Gardiner Base Section...

[windyman]

After reading the article about a guy who blew his hands off hitting overhead cables with a wfp...I got to wondering...

Is the base section of the SLX carbon? Or is it FG?

I've heard that base sections in most poles are FG to avoid the above from happening?

 

[rcproperty]

FG is ment to be non conductive, but i just try to avoid testing that out myself! lol

but then when they are wet with water it kind of defeats the object really as water is conductive!

 

[harunh]

Windyman why dont you test it ? /emoticons/wink.png LOL

 

[Martyn]

Base sections are carbon with some isolation, but you wouldn't be so stupid as to put it near an overhead cable would you? I am very interested in how that court case is going to play out as arguments can clearly be made in both directions.

Pure water should not conduct electricity, it's the impurities in water that provide the conductivity.

 

[windyman]

Not stupid no, but you can't avoid accidents.

 

[rcproperty]

Base sections are carbon with some isolation, but you wouldn't be so stupid as to put it near an overhead cable would you? I am very interested in how that court case is going to play out as arguments can clearly be made in both directions.

Pure water should not conduct electricity, it's the impurities in water that provide the conductivity.

that case ruled that it was the blokes own fault because he didnt do check and do risk assesment, so he has nothing now!

ur right PURE water dose, but a lot of guys water isnt pure some use it upto 015ppm! where as me mine never goes past 002ppm

 

[Martyn]

"You can't avoid accidents" the thing is that most accidents can be avoided, and this is the reason for doing risk assessments, I was afraid that it might go against him even though that seems to be very unfair, lawyers and legal systems don't generally do fair.

Don't get me started on the zero tds thing! /emoticons/biggrin.png I'm a founder member of the zero tds society. When you look at the big picture resin is cheap!

 

[rcproperty]

"You can't avoid accidents" the thing is that most accidents can be avoided, and this is the reason for doing risk assessments, I was afraid that it might go against him even though that seems to be very unfair, lawyers and legal systems don't generally do fair.

Don't get me started on the zero tds thing! /emoticons/biggrin.png I'm a founder member of the zero tds society. When you look at the big picture resin is cheap!

lol take it ur into the big zero then! resin is cheap for me! only use 1 x 25lt bag last year!!!!

 

[Alex Gardiner]

To clarify the base section of the SLX poles are carbon with an outer insulative layer which can easily protect the user from 440v. We have had two cases of clients hitting overhead canles with an SLX pole. In both cases the top of the pole exploded and the client felt nothing holding the base. If the outside of the pole had been wet (maybe if it was raining) it may have been a different case though.

 

[rcproperty]

To clarify the base section of the SLX poles are carbon with an outer insulative layer which can easily protect the user from 440v. We have had two cases of clients hitting overhead canles with an SLX pole. In both cases the top of the pole expoded and the client felt nothing holding the base. If the outside of the pole had been wet (maybe if it was raining) it may have been a different case though.

guess they didnt do risk assesments either then! lol glad they are ok!

 

[windyman]

Thanks Alex.

As for other lads, yea 'risk assessments' are fine and needed yes, but you can't do one on every house when you're cleaning 50 houses a day...you'd spend all day doing RAs!

I'm observant and watch out for things, but I do sometime hit a telephone wire with the pole, probably every week. When you're working quickly, even if you know the house well, you can forget they're there. Obviously a phone line won't do anything, but that could easily be a power cable elsewhere!

 

[rcproperty]

Thanks Alex.

As for other lads, yea 'risk assessments' are fine and needed yes, but you can't do one on every house when you're cleaning 50 houses a day...you'd spend all day doing RAs!

I'm observant and watch out for things, but I do sometime hit a telephone wire with the pole, probably every week. When you're working quickly, even if you know the house well, you can forget they're there. Obviously a phone line won't do anything, but that could easily be a power cable elsewhere!

so you saying it is inpossable to do a risk assesment then?? think not, i have to do one for each and every property! when you get into them they only take 10 minutes!

thats the problem with people rushing to do the job thats where accidents or worse happen!! if you are carfull and paying attention to you pole/ladders and not rushing then nothing should be hit. coz like you say what happens if it is a power cable!!!! after that you wish u did take your time and spend 10 minutes doing a risk assesment.

 

[rcproperty]

As for other lads, yea 'risk assessments' are fine and needed yes, but you can't do one on every house when you're cleaning 50 houses a day...you'd spend all day doing RAs!

I'm observant and watch out for things, but I do sometime hit a telephone wire with the pole, probably every week. When you're working quickly, even if you know the house well, you can forget they're there. Obviously a phone line won't do anything, but that could easily be a power cable elsewhere!

have a read of this case! bloke lost arms after hitting power cable in the US, trys to sue company and the court basicly found the guy at fault coz he didnt do a risk assesment and ruled that it was his fault and was not awarded anything! so this is why it is important to do the paperwork!

case:- http://www.cleaning43.com/latest-news/latest-news-article.php?latestNewsID=913

result:- http://www.cleaning43.com/latest-news/latest-news-article.php?latestNewsID=914

 

[windyman]

No I understand what you're saying but you're telling me that you do a written risk assessment for EVERY house you clean??? If you do, you're the only person I've ever heard of that does.

So if you have 500 customers, you do 500 RAs? Then what happens 6 months down the line...do you go over it every time you clean the house to remind yourself? I doubt it. It's not practical. I'd spend 5 mins looking round the house, 10 mins writing the RA, and another 5 re-reading it before I clean the house. In that time I could've cleaned the windows twice over! It's not realistic at all.

What I said in my previous post is that I always try to work carefully and minimise risks...but you CANNOT prevent every accident, that's why they're accidents. Just because you have an RA on a piece of paper doesn't mean you'll never have an accident.

I work as quickly as I can to make decent money, but not at the cost of safety.

I bet a lot of guys clip a low telephone pole or washing line quite often. I can be looking at the floor to prevent tripping whilst carrying the pole, and I can't physically see above me, it's just life these things happen. If there was a power cable on one of my properties, I'd be sure to note it and be extra careful.

 

[rcproperty]

No I understand what you're saying but you're telling me that you do a written risk assessment for EVERY house you clean??? If you do, you're the only person I've ever heard of that does.

So if you have 500 customers, you do 500 RAs? Then what happens 6 months down the line...do you go over it every time you clean the house to remind yourself? I doubt it. It's not practical. I'd spend 5 mins looking round the house, 10 mins writing the RA, and another 5 re-reading it before I clean the house. In that time I could've cleaned the windows twice over! It's not realistic at all.

What I said in my previous post is that I always try to work carefully and minimise risks...but you CANNOT prevent every accident, that's why they're accidents. Just because you have an RA on a piece of paper doesn't mean you'll never have an accident.

I work as quickly as I can to make decent money, but not at the cost of safety.

I bet a lot of guys clip a low telephone pole or washing line quite often. I can be looking at the floor to prevent tripping whilst carrying the pole, and I can't physically see above me, it's just life these things happen. If there was a power cable on one of my properties, I'd be sure to note it and be extra careful.

yer each house that i do does have one now, once you typed it out one, 80% of the houses use the same one, just with the odd extra added on if needed, so in a way 10 minutes typing it on the pc can cover most of ur houses.

each risk assesment does have to be re-assesed at times but nver really needs chaging. if you do the risk assesments and clean the houses urself there is no need to keep looking at them! but if you have someone that helps you now and then or takes over you round while away they can always double check things there.

no you cant stop every little thing, but the life threatening ones you can! just because the risk assesment is there doesnt mean it will stop you, but when something goes wrong and insurance or worst case court in involved, you have all the right paper work there and then to hand to prove that everything was safe and done right! only writen documents are proof in court not ones in ur head!

i never work quickly, lay out safty signs and tape for jobs that need it and still can take over £300 a day!

lots of guys doit it coz they are rushing and trying to do things quick, if you take ur time and do things right then nothing will happen, no trips, no hitting things or anything like that!