Barehand bonding arc electrical characteristics test

In July, 1991, the California Department of Occupational Safety and Health issued a variance to Pacific Gas and Electric Company to allow the use of barehand work procedures on 230 kV and 500 kV transmission lines. There were requirements and restrictions imposed upon PG&E for issuing and maintaining this variance permit. One such requirement was that PG&E institute a program to evaluate and monitor the magnetic field health issue as it relates to the use of barehand techniques. The intent was to compare the electromagnetic exposure levels of barehand work procedures to other hot stick, live line techniques that PG&E utilizes. As part of the monitoring program and information gathering process, the Pacific Gas and Electric Company´s Joint Union/Management Barehand Committee requested that electrical characteristic tests be performed on the arc that is obtained when performing the procedure of bonding onto or removing the bonding connection from an energized transmission line conductor. The purpose of the test was two-fold: (1) to characterize the energy in the bonding arc as defined in terms of power density, and (2) to compare measured arc power density levels with the protection guideline limits established in American National Standard Institute (ANSI) C95.1-1991 Standard “American National Standard Safety Levels with Respect to Human Exposure to Radio Frequency Electromagnetic Fields (300 kHz-100 GHz)”