Yes TB, true. The National Electric Safety Code dictates the proper spacing of pole attachments. Electric is the highest attachment on the pole followed by the communication space where the cable TV and telephone cables are attached. The minimum pole separation of electric from communication is 40” with mid-span sag being 30” separation. Telephone and CATV linemen should not come in contact with electric under normal circumstances and if all safety precautions are taken. However, human error and mother nature can compromise the safety precautions.

Also, much of electric and communication facilities installed in the past 30 years is placed underground. In most cases electric and communication occupy the same trench, but in reverse order of aerial plant. Electric is the deepest in the trench, but only separated from communications by 12 inches. It is in the buried environment where the most danger lies for communication workers for the obvious reason being – you can’t see it. We had two close calls in the buried environment. One splicer (a friend of mine) was doing repair work on a buried cable that had been damaged by a backhoe. The electric was also damaged and was repaired first. My friend got the OK from the electric company to begin repairs. He was preparing the work area when the power was turned back on. The electric repairs were faulty and a 13,000-volt primary cable “exploded” in the ground where he was working. Luckily he was turned away from the blast or he would have been blinded. He suffered minor burns and bruises, and nighmares.

In the interest of boredom I won’t expound any further. I don’t think I came close to any harmful conditions, but I did have my share of banged up fingers and cuts.