Go over the agenda 2

Transcription

1 Good morning everyone. Yes, I do work for AEP (that utility guy) and I have heard most of the comments like bad man, tree butcher, you do not like the environment. I have also been describe by an environmentalist that I/we rape and pillage because we cut down the trees. By show of hands, how many of you audience work for city/municipality, private tree care company, landscaping or similar work? I am very please to be here and I hope this presentation makes you think about what your utility is doing when it comes to trees and distribution/transmission lines and safety. My goal today is to get you to think about utility lines, trees, and safety!! The next time you are working in a tree, I want you to stop and look for utility lines around or close to the tree you are working. 1

2 Go over the agenda 2

3 Safety should be everyone s first and highest priority. At AEP we start every meeting with a safety contact so I would like to do that today. Safety or being safe is a choice. It is part of a Culture Example you are driving down the road and your phone beeps. You look down to pick it up and see what is going on. At that moment, you chose to be unsafe and take your eyes off the road and shift your focus on the phone. Example You are going to go out and trim some trees in your yard. You are firing up your chainsaw. You are only making one of two cuts so you decide not to put on chainsaw chaps and gloves. At that moment you chose not to utilize your PPE (personal protective equipment). 3

4 Generally, a utility s goal is to provide safe, reliable electricity while providing quality customer service and not harming the environment. Because of the 2003 Northeast blackout, vegetation (tree) management programs have become very important to FERC/NERC (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission/North American Electric Reliability Corporation) and the utilities. In some areas of the country, trees are often the number one cause of outages. 4

5 As I said, in some areas of the country, trees are the number one cause of outages on the local level. 5

6 Safety is a choice!!! You choose to be safe and follow all safety rules and procedures. These rules and procedures were developed because someone did something to get hurt or came close to getting hurt. Safety is a Culture!!! At AEP everyone has the voice/ability to STOP THE JOB if they think something is not safe or unsure of the work to be done. Every Incident is preventable. 6

7 I have visited with a lot of customers, property owners, teachers, environmentalist, etc over the years and it is amazing the different answers I get to this one question. Can trees become energized/conduct electricity? Ask the audience the same question? Set up the video: Late in the afternoon. Crew had already removed a couple of trees correctly (piecing them down). Crew member thought on this one limb growing at an angle away from the line, he could take down in a large piece (bad judgment/took shortcut). Crew member made the cut and the limb went a direction he had not anticipated and this is what happened: Show video!! After video, point out no one was hurt. Point out down wire (possible energized), RV, and trampoline. Did you notice the sound of the steam from the tree sap escaping from the tree. 7

8 Every incident is preventable. It took me about four minutes of research to find these preventable incidents. Read the blurb!! 8

9 Read blurb!! Co-workers found Calderon unconscious in a tree, hanging from a rope. 9

10 This is what that looks like. I want you to realize that this is the training that certified line clearance tree companies provide their employees and I hope you do the same!!! 10

11 Discuss this incident. Individual was providing a service for their church by trimming some trees. Bucket truck had not been di-electrically tested. It was an old used bucket truck. Individual also took a small amount of gas/oil mixture up in the bucket with him. Person came in either in-direct or direct (not sure) contact with a power line. Gas also ignited. Totally preventable. 11

12 One of my team, Orlando De la Garza found this lift were a crew was trimming trees close to utility lines. This is not safe. He also found the keys in it (notice the house in the background). It is amazing no one was hurt including kids. 12

13 These are the some of the industry standards we all have to go by. Read them 13

14 On January 20, 2017 a report came out that the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited a tree company specializing in tree trimming for public utility lines clearance, with $146,000 in proposed penalties for allegedly failing to ensure employees were trained to work near energized transmission and distribution lines. 14

15 Go over chart 15

16 Bring to the audiences attention the minimum approach distances of 10 or greater. Read 4.2.2, 4.2.3, and Make sure everyone gets it!!!!! 16

17 I am sure all of you have heard the statement of Right Tree Right Place. There is a reason for that. Pecan trees are not the right tree to plant in a transmission ROW. 17

18 It often looks like property owners use the transmission line as a guide to plant trees in a straight line. Palm trees should not be planted under a distribution or transmission line. Agave plants can cause conflict with a transmission line. 18

19 No one ever said utility tree trimming/pruning was austetically pleasing or pretty. Utilities and line clearance certified tree companies do follow ANSI A300 practices and try to train the trees to grow away from the lines. Utility Professionals use environmentally friendly paractices/herbicides. 19

20 In general, when utilities trim/prune trees, they attempt to get enough clearances so they do not have to come back and trim trees year after year. They may get enough clearance for a possible 3, 4 or 5 year trim cycle. 20

21 No one ever said it would be pretty. 21

22 Safety is a Culture and I do not want to leave hear with talking about Taking Safety Home 22

23 Note the gentleman is wearing eye protection, but he is on an aluminum ladder in water, bare footed with and electric drill. Alcohol may also be involved-note bottle in the background. 23

24 All incidents are preventable, even at home. Read the articles. 24

25 Go over 25

26 This is probably what you been waiting on. Picture of the damage. 26

27 Go over statistics. 27

28 This use to be a substation 28

29 Twisted metal 29

30 Over 24 miles of 345 kv. down 30

31 Bent metal poles like a straw. 31

32 There is about 7 miles of transmission towers missing from this picture 32

33 One of many staging site for the FTEs working on the recovery 33

34 The linemen did a fantastic job in a short period of time. 34

35 Used all means necessary to get the poles to location 35

36 Tree damage probably 99% of the trees in Aransas county had some type of damage. 36

37 Large pecans taken down, some I know are over 75 years old 37

38 Large oaks taken down across then entire county. We live on Live Oak pennisula but some of these trees were over 100+ years old. 38

39 No leaves left on the trees. All the trees right after the storm had a black hue to them fro the lack of leaves and the dirt and salt spray on them. $ weeks later they are beginning to leaf out and bloom as if it were spring. 39

40 Trees falling in different directions 40

41 Pure damage 41

42 I now believe in storm surge. I have been through several hurricanes including Celia (CAT. 3) Never experienced storm surge before. Records show a surge of ft. and going inland for about a mile. 42

43 Mesquitoes are thick when you can video them and they cover your white truck. 43

44 Harvey was not kind to wildlife. Along with mammals, many birds were killed as well. I actually found dead salt water fish in what use to be my roping area. 44

45 I believe in storm surge now!!! 45

46 I believe in storm surge. 46

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