Worker injured by electric shock
A RECENT incident at Hammersmith Depot has served as an unfortunate reminder to staff of potential electrical hazards.
An advanced train maintainer received an electric shock when he picked up jumper leads at the link box. Somehow the live conductor had been exposed prior to the maintainer picking up the lead. However the incident was compounded by improper handling of the lead, as well as the unique circumstances at the depot. Luckily, considering that direct current at 630 volts was involved, the man only brushed the exposed conductor with his fingertips and was not seriously injured.
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| Sign for the times: consideratin is being given to attaching electrical hazard signs on jumper leads such as at Neasden depot |
The depot suffers from lack of space between trains and a short distance to Hammersmith station. Because of this, the jumper leads are shorter than usual and hang vertically from the ceiling instead of looping under the train. They also have friable separation links that automatically disconnect in the event the train pulls away from the depot without someone manually disconnecting the link.
LUL had got an improvement notice from HMRI on the overhead leads prior to the incident so safety systems were already being investigated. However since the occurrence, this has been reinforced with safety checks being conducted every 24 hours. All the jumper leads have been thoroughly checked and three sets have been withdrawn and have now been replaced. Additional insulation has, on all leads, been installed on the links so that if a separation occurs, the red and blue insulation will be exposed and not the live conductor. There is also consideration being given to putting electrical hazard warning signs on the leads as Neasden depot has done.
In the long term, design of the leads will be considered as well as overall power supplies and conductors. In fact, the 630 Volt Overhead Supply Improvement Project is currently underway to ensure power supplies comply with legislation. At this stage, the project team is conducting feasibility studies.
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