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Safety Alert - SA 82-19 Switching Incident
What is Happening?On the morning of 9 December 2019 a catastrophic failure occurred within an oil filled ABB SDAF metal clad switch during operating work, resulting in two Essential Energy employees sustaining serious burn injuries.As a precautionary measure and effective immediately, all distribution metal clad High Voltage (HV) Oil Filled Switchgear is to be de-energised prior to local operation.Essential Energy is in the process of reviewing planned outages to identify those requiring local switching of the impacted metal clad ground mounted switchgear.As a result of this serious safety incident and subsequent operating restriction, some planned outages may be cancelled.Safety Alert 82-19 – ABB SDAF Switchgear is being shared for your information and can be accessed from Essential Energy’s Document Library or Essential Engagement.What do you need to do?- Communicate this information to relevant members of your organisation
Further InformationIf you need further information, please email aspinfo@essentialenergy.com.au
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ASP outages recommence across parts of Essential Energy
What is happening?
Further to yesterday’s communication, Essential Energy would like to advise that ASP outages will recommence tomorrow 14th November 2019, apart from some fire affected areas.
If customers had already been notified of their outage cancellation, Essential Energy will reschedule these outages. Please contact your Essential Energy Network Assurance Facilitator to obtain more information.
As you can appreciate with the ongoing situation it has been difficult for us to forecast the impacts to our network, but we’re committed to ensuring we communicate these impacts as soon as we possibly can.
Please communicate this information to relevant members of your organisation. We thank you for your patience and understanding, please also continue to make safety your priority during these difficult times.
Further Information
If you need further information, please email aspinfo@essentialenergy.com.au
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Update - Outage Cancellations across Essential Energy
What is happening?Further to yesterday’s communication, the latest forecasts from the RFS have indicated that today’s bushfire conditions are worse than predicted yesterday. The potential risks to Essential Energy’s network are at the high end of our predictions. We will not know the full impact on our network until at least tomorrow, with conditions expected to peak in the evening.To ensure the community’s safety and allow us to focus on the recovery effort, Essential Energy is cancelling all ASP planned outages for the remainder of this week, and until Monday 18th November at the least.There may be further impacts to next week’s outages as we gain more clarity on the extent of the damage to our network over the next few days. As you can appreciate it’s not possible for us to forecast what these impacts will be, but we’re committed to ensuring we communicate these impacts as soon as we possibly can.Essential Energy will reschedule all outages after consultation with our ASP partners once the current emergency situation has been managed.Please communicate this information to relevant members of your organisation. We thank you for your patience and understanding, please also continue to make safety your priority during these difficult times.Further InformationIf you need further information, please email aspinfo@essentialenergy.com.au
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Outage Cancellations across Essential Energy
What is Happening?Bushfires across NSW are continuing to cause devastation to residents with catastrophic fire conditions predicted for tomorrow, Tuesday 12 November 2019.The NSW Government has declared a State of Emergency for NSW the next seven days, the first declared since 2013 and a state-wide total fire-ban is also in effect.
To ensure the community’s safety, Essential Energy is cancelling all planned outages for Tuesday 12 November 2019.
Essential Energy’s network has been significantly impacted over the past five days with more than 70 fires burning across the state and initial indications that more than 400 power poles have been damaged. Thousands of customers in the MidCoast, Port-Macquarie Hastings, Kempsey, Armidale, Nambucca, Bellingen, Clarence valley and Ballina local government areas are without power.
Essential Energy has employees embedded in the Emergency Operational Centres, working closely with the Rural Fire Service and other agencies.
Text messages will be sent out to affected ASPs today informing you of the situation.
There are likely to be further impacts as we move through this week and the recovery effort. As you can appreciate it’s not possible for us to forecast what these impacts will be, but we’re committed to ensuring we communicate these impacts as soon as we possibly can.
Essential Energy will reschedule all outages after consultation with our ASP partners once the current emergency situation has been managed.
Please communicate this information to relevant members of your organisation and we thank you for your patience and understanding during this difficult time.Further InformationIf you need further information, please email aspinfo@essentialenergy.com.au
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Cable Covers (Tiger Tails) and Fault & Emergency Work
What is Happening?There have been several instances recently where Level 2 ASPs, or in some cases unauthorised trade contractors, have fitted cable covers (tiger tails) to energised overhead service lines.As a result of further investigation, it has been identified that confusion exists as to who is authorised to undertake this task. The WorkCover Code of Practice (CoP): Work Near Overhead Power lines provides direction in relation to the implementation of control measures for unauthorised persons working near low voltage overhead service lines.Consideration should be given to Eliminating the hazard by deenergising the supply for the duration of the work, and where there is a danger of physical damage to the overhead service its temporary removal. Where this is not practicable, separating the hazard from the worksite may be achieved through the installation of insulating matting and tiger tails at the point of attachment.Essential Energy’s responseCable covers must only be fitted to energised service lines for the purposes of adherence to the CoP by electrically qualified Essential Energy authorised employees. ASPs and contractors are not authorised to carry out these tasks as this is not classified as Contestable Work, unless working on behalf of Essential Energy under the conditions of a contract can these be installed.A Level 2 ASP can however, de-energise and remove a service line for the duration of the proposed works, or fit cable covers on a deenergised service line for mechanical protection and visual indication so long as the covers are removed prior to the installation being reenergised.When de-energising a service line, the service connections at the Point of Common Coupling must always be disconnected and made safe. The service line should then be visually assessed to determine its condition. If it is not of sound condition or there are other factors preventing the service removal. The disconnected service is to remain in situ and covered with insulating matting and tiger tails for visual awareness and mechanical protection. Special attention should also be paid to protecting the consumer mains at the Point of Attachment.If the service line is deemed to be in sound condition, and providing it is firstly disconnected at the Point of Common Coupling, then disconnect the connections at the Point of Attachment, remove the service from the attachment, and carefully roll up.The completely disconnected service can then be secured where practicable to the non-trafficable side of the distribution pole or private pole at a minimum height of 4.6m. If this is not practicable or introduces other hazards, then the service should be removed and stored in a secure location ensuring no physical damage to the service is sustained.Before re-energising, precautions must be taken to ensure that the service and electrical installation are in a state suitable for energisation and that all required testing (e.g. insulation resistance, polarity, neutral integrity and phase rotation) has been satisfactorily completed.We would also like to remind ASPs are not to undertake any fault and emergency work on Essential Energy assets including services.What do you need to do?- All concerns should be directed to the Essential Energy Supply and Interruptions group on 13 20 80
- Communicate this information to relevant members of your organisation
- Click on the below link for additional information on Essential Energy’s website https://www.essentialenergy.com.au/safety/construction-safety
Further InformationIf you need further information, please email aspinfo@essentialenergy.com.au
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Christmas and New Year Planned Outages & Contestable Works
What is Happening?To minimise the disruption to customers during the Christmas / New Year period, no planned interruptions with a customer impact will be scheduled from 20 December 2019 to 5 January 2020.Also Contestable Works will be closed during the same period with business resuming as normal from 6th January 2020.What do you need to do?- Review your planned interruption schedule for the dates above and work with your nominated Local Depot Switching Resource to reschedule where required
- Minimal processing of emails/documentation or Asset Labels will occur from Contestable Works mailbox during the above mentioned period
- Communicate this information to relevant members of your organisation.
Further InformationIf you need further information, please email aspinfo@essentialenergy.com.au -
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Managing returning of poles
What is Happening?There have been recent examples where some depots have been unable to take or manage poles from Accredited Service Providers (ASPs). In response Essential Energy’s Environmental, ASP Connections and Operations team have developed a solution which will help alleviate the challenges involved.Transfer of Ownership & Responsibility:- ASPs can now provide the Transfer of Ownership & Responsibility form (CEOF6139 Part A) to customers willing to take ownership of unwanted used poles.
- The ASPs are to submit the completed form to the Depot Resource Supervisor, along with the Returned Materials Check List (CEOF2098), for certification and signoff.
- Once the transfer of ownership is approved, the pole butt should be removed and placed in the pole butt bin located at the local depot by the ASP and the remainder of the pole left at the agreed location indicated on CEOF6139 Part A form.
- ASPs are not permitted to retain poles or transfer them to third parties outside of the relevant customer. Where feasible, other third-party transfers are to be organised by the local depot once the poles are returned or otherwise by pre-arrangement.
It is recommended that ASPs and Essential Energy discuss and plan the return or transfer of poles prior to the commencement of work, so any necessary arrangements can be made.CEOF6319 - Part A: Transfer of Ownership & Responsibility for Second Hand Poles can be located on Essential Energy’s Document Library.Please communicate this information to relevant members of your organisation.Further InformationIf you need further information, please email aspinfo@essentialenergy.com.au