12-28-04 -- T&D Worksite Shock Protection Test Plan Approved
Bethesda, MD – The Electrical Contracting Foundation held a meeting of its T&D Worksite Shock Protection research project on December 9-10 in New Orleans. Scheduled to run through 2006, the study will define and standardize protective techniques, including grounding, isolation, and insulation, for line construction operations. The primary emphasis is on protecting ground-based personnel and equipment.The group reviewed the project’s Phase I work which involved gathering information on protective techniques by reviewing existing industry standards and the extensive scientific-engineering literature on high-voltage electrical systems. The researchers also got feedback from NECA-member line constructors on their field safety practices. Early results point to the effectiveness of equipotential grounding in reducing touch and step potentials and minimizing voltage gradients on construction sites.
Test Plan Approved
Phase II, which begins in 2005, will expand this preliminary research by conducting actual field and laboratory testing, and developing computer simulations. The Steering Committee reviewed the proposed test plan and made a number of recommendations to the University of Kansas research team.
Testing is expected to be both expensive and time-consuming, since only a limited number of facilities worldwide capable of performing tests at voltages up to 500,000. Some utility members of the Electrical Contracting Foundation have high-voltage testing facilities, which are expected to be used to forward this research.
“Field testing to validate the results predicted by mathematical models and small-scale testing is a key element of this project, observed principal researcher Thomas Glavinich. “Wherever possible, testing will be conducted at distribution and subtransmission voltages and the results extrapolated to the higher voltages to reduce the cost and time involved. The active involvement and support of industry partners, including utilities and manufacturers, is critical to the success of this project.”
Expanding Scope
Representatives of major line constructors, the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA), and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), attended the meeting in New Orleans. There was general agreement that the scope of research, originally limited to mobile construction equipment grounding, is expanding, and that the project may extend beyond its original completion date of December 2006.
“The important thing is that we do it right,” observed Claude Chapman, manager of special safety projects at MYR Group, Inc.
While establishing a scientific basis for line construction protective techniques is the Foundation project’s first goal, the project Steering Committee agreed that effectively communicating this information to linemen and field supervisors will be critical. Results of this Electrical Contacting Foundation research project are expected to include:
- Training videos
- One or more National Electrical Installation Standards (NEIS) on T&D worksite protective techniques. NEIS are a series of ANSI-approved construction standards published by NECA.
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The Electrical Contracting Foundation (ELECTRI’21), established in 1988, is the primary research arm of the electrical construction industry. Foundation research projects are intended to improve the productivity, professionalism, and competitiveness of electrical contractors. To learn more about the Electrical Contracting Foundation, please visit www.electri21.org.
The National Electrical Contractors Association, founded in 1901, is the leading representative of a segment of the construction market comprised of over 70,000 electrical contracting firms. To learn more about the industry and NECA’s services, please visit www.necanet.org.