On the subject of pulling the DNO fuse.

I can't understand why this is still up for discussion. You all know the answer to the question. Only the DNO and it's authorised contractors can pull the DNO's fuse. Full stop. If this isn't you - leave it alone. No if's, no but's. End of.


One reply to three posts...


To Arran Cameron's post - yes, I've seen an arc flash at a service termination and I'm very glad I wasn't kneeling in front of it. Superheated plasma, vaporised and molten metal being violently ejected at face level can cause life-changing injuries.


To Zoomup's post - it makes no difference if the cut-out's on-load or off-load, if there's deterioration inside, it's liable to go up. Bear in mind that deterioration may only come to light when the cut-out does explode in your face.


To whjohnson's post - we certainly don't overplay the danger. It's absolutely not about protecting markets. Safety is the number one priority. Arc flash can, and does, cause damage as well as horrific and life-changing injuries. "The humble single phase domestic cut out" is sealed for a reason, and if something went wrong while you were tampering with it, you'd have some very awkward questions to answer - assuming you'd been lucky enough to have escaped death or injury.


Service terminations present a fairly unique set of circumstances that exacerbate the consequences of something going wrong. They have no local protection. You can't switch it off. They're nearly always in an awkward corner of a confined cupboard, and to work on them you have to be up-close and personal. And you don't know what the history of that cut-out is. That cut out you're about to tamper with may have been submerged, it may have had impact damage from something falling on it, it may have been overloaded, it may even have been the subject of illegal interference. The old PILC service cable may be 70 years old and have no oil left in the papers. You just don't know. You may get away with it, but the consequences of not getting away with it are something you really don't want to contemplate.


I'm not overplaying this. I've been with a DNO all my working life (35 years) and there's not a chance in hell I'd pull a cut-out fuse outside of work - apart from the legal implications and the risk to my employment, I know the danger and it's just not something I'd gamble with.


Summary - You're qualified, you're experienced and you're competent, and that should answer the question (that you already know the answer to) - Don't interfere with the DNO's equipment. It's illegal and it's dangerous.

I can't understand why this is still up for discussion. You all know the answer to the question. Only the DNO and it's authorised contractors can pull the DNO's fuse. Full stop. If this isn't you - leave it alone. No if's, no but's. End of.


One reply to three posts...


To Arran Cameron's post - yes, I've seen an arc flash at a service termination and I'm very glad I wasn't kneeling in front of it. Superheated plasma, vaporised and molten metal being violently ejected at face level can cause life-changing injuries.


To Zoomup's post - it makes no difference if the cut-out's on-load or off-load, if there's deterioration inside, it's liable to go up. Bear in mind that deterioration may only come to light when the cut-out does explode in your face.


To whjohnson's post - we certainly don't overplay the danger. It's absolutely not about protecting markets. Safety is the number one priority. Arc flash can, and does, cause damage as well as horrific and life-changing injuries. "The humble single phase domestic cut out" is sealed for a reason, and if something went wrong while you were tampering with it, you'd have some very awkward questions to answer - assuming you'd been lucky enough to have escaped death or injury.


Service terminations present a fairly unique set of circumstances that exacerbate the consequences of something going wrong. They have no local protection. You can't switch it off. They're nearly always in an awkward corner of a confined cupboard, and to work on them you have to be up-close and personal. And you don't know what the history of that cut-out is. That cut out you're about to tamper with may have been submerged, it may have had impact damage from something falling on it, it may have been overloaded, it may even have been the subject of illegal interference. The old PILC service cable may be 70 years old and have no oil left in the papers. You just don't know. You may get away with it, but the consequences of not getting away with it are something you really don't want to contemplate.


I'm not overplaying this. I've been with a DNO all my working life (35 years) and there's not a chance in hell I'd pull a cut-out fuse outside of work - apart from the legal implications and the risk to my employment, I know the danger and it's just not something I'd gamble with.


Summary - You're qualified, you're experienced and you're competent, and that should answer the question (that you already know the answer to) - Don't interfere with the DNO's equipment. It's illegal and it's dangerous.