High Voltage – Dangers and Detectors

High Voltage Detectors should be part of any Electrical Linesman or Worker’s kit as there are numerous dangers related to high voltage power lines and electricity can be fatal for the people working with high voltage power lines and transformers.

High Voltage dangers include:

• Electrocution danger to workers and common people from transmission lines which are not insulated.
• Serious injuries or death of people when accidentally due to some fault or other factors, electricity flows to the ground from overhead lines.
• Shocks and injuries due to electrical flashes to equipment and workers who are at a distance from the power lines.
• Accidents with live overhead electric wires which have fallen on the ground due to storms and strong winds.
• Injury or shock due to inadequate or improper PPE (personal protective equipment) when working on high voltage overhead power lines.
• Accidents and deadly electric shocks due to contact with live conductors in underground power lines during digging jobs, if the workers have inappropriate or inadequate PPE.

Power Lines Safety Rules and Precautions

The following precautions should always be kept in mind to avoid high voltage electrical risks and hazards:

• No climbing should be done for towers carrying live conductors as they can can cause electric shock in case the tower is energised.
• Due to electrocution and fatal risks, animals should never be tied to transmission towers or poles.
• Metal objects or any material which can conduct electricity should never be thrown at power lines.
• Water energises towers and poles due to conductivity, so never touch them during or after rains.
• Keep a safe distance from towers, poles and power lines during storms and strong winds as they may accidentally fall over and hurt you as they may fall over or even electrocute on contact.
• Report any sparks seen on overhead live conductors as soon as possible, to avoid any future accidents or mishaps.
• No construction work should be carried out near or under high voltage lines.

Safety Rules for Workers and Linemen working on High Voltage transmission lines

Other than the above precautions, the following safety rules should also be strictly followed by workmen who are working on high voltage power transmission lines:

• Workers must be familiar with high voltage safety rules and regulations.
• All workers should be trained throughly and any without experience or training should not be allowed to take any risks as any accidents may be fatal.
• The linesman must be provided and equipped with all required protective equipment (PPE), before being assigned any jobs.
• De-energising of any tower should be ensured before sending out any worker to work on the same.
• The workers should not take risks and be using any high voltage tools or instruments they are not familiar with.
• Constant communication channels should be open between the worker and other team members during any operation or job.
• Workers should be patient and not be in any hurry while doing their jobs, to avoid accidents and mishaps. Safety should be of utmost priority above everything else.

PPE: Personal Protective Equipment for High Voltage Operations

A combination of or all the following equipment should be used:

• Hard hats (with full/partial brims as necessary)
• Safety glasses with side shields
• Face masks/shields
• Suitable footwear (safety/steel-toed boots, rated dielectric footwear)
• Insulating gloves (rated, used along with leather/cloth linings for shock protection)
• Insulated tools
• Electrical/insulation blankets
• Live-line tools/hot sticks

Non-contact High Voltage Detectors

As electrical safety is imperative in all areas of power transmission and distribution at all voltage levels, Live Line Tools include High Voltage Detectors which are used to check for the absence or presence of voltage on transformers or overhead lines.
High Voltage detectors can be contact or non-contact type. Non-contact detectors warn about high voltage from a distance, without the need for physical contact.

Metravi has a range of high-precision, non-contact, high voltage detectors, including modern wearables, which warn the worker or linesman from a safe distance about the presence of high voltage.

Metravi 275HP High Voltage Proximity Detector

Non Contact type, Light and Buzzer Indication, Detects Presence of High Voltage in AC Lines, 240V, 2KV, 6KV, 11KV, 22KV, 33KV, 132KV and 175KV Lines AC.

Metravi 277HP Non Contact-Type High Voltage Detector

Non Contact Type High Voltage Detector for presence of Voltage
from 50V to 132kV with Buzzer and Light Indication.

WT500 Non-contact High Voltage Detector (Wrist Type)

A handy, wearable (wrist-type), close-range, non-contact, high voltage detector, featuring sound & light alarms when an operator wearing it gets close to a high voltage charged body upto 500kV.

AT500 Non-contact High Voltage Detector (Arm Type)

A handy, wearable (arm-type), close-range non-contact high voltage detector, featuring sound & light alarms when an operator wearing it gets close to a high voltage charged body upto 500kV.