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Safety Tips of Using Water Pump
Ensure the pumps in use on your crew are equipped with Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCI). These devices should be on the generators. GFCIs on electrical pump units sometimes are incorporated into a remote switch. Be aware that these GFCI remote applications afford no protection to the hot chord from the remote switch to the generator.
The GFCI monitors the balance between the electricity going to and returning from the pump. The GFCI detects very small differences in this balance and breaks the circuit within a fraction of a second - about one-fortieth of a second - before serious injury or damage can occur. A difference of only 5 milliamperes ( 5 thousandths of an ampere) is enough to trip a GFCI.
The danger in working with electrical water pumps is being exposed to electrical currents through cracks in the pump housing and cracks or abrasions in the insulation of the electrical chord. If a worker grabs a defective power cord to move or adjust the pump's position he can sustain an injury ranging from a slight electrical shock to a fatal electrocution. The leaking electricity takes a shortcut to ground through the worker's body.
The effect of electrical shock on the human body is determined by three main factors:
How much current is flowing through the body (measured in amperes and determined by voltage and resistance).
The path of current through the body.
How long the body is in the circuit.
Effects can range from a slight tingle to cardiac arrest. There is no exact way to predict the injury from any given amperage.
Maintenance and inspection of cords, plugs and panels:
Never cut off, bend back or cheat the ground pin on three-prong plugs.
Make sure that plugs and cords are in good condition - replace immediately if defective.
Do not wire plugs into outlets. Disconnecting will take too long in an emergency.
Protect cords from traffic and equipment.
Do not use cords that have been improperly repaired.
Use only cords fitted with dead-front plugs. These present less risk of shock or short-circuit than open front plugs.
Note:
A GFCI is not a replacement for a circuit breaker. The initial high voltage load when starting the pump will trip a GFCI, which makes the use of GFCIs in this situation impractical.
The power chord from the generators to the pumps have 460 - 600 volts in them.
The generators are equipped with circuit breakers which will trip if the pump shorts out or if a damaged wire shorts out. An open short will not trip a GFCI.
The most dangerous situation with high voltage electrical cables is an open short. When the worker is exposed to a live wire-end, the danger is his/her body becoming the path to ground resulting in amperage passing through the body.
Pump suppliers rig their pumps for these reasons with circuit breakers not GFCIs.
Safty precautions to take
Visually inspect cables regularly - energized damaged cable is the hazard
Workers must not handle the cables when the pumps are running. Cut the power before moving the cables - Ensure the generator is shut down or power to the pump is turned off before handling the high voltage cables.
Badly damaged cables should be brought to the attention of maintenance staff immediately to replace or repair.
Cables stretched out over the R.O.W. should be protected from being run over by vehicles or equipment. Often skids laid on each side of the cable is not sufficient, as they get displaced. Skids should be accompanied by a small berm on both sides to hold the skids in place.
Ensure the water pumps in use on crew are equipped with Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCI).Something about using GFCI should be aware.
Keywords
Water Pump Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters GFCI
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