Friday, June 5, 2009
Power Line Workers - "Birds on a Wire"
Someone sent me a link to this video. I recognized it as part of a television program I had seen called "Straight Up" on jobs done with helicopters. It shows a power line worker being transported by helicopter and then crawling along a live high voltage power line. It is quite amazing. You can see another worker walking on hands and feet along another wire in the background. They are high above the ground on a half million volt line like "birds on a wire." They are safe because they bond their conductive suit to the same voltage potential as the line. I don't know where this was filmed but live power line work is done in Saskatchewan as well by specially trained workers.
At the end of the video the worker says "There's only three things I've ever been afraid of, electricity, heights, and women, and I am married too."
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2 comments:
Once you have crawled along the wire, what do you do? Why are you there? What can you repair without touching something else? Electricity baffles me, though that may shock you.
They are checking the condition of the wires, or for cracks in the insulators. They can check if connecting bolts need to be tightened. I am not sure what else they do.
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