City lineman, 31, electrocuted

A veteran lineman for the city of Ocala was electrocuted while working in an area within the city limits on Friday, according to a news release issued by city officials.


Timothy Beard, an employee for the city’s utility services, died around 5:45 p.m. while in the vicinity of Weeks Auction Co. at 4851 W. State Road 40.

Beard, the release noted, was part of a crew that was dispatched to the scene to repair an electric transformer.

The 31-year-old has been a utility employee since 1999, and an electric lineman since 2009.

The Ocala Police Department and the city’s utility department are investigating the incident.


http://www.ocala.com/article/20120526/articles/120529750

Dam shame! RIP!

Timothy Beard (Photo courtesy of the City of Ocala)

By Austin L. Miller
Staff writer

Published: Tuesday, May 29, 2012 at 12:32 p.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, May 29, 2012 at 12:32 p.m.
More details have emerged in the Friday death of a city of Ocala utilities worker who was repairing a transformer.

Several utility workers who were with Timothy Beard when he was killed told Ocala police they went to Weeks Auction at 4851 W. State Road 40 in response to a power outage. They discovered a transformer needed to be replaced and called the office to get a new one.

One employee told a police officer that a piece of machinery had struck the guy-wire of a power pole inside the property.

While waiting for the new transformer to arrive, Beard, working from a bucket truck, removed the damaged transformer, the employees said. When the new transformer arrived, Beard began connecting it.

The employees said they believed that power to the pole Beard was approaching was off, but as he began working on the transformer, they heard a noise, saw a flash and saw him slumped over in the bucket.

They said they immediately lowered the bucket and removed Beard and called for medical personnel. The workers said Beard was breathing when he was laid on the ground.

The stricken worker was taken to Munroe Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Authorities said Beard had severe burns on his hands and wrists, the insides of his elbows, his chest and the top of his head.

Beard’s wife told a forensic medical investigator that her husband had finished work at 1 a.m. Friday and was called back to work at 7 a.m.

According to city spokesman Sonny Allen, “Mr. Beard had been called in the night before to work on a power outage. Our protocol calls for eight hours rest if the crew works past 1:30 a.m. Because the task was completed at 1 a.m., the eight-hour rest provision did not kick in and he reported the next day for his regular shift work.”

Allen said that if Beard had advised his supervisor that he was tired or not feeling well, he would have been given time off.

topgroove wrote:

Allen said that if Beard had advised his supervisor that he was tired or not feeling well, he would have been given time off.

I can already see where this is heading.

By just reading the news articals a number of facts can be deduced





The employees said they believed that power to the pole Beard was approaching was off, but as he began working on the transformer, they heard a put put put, saw a flash and saw him slumped over in the bucket.

really? They thought the power was off??? well maybe if they tested dead and grounded they could consider the circuit de-energized. I guess the City of Ocala hasn't adopted that particular work rule.

3;Beard’s wife told a forensic medical investigator that her husband had finished work at 1 a.m. Friday and was called back to work at 7 a.m.
Pp
ya think working till 1:00AM driving home, getting up at 6:00, driving to work to be back at 7 had anything to do with it.

http://m.legacy.com/obituaries/ocala/obituary.aspx?n=&pid=157857707&referrer=0&preview=True

Obituary

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TIMOTHY D. BEARD
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BEARD, TIMOTHY D., 31
Ocala - Timmy Beard, 31, of Ocala, FL, passed away on May 25, 2012. He was born on August 26, 1980 in Ocala to David Beard and Christine Looney. He graduated from Suwannee High School in 1998. He began working as a grounds man for Ocala Electric in 1999, and in 2009, completed the four year program for lineman apprentice. In 2006 and 2008, he took first place at the Florida Lineman's Competition as an apprentice. Timmy volunteered to help during the 2004 hurricanes in Orlando and Bartow, helping restore power to thousands of customers. He also won the safety award for 2 years. Timmy enjoyed being with his family and friends, hunting, fishing, playing in the mud, working on boats and trucks, and had a passion for his career. He loved being around people and being the center of attention. He was preceded in death by daughter Megan Beard. He is survived by his wife, Julie Beard; daughter, Brittany Beard; father, David Beard; mother, Christine Looney; stepfather, Henry "Jr." Loos; brother, Jimmy Beard; and sister, Dana Loos. Visitation will be held on Wednesday, May 30, 2012, from 6-8 p.m. at Hiers-Baxley Funeral Services, 910 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala. Funeral Services will be held Thursday May 31st, 2012 at 10 a.m. at First Baptist Church of Ocala, 2801 SE Maricamp Rd. Timmy would request all guests are in casual dress. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that gifts be made to a trust fund for Brittany Beard. Please make checks payable to Julie Beard. .

Published in Ocala Star-Banner from May 30 to May 31, 2012
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This is why we are not permitted to work on isolated lines. The line is either hot or it is grounded with a visible ground. If this young man thought the line was isolated & new he had to ground it before working on it, even if he did not test it he would have just had a bad flash. As far as rest time the onus should not be on him to ask for rest time, I would have been given the morning off with pay & no one would have expected anything less.

exactly lewy... our work rules are, you can work it two ways. either work it hot,using all your ppe, rubber gloves, sleeves, hose,blankets,ect. even if you open switches and kill it you still have to work it as if it was energized.

If you really want to work it de-energized you must get permision from regional control . you must tell them what device you wish to open
test dead and install grounds. you must establish a zone of equal potential grounds.

The difference is we cannot work a line isolated, but treat it as energized, once we isolate a line if we want to work on it we must get a permit then ground (equipotential & leathers if no energized conductor on pole) otherwise we have to work it hot, we cannot even work an isolated phase on a pole if there are other energized phases, we have to ground it first. The point I was trying to make is there are still places that work on isolated conductors, but treat it as alive, but nobody gives it the same respect they would if it really was alive, that is why if he thought the line was alive he would have worked it differently and if he had to ground, what he thought was an isolated line first, before he could work on it, the worst case would have been a bad flash.

Sounds Like we have the exact same rules Lewy. Those rules are written in blood. Isn't amazing how Utilities like ours are so different from the Southern US states?