How many of you have ever actually hit a power line? You don't have to say if you don't want. Just wondering what were the steps leading up to it, as to deter anyone else from making the same mistake. I remember getting the phone call from this happening and it's something I never want to go through again.

ive never hit any though i have done some jobs that were a little too close for comfort,i do know someone that hit them with the boom.the electricty made a perfect cut through the tip section,never saw that pump pump agin and the operator walked away

I haven't had it happen to me, but one of the guys I used to work with hit some while waterwashing. He had pulled the mixer driver up and pumped down the hopper, had the mixer back up and used his water to fill his hopper. Then had the mixer pull back up and put hose back in the truck and while doing that he hit the lines. It was dark out and this time the mixer pulled up further than the first time. He did not even see the lines and did not know that he even hit them until he saw the smoke coming off the tires. Everything worked out with no injuries. But it was all from him not paying attention. He now goes by the name "Sparky"

Another company here had hit some major lines about 3 years ago. Supposedly the operator had called his office in the morning to get a spotter and they were not able to send him one. The lines were about 60 feet high, so it is hard to judge it that far away. If it were me and I did not feel comfortable with it and I could not get a spotter, I would not do the job. Lives are more important than placing concrete. Find a safer way to do the job and try it another day.

i've come within three feet when i was a rookie. after getting educated i started getting thrown off of jobs for not coming within ten feet. my philosophy is; if my company fires me for something like that then that is a company not worth working for. i want to go home at the end of the day.

yeah thats like the guy that walks up and says thats like playing a video game right,yeah only i dont get any extra lives wich usually shuts them up

On May 11th '99 my 36XL took a lightning bolt. Hit the top of the 2nd and welded my rear outrigger for to the asphaut. It left 3 little burn marks like a bottle rocket skipped across it. Ever since I swear I can smell it coming. 

I work with I guy every day That got lit up. Ive known him for 16 yrs. He was locked to the ground for nearly 30 seconds and lived! 11 years ago he was on a Thomsen2001 & hit a 7500 that he knew was there. Late afternoon job, hot mud, went to recirculate and got bit. He says his mind was every where else but on that job... He got some burns on his hands & feet, He had a bare outrigger stuffed in the mud which took most of the ground. That saved his life. 3 years earlier I lost a friend the same way, He was setting up the pump. Same equipment, same county.

sunshine,

I have had the misfortune of hitting one luckily no injuries damage didnt even blow the fuse on the line but I learned my lesson,I am also having the misfortune rite now of dealing with a power line incident in which the hoseman got hit with 27000 volts about a year ago, every power line incident is avoidable thats what makes them so hard to deal with ACPA says 17' we say 20' now and if your caught within 20' you are terminated,now occasionally we have power pole foundations we do and they are done during an outage and those are still nerve racking,when I hit the line I was just starting a new job and called for a linepump and was told by the district manager,vp of the company and the president to make it happen so with doubts I did it and I got burnt and now I use my own judgement as all operators should

No $600 or $ 3,000 job is worth someone's life. We have had a couple incidents in 12 years here. We had it happen one time and there were SERIOUS consequences, lives and families were changed in a split second. If you ever are in question, or you don't feel comfortable call the office or your manager!! I know your job is to get the job done....but if there is a power line involved and you are too close, then have them run system if they can, or break off the back end and run system and don't even use the boom, yeah it's a pain in the butt and the contractor and laborers will probably cry and complain, but everyone will go home at the end of the day...If you can't run system and the only way to do it is with the boom, then my opinion is DON'T DO IT! There have been times, guys have called in here and been leary about a set-up or power line, and I tell them, if you can't get the job done safely with your pump, then what pump do we need to send to get the job done safely?, and we will go from there, I will never make the call for someone to endanger their lives and the lives of others.