Electric Network Substation Manhole Safety Project

After station grounding studies indicated that additional grounding was necessary at certain manholes, we were asked to support our client in mitigating safety concerns when working around manholes and vaults. Our job? Review the manhole grounding and bonding standards and model the full range of manholes within the system to detect trends that may be the cause for unsafe touch and step potentials within the service system.

We determined that in certain scenarios, when standing within a manhole, touch voltage coordination issues could occur. To advocate for temporary mitigation of these safety issues we produced a Safe Work Procedure (SWP).  

Our next step will be to conduct a detailed follow-up study of system configurations where the safety concerns arise to better mitigate safety risks.  

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