SMECO goes woke.....
- Thread starter Bird Dog
- Start date
Not just Ridge….but it could be that “ one “ person. SMECO isn’t saying, but they said Laplata and others.
TPD
the poor dad
On their poles
Isn't safety kind of a big reason though?
I know it's fashionable to blame everything on "woke", whatever the fruck that is, but SMECO should have said safety concerns from square one in my opinion and they would not have been alone. There's a number of articles out there all across the country regarding the subject and safety concerns. I wondered what that meant exactly and all the articles mentioned how things like nails, staples, and screws can potentially hook on to safety gloves and protective clothing and cause tears on something you're wearing for a reason.
I do agree that the flags look really nice and hometown America on the way down to Point Lookout. It was and still is a good community project. However, I would much rather know that the lineman climbing on a pole to fix our power/phone/cable/etc safely in the aftermath of a storm, is actually going to be able to do the job safely and get it fixed as quickly as possible. That's kind of looking after each other as Americans isn't it?
Anyway, just my two cents. I was married to a lineman a thousand years ago, long before people started hanging things on phone poles. Back when I still liked him, I worried about him all the time, especially during bad weather. If little things like not hanging things on poles makes the job safer for linemen then I'm all for it. I would think we all should be, especially considering what they're doing for us.
It's not really a safety issue.
As someone who did that years ago, they usually just climb past stuff on the pole, but if belted, it's a delay or annoyance, at worst, to have to un-belt and re-belt over objects. But in reality they have to do it over the Cable TV lines, Phone Lines, guide wires etc. anyway.
And these days, very few linemen are exiting the bucket to be climbing poles.
Good point...I don't remember the last time I saw one climbing a pole.
When it's in an off-road area too inaccessible to the truck is the only time.
Tech
Well-Known Member
Father and brother were Bell lineman and splices, when they used gaffs to climb, the issue was the nails that people use to attach signs. If not removed with the sign it could prevent the gaff from getting a good bite when climbing.
I sorta tested that shocking theory out for you just a few weeks ago. And I want you to know that I WWGD'd before I actually did it.I imagine its pretty boring climbing a bare power pole time and time again..same ole same ole. Having to navigate a collection of attached impediments would add a challenge...some excitement to the job. It seems to me.
I had been soaking my feet in a basin of water in my bedroom and neglected to empty it right away when I finished. Later on, I was putting things away and the plug in thingy on my blow dryer dangled briefly in that basin of water. I took it out like almost immediately and dried it off. Hours later my BF called and wanted me to come meet his brother in about an hour. That was REALLY important to me; didn't think it was ever going to happen, so I desperately needed to get my hair dried. Plugged the dryer, got a little tingly shock. Hmmm I thought, it's the socket maybe so I tried another socket, same tingly shock and little sparks. Here's the WWGD part. I thought he'd try it one more time - third times the charm you know.
Boy was I wrong.
I ended up Mcguyvering the whole fiasco. Space heater on my desk with the heat set on high and when that got too hot; I put the fan behind me.
My hair looked like sh*t but everyone was drinking beer and no one cared.
I've been counting on beer for that benefit for a very long time.
Yeah well I don't want an annoyed lineman fixing my whatever on a pole either. I have lots of television to watch Kyle. Lots of it. Shows lined up for years. Every minute counts.
My ex never complained about anything on the poles, just the neighborhoods he had to work in. West Baltimore mostly.
PeoplesElbow
Well-Known Member
Someone probably hung a political or rebel flag, so easiest thing to say is don't touch our poles.