Topic 'Re: It was her rotten utility pole - she owned it' in forum '' - dslreports.com http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-It-was-her-rotten-utility-pole-she-owned-it-21816316 en Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:12:21 EDT Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:12:21 EDT Re: It was her rotten utility pole - she owned it http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-It-was-her-rotten-utility-pole-she-owned-it-21836020 said by fiberguy:

While I agree with a lot of what you're saying with weight limitations and all... but ask yourself, before you get too far into yourself there... when was the last time you ever "tested a pole"... other than a quick visual.

What we have here, pretty simple in my observation, is a pole that needed to be replaced and a simple accident.

It's the EQUIPMENT that needs to be rated for safety and I know guys in the 300 lb range working safely.. POLES can most certainly handle 325 pounds...
yeah, but would it want to?]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-It-was-her-rotten-utility-pole-she-owned-it-21836020 Fri, 30 Jan 2009 18:07:27 EDT Re: It was her rotten utility pole - she owned it http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-It-was-her-rotten-utility-pole-she-owned-it-21829103 said by cpal:

said by ThrowDemsOut:

said by Combat Chuck:

I'm still trying to figure out where anyone is justified in calling this guy a tub of lard. His weight only seems to have been brought into this situation because of his attempt at humor (picked up by the reporter) after a situation where he broke something and probably got the shirt scarred out of him.
It is because the groupthink here is that anyone who works for a corporation is automatically an evil, consumer hating oppressor who is wrong in everything they do. Facts shall not intrude on the programmed hatred.
TK, your amusing hyperbole notwithstanding, I believe your posts invariably contribute to that viewpoint...
QFT]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-It-was-her-rotten-utility-pole-she-owned-it-21829103 Thu, 29 Jan 2009 17:03:53 EDT Re: It was her rotten utility pole - she owned it http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-It-was-her-rotten-utility-pole-she-owned-it-21828392 said by Austinloop:

I was an outside foreman for around 24 years. Well, that explains much of your post. I guess this is turning into a pissing contest. I think when you pass a certain point with time in. 15 years or 24 years doesn't really matter. But, if this does help, I was generally mostly in supervisory position. (We stopped calling them foreman positions a long time ago and called them leads and supervisors in all the shops I ever worked in)

So, in the systems I worked in, being PacBell, Comcast, Scripts Howard, AT&T, and Time Warner, none of them trained on pole testing.. I guess it's based on the system you work.

Either way.. the pole broke and a news story was posted here on a forum.. slow news day I guess.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-It-was-her-rotten-utility-pole-she-owned-it-21828392 Thu, 29 Jan 2009 15:00:41 EDT Re: It was her rotten utility pole - she owned it http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-It-was-her-rotten-utility-pole-she-owned-it-21828200 said by ThrowDemsOut:

said by Combat Chuck:

I'm still trying to figure out where anyone is justified in calling this guy a tub of lard. His weight only seems to have been brought into this situation because of his attempt at humor (picked up by the reporter) after a situation where he broke something and probably got the shirt scarred out of him.
It is because the groupthink here is that anyone who works for a corporation is automatically an evil, consumer hating oppressor who is wrong in everything they do. Facts shall not intrude on the programmed hatred.
TK, your amusing hyperbole notwithstanding, I believe your posts invariably contribute to that viewpoint...]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-It-was-her-rotten-utility-pole-she-owned-it-21828200 Thu, 29 Jan 2009 14:35:38 EDT Re: It was her rotten utility pole - she owned it http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-It-was-her-rotten-utility-pole-she-owned-it-21822640
I was an outside foreman for around 24 years.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-It-was-her-rotten-utility-pole-she-owned-it-21822640 Wed, 28 Jan 2009 16:43:35 EDT Re: It was her rotten utility pole - she owned it http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-It-was-her-rotten-utility-pole-she-owned-it-21822478 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-It-was-her-rotten-utility-pole-she-owned-it-21822478 Wed, 28 Jan 2009 16:19:57 EDT Re: It was her rotten utility pole - she owned it http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-It-was-her-rotten-utility-pole-she-owned-it-21821638
But, having worked for both Cable, and telephone. (PacBell, a major player) and having been in a few systems, and gone through over 15 years of training programs, pole testing has been the extend of how to climb it safely, and how to check for foreign voltage. And it's not "some" don't test.. it's MOST. (again, that's FV, ...that is outside of power guys.)

I guess we have to agree to disagree then. I'll leave it there becuase anything else will sound like an insult no matter how I try to say it.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-It-was-her-rotten-utility-pole-she-owned-it-21821638 Wed, 28 Jan 2009 14:27:52 EDT Re: It was her rotten utility pole - she owned it http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-It-was-her-rotten-utility-pole-she-owned-it-21820793 said by Austinloop:

Chuck, since you replied to me, I will answer. I do not recall calling the guy a tub of lard. I discussed actions that management should take if the individual was overweight.What I'm saying is that there's no real reason to worry about him being abnormally overweight, as there's nothing substantial to say he was or wasn't short of a self deprecating joke he made to the customer. The issue is a rotten pole and a worker who didn't think to check for the condition.

The weight issue was used as a subliminal cue in the article to give you a bad guy (at the very least you know the reporters view of who the bad guy was). All Reference to his weight short of what he actually said should have been removed by an editor, but emotion sells, and newspapers are hurting so anything goes.

If you read most of the other stuff over there it's pretty much the same thing, newsatorials.
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Come let us reason together.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-It-was-her-rotten-utility-pole-she-owned-it-21820793 Wed, 28 Jan 2009 12:25:20 EDT Re: It was her rotten utility pole - she owned it http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-It-was-her-rotten-utility-pole-she-owned-it-21820373 If I said he was a tub of lard, please provide link.

Utility poles are of all ages and conditions, depending on the local environment. Poles that have been there for many years may be so hard on the outside that it is very difficult to use climbers to climb. I know of one incident in town where a person was on a pole and removed an attachment, the pole lost support from the cable, etc. and broke. Unfortunately the man on the pole rode it to the ground, and even more unfortunately, he was between the ground and the pole when the pole impacted the ground.

Poles do rot, in anyway you can think of, and normally at ground level and cannot support the weight of a person. Your not thinking that any human would wight enough...etc. was not agreed to by the company I worked for, which required pole testing prior to climbing.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-It-was-her-rotten-utility-pole-she-owned-it-21820373 Wed, 28 Jan 2009 11:15:15 EDT Re: It was her rotten utility pole - she owned it http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-It-was-her-rotten-utility-pole-she-owned-it-21820178 said by Combat Chuck:

I'm still trying to figure out where anyone is justified in calling this guy a tub of lard. His weight only seems to have been brought into this situation because of his attempt at humor (picked up by the reporter) after a situation where he broke something and probably got the shirt scarred out of him.
It is because the groupthink here is that anyone who works for a corporation is automatically an evil, consumer hating oppressor who is wrong in everything they do. Facts shall not intrude on the programmed hatred.
--
My BLOG .. .. Internet News .. .. My Web Page]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-It-was-her-rotten-utility-pole-she-owned-it-21820178 Wed, 28 Jan 2009 10:42:32 EDT Re: It was her rotten utility pole - she owned it http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-It-was-her-rotten-utility-pole-she-owned-it-21820104
It's a utility pole, considering that it used to support a whole tree I don't think any human with the ability to climb said pole would weigh enough for it to actually be a safety concern.
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Come let us reason together.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-It-was-her-rotten-utility-pole-she-owned-it-21820104 Wed, 28 Jan 2009 10:30:49 EDT Re: It was her rotten utility pole - she owned it http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-It-was-her-rotten-utility-pole-she-owned-it-21819601
Further, as I said the technician, apparently, made a deliberate effort to bypass safety procedures, as I told fiberguy. The technician pretty much caused this, he should not have climbed the pole.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-It-was-her-rotten-utility-pole-she-owned-it-21819601 Wed, 28 Jan 2009 08:44:25 EDT Re: It was her rotten utility pole - she owned it http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-It-was-her-rotten-utility-pole-she-owned-it-21819592
I would disagree with your observation, that this is a simple accident, it was caused by not testing the pole.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-It-was-her-rotten-utility-pole-she-owned-it-21819592 Wed, 28 Jan 2009 08:40:46 EDT Re: It was her rotten utility pole - she owned it http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-It-was-her-rotten-utility-pole-she-owned-it-21818980 said by Austinloop:

If a technician is overweight, he needs to be weighed to determine what type of climbing gear he can use.That would have done nothing in this case. The pole was rotten and not functioning within specs, so all the calculations and weighing in the world wouldn't have helped.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-It-was-her-rotten-utility-pole-she-owned-it-21818980 Wed, 28 Jan 2009 01:46:06 EDT Re: It was her rotten utility pole - she owned it http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-It-was-her-rotten-utility-pole-she-owned-it-21818430 said by Spatch:

You break it, you buy it!
Cute.. but what do you think this is? Wal-Mart?]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-It-was-her-rotten-utility-pole-she-owned-it-21818430 Tue, 27 Jan 2009 23:05:12 EDT Re: It was her rotten utility pole - she owned it http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-It-was-her-rotten-utility-pole-she-owned-it-21818425
What we have here, pretty simple in my observation, is a pole that needed to be replaced and a simple accident.

It's the EQUIPMENT that needs to be rated for safety and I know guys in the 300 lb range working safely.. POLES can most certainly handle 325 pounds... ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-It-was-her-rotten-utility-pole-she-owned-it-21818425 Tue, 27 Jan 2009 23:04:21 EDT Re: It was her rotten utility pole - she owned it http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-It-was-her-rotten-utility-pole-she-owned-it-21818203 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-It-was-her-rotten-utility-pole-she-owned-it-21818203 Tue, 27 Jan 2009 22:20:35 EDT Re: It was her rotten utility pole - she owned it http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-It-was-her-rotten-utility-pole-she-owned-it-21817651 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-It-was-her-rotten-utility-pole-she-owned-it-21817651 Tue, 27 Jan 2009 20:53:13 EDT Re: It was her rotten utility pole - she owned it http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-It-was-her-rotten-utility-pole-she-owned-it-21817558 said by en102:

I could see it now...

-Comcast tech injured on customer property - sues customer
-Edison (SCE) cuts power to home, replaces pole, then sends a bill to the customer for the work ($6,000 = $20,000 in California... need to update to new green standards :huh: )
-Homeowner suffers heartattack over lawsuits
-Owner sues SCE and Comcast over medical bills - loses house and job in the process due to expenses.

Don't be silly. Fatso the field tech would sue SCE, the homeowner and Comcast for discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act and otherwise not having the appropriate weight bearing equipment to accommodate his wide load ass.
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The Toll

Tracking Lord Stanley
]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-It-was-her-rotten-utility-pole-she-owned-it-21817558 Tue, 27 Jan 2009 20:37:40 EDT Re: It was her rotten utility pole - she owned it http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-It-was-her-rotten-utility-pole-she-owned-it-21816374 I'm sure they would try to sure out here.

I could see it now...

-Comcast tech injured on customer property - sues customer
-Edison (SCE) cuts power to home, replaces pole, then sends a bill to the customer for the work ($6,000 = $20,000 in California... need to update to new green standards :huh: )
-Homeowner suffers heartattack over lawsuits
-Owner sues SCE and Comcast over medical bills - loses house and job in the process due to expenses.

Lawyers make money, house is repo'd
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Canada = Hollywood North]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-It-was-her-rotten-utility-pole-she-owned-it-21816374 Tue, 27 Jan 2009 17:17:31 EDT Re: It was her rotten utility pole - she owned it http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-It-was-her-rotten-utility-pole-she-owned-it-21816357
Further, technicians should test the pole prior to climbing, by using a pole prod, sounding the pole (hitting it with a hammer), and a couple of other tests can be done, so here we have either a willful deviation from safety practices, or supervisory error in not properly training the individual.

Just my .02 from my outside plant days.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-It-was-her-rotten-utility-pole-she-owned-it-21816357 Tue, 27 Jan 2009 17:14:38 EDT It was her rotten utility pole - she owned it http://www.dslreports.com/forum/It-was-her-rotten-utility-pole-she-owned-it-21816316
A ComEd employee came out in January, assessed the situation and told her she owned the pole. Because it was privately owned, there was nothing the electric company could do. Her homeowner's insurance told her it would not pay anything because the pole was so old, and apparently had been rotting from the inside.

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My BLOG .. .. Internet News .. .. My Web Page]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/It-was-her-rotten-utility-pole-she-owned-it-21816316 Tue, 27 Jan 2009 17:07:07 EDT