Notes: | • An attendant may also be required under WAC 296-45-205(7). One person may serve to fulfill both requirements. However, attendants required under WAC 296-45-205(7) are not permitted to enter the manhole. |
| • Employees entering manholes containing unguarded, uninsulated energized lines or parts of electric equipment operating at 50 volts or more are required to be qualified electrical employees under WAC 296-45-065. |
(c) No work must be permitted to be done in any manhole or subway on any energized wire, cable or appliance carrying more than 300 volts of electricity by less than two qualified electrical employees who must at all times, while performing such work, be in the same manhole or subway in which work is being done. This rule does not apply to work on telephone, telegraph or signal wires or cables.
(d) For the purpose of inspection, housekeeping, taking readings, or similar work, an employee working alone may enter, for brief periods of time, a manhole where energized cables or equipment are in service, if the employer can demonstrate that the employee will be protected from all electrical hazards.
(e) Reliable communications, through two-way radios or other equivalent means, must be maintained among all employees involved in the job.
(13) Cable in manholes or underground vaults must be accessible to employees and a clear working space must be maintained at all times; and/or approved protective guards, barriers, etc., when installed will be considered as providing adequate working clearance for cables over 5 k.v. If a manhole and/or underground vault is determined to have an electrical or structural hazard, no work will be done in the manhole and/or vault until the unsafe condition is corrected or deenergized.
(14) No work must be performed on cables or equipment unless they have been properly identified by an approved method.
(15) Duct rods. If duct rods are used, they must be installed in the direction presenting the least hazard to employees. An employee will be stationed at the far end of the duct line being rodded to ensure that the required minimum approach distances are maintained.
(16) Multiple cables. When multiple cables are present in a work area, the cable to be worked must be identified by electrical means, unless its identity is obvious by reason of distinctive appearance or location or by other readily apparent means of identification. Cables other than the one being worked must be protected from damage.
(17) Before cutting into a high voltage cable or opening a high voltage splice, the cable must be deenergized then clearance obtained, tested and then grounded in an approved manner. The cable to be worked on must be identified by tags or equivalent means.
(18) Moving cables. Energized cables that are to be moved must be inspected for defects.
(19) Insulated platforms or other protective devices will be provided when work is to be done on energized wires or equipment in manholes.
(20) Furnaces must always be placed in a secure, level position on the downhill side of the manhole to avoid spillage of hot metals or compounds into the manhole.
(21) Pulling underground cable. When pulling cable(s) all employees must be made aware of the hazard of being caught in the sheaves, lashings or winch gears. All employees must stand clear of the pulling line when the pull is begun or when the line is under tension. This rule applies to all work performed by means of a winch.
(22) Fishing conduit or ducts. When fishing conduit or ducts, it must first be determined that the fish tape or wires will not contact any energized line or equipment.
(24) Defective cables. Where a cable in a manhole has one or more abnormalities that could lead to or be an indication of an impending fault, the defective cable must be deenergized before any employee may work in the manhole, except when service load conditions and a lack of feasible alternatives require that the cable remain energized. In that case, employees may enter the manhole provided they are protected from the possible effects of a failure by shields or other devices that are capable of containing the adverse effects of a fault in the joint.
Note: | Abnormalities such as oil or compound leaking from cables or joints, broken cable sheaths or joint sleeves, hot localized surface temperatures of cables or joints, or joints that are swollen beyond normal tolerance are presumed to lead to or be an indication of an impending fault. |
(25) Sheath continuity. When work is performed on buried cable or on cable in manholes, metallic sheath continuity must be maintained by bonding across the opening (or by equivalent means), or the cable sheath must be treated as energized.
[Statutory Authority: RCW
49.17.010,
49.17.040,
49.17.050,
49.17.060 and chapter
49.17 RCW. WSR 19-13-083, § 296-45-215, filed 6/18/19, effective 8/1/19; WSR 16-10-082, § 296-45-215, filed 5/3/16, effective 7/1/16. Statutory Authority: RCW
49.17.040. WSR 99-09-080, § 296-45-215, filed 4/20/99, effective 8/1/99. Statutory Authority: RCW
49.17.010, [49.17].040, [49.17].050 and [49.17].060. WSR 98-07-009, § 296-45-215, filed 3/6/98, effective 5/6/98.]