!