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Sound Reinforcement - Forums for Live Sound Professionals - Your Displayed Name Must Be Your Real Full Name To Post In The Live Sound Forums => AC Power and Grounding => Topic started by: John Fruits on May 11, 2018, 10:28:06 AM
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This happened on April29 but for some reason hasn't been reported widely. I just noticed this from at post at CB. Warning the video is quite graphic.
Electrocution (https://nypost.com/2018/05/10/man-electrocuted-to-death-after-climbing-stage-at-music-festival/). The big question is why the stage structure was built so close to high voltage lines. Then there is the question is how lax was security for this guy to do this.
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This happened on April29 but for some reason hasn't been reported widely. I just noticed this from at post at CB. Warning the video is quite graphic.
Electrocution (https://nypost.com/2018/05/10/man-electrocuted-to-death-after-climbing-stage-at-music-festival/). The big question is why the stage structure was built so close to high voltage lines. Then there is the question is how lax was security for this guy to do this.
Wow. Wish I could unsee that.
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Your questions are mine as well, John.
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This absolutely goes to my tag line.
Also Darwin at work.
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I also wish I could unsee it.
As I mentioned on a Facebook post about this, there was much more to be sad and concerned about:
"And he endangered the lives of everyone near that rig. The moment current passed through him, he energized the whole thing, severed the cable, and sent it careening. It's a miracle that his stupidity didn't kill others."
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I also wish I could unsee it.
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So it's time to learn a little something from this stupid mistake. Of course, this had to be a high-voltage feeder to dump that much current through a human body. I did a little research about power distribution in Brazil and found this: https://techinbrazil.com/the-brazilian-energy-distribution-system
The main energy transportation complexes are composed of high-voltage transmission lines. According to national regulation, power lines that operate at over 230 KV are categorised as transmission lines, while those that operate at an inferior voltage are categorised as distribution lines. These are those that are closer to reaching the end users and in Brazil are usually set at voltages of 13.8 KV or 34.5 KV.
There's also a lot of different secondary voltages in Brazil listed here: https://worldstandards.eu/brazil3.html
So this guy took a single phase to ground hit from a 13.8KV or 34.5 KV line. I'm just spit-balling here, but I'm guessing he tangled with the 34.5 KV line.
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It's impossible to say from the video-but likely he never even touched the wire. NFPA 70E recomends a minimum of 10 feet clearance from anything over 1000 volts-that's 10 feet from your head-and the distance goes up with voltage. If it's a structure that someone would walk on (during setup even) you need to have 16-17 feet of clearance.
The primary's in my area are commonly 13.8 kV-that's what I would expect as a minimum in most places these days, though 4160 used to be common. My bucket truck is only a 37 footer, but it was tested to 69 kV by the REC that had it-so I assume there are much higher voltages commonly found in the US as well.
Give primaries a wide berth. Overhead wires can move-and the potential exists for you to lose control of anything you are working with. As this video shows, you won't get a second chance when dealing with them.
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So it's time to learn a little something from this stupid mistake. Of course, this had to be a high-voltage feeder that dump that much current through a human body. I did a little looking about power distribution in Brazil and found this: https://techinbrazil.com/the-brazilian-energy-distribution-system
The main energy transportation complexes are composed of high-voltage transmission lines. According to national regulation, power lines that operate at over 230 KV are categorised as transmission lines, while those that operate at an inferior voltage are categorised as distribution lines. These are those that are closer to reaching the end users and in Brazil are usually set at voltages of 13.8 KV or 34.5 KV.
There's also a lot of different secondary voltages in Brazil listed here: https://worldstandards.eu/brazil3.html
So this guy took a single phase to ground hit from a 13.8KV or 34.5 KV line. I'm just spit-balling here, but I'm guessing he tangled with the 34.5 KV line.
Oh, I learned plenty. Still wish I could unsee it. A truly intelligent person needn't watch another needless and horrible death to learn what one already should know. Line voltages are nothing to trifle with, and extreme caution is always appropriate around transmission lines. Anything less is profoundly stupid.
And of course we see, sadly yet again, the price of lack of appropriate caution.
FWIW, I'll NEVER forget the rolling scaffold tower in India or this horror. I hope to never see another example.
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NFPA 70E recomends a minimum of 10 feet clearance from anything over 1000 volts-that's 10 feet from your head-and the distance goes up with voltage.
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Give primaries a wide berth. Overhead wires can move-and the potential exists for you to lose control of anything you are working with.
The rule-of-thumb I've heard is "twice the insulator length plus ten feet" as the minimum distance to maintain between high voltage power lines and equipment.