Six Core Safety Principles (Stated Upfront)
- Plan every job.
- Use the right tools for the job.
- Isolate the equipment.
- Minimize the hazard.
- Protect the personnel.
- Assess abilities of the personnel.
Section A: General Safety Precautions
Housekeeping & Yard Condition
- Do not leave unwanted material in the switching yard; ensure no vegetation.
- Ensure equipment and poles are kept in proper stacking and covered.
- Do not allow unauthorized persons or animals into TSS/SSP/SP; ensure no gap exists between the bottom of fencing and the ground for animal entry.
- Do not grow fruit trees on the premises — this can lead to stone-pelting incidents.
- Do not burn dry vegetation in the switch yard.
- Tree branches must not come near the feeder wire.
- Ensure a surface layer of crushed rock, about 100mm thick, is provided at the traction sub-station and switching station.
- Ensure trench covers are properly seated on trenches.
Fire Safety, First Aid & Communication
- Fire buckets must be filled with sand.
- Fire extinguishers should NOT be past their expiry date.
- Ensure operator and maintenance personnel know how to operate fire extinguishers.
- Ensure the first aid box is equipped with necessary medicines.
- Ensure field telephone, TPC line, P&T and Railway phone at TSS are in WORKING CONDITION.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
- Never work barefoot in the switching yard.
- Operators should use RUBBER hand gloves while working in the switch yard, if mended (in good condition).
- Always wear an industrial helmet while working.
- Do NOT use leather-soled shoes in the switching yard — the sole must be RUBBER, without any fixed nails.
- Staff should protect against inadvertent falls by wearing a SAFETY BELT AND HELMET, supported by a rope sling.
- Do NOT wear loose clothes (kurta-pajama, lungi, safi, chappal, etc.) while working.
- Do NOT go into the switching yard wearing wet clothes — also ensure the lower part of pants/trousers is not wet.
In TSS/SP/SSP, a PVC FIBRE GLASS measuring tape must be used (not a metallic one, given the live-equipment environment).
Section B: Safety Precautions While Working
Permit to Work & Isolation
- No work shall be done above or within 2 METRES of live wire without a 'Permit to Work' (PTW).
- After obtaining PTW from TPC, ensure the concerned equipment/circuit's power supply is switched OFF AND EARTHED.
- Equipment should be on LOCAL MODE at the control panel/marshalling box.
- A CAUTION TAG shall be provided on the local/remote switch at the control panel of the equipment being worked on.
- Do NOT work on equipment while it is in LIVE/ON condition.
- Ensure equipment is in 'OFF' condition, and that DC and AC supply switches are OFF, before commencing work.
- Equipment MUST be earthed before commencing work.
- A RED BANNER FLAG / DANGER BOARD shall be provided on other LIVE equipment/masts in the vicinity of the equipment being maintained.
Discharge/Earthing Pole — Real Inspection Frequencies & Specs
- The Discharge/Earth pole assembly shall be INSPECTED by SE/JE ONCE A MONTH.
- The continuity of the cable connection between the top clamp and the earthing clamp should be checked ONCE A FORTNIGHT.
- The earth pole cable should be RENEWED if MORE THAN 20% of its strands are broken.
- The earth pole cable shall be flexible, with an adequate cross-section of 40 mm² to withstand short-circuit currents.
Exam Focus — Two Different Inspection Frequencies for Related Equipment
Easy to conflate: the WHOLE discharge/earthing pole ASSEMBLY is inspected MONTHLY by SE/JE, but the specific CABLE CONNECTION CONTINUITY between top clamp and earth clamp is checked more frequently — FORTNIGHTLY. The narrower, more failure-prone check (a single connection point) gets the tighter interval; the broader assembly inspection is monthly.
General Work Conduct
- Before commencing work, the supervisor should brief staff so they are conversant with the work to be done.
- Do NOT gossip during work or during a power block.
- Be VIGILANT while working.
- Do not leave equipment covers/doors open after completing work.
- Do not leave any tool/material on or inside equipment after completing work.
Ladder Safety
- Always carry a ladder/lengthy object in the DOWN (lowered) position in the switching yard.
- Use the CORRECT SIZE ladder/stool while working on equipment.
- Do NOT support the ladder on an insulator/equipment while working.
- A ladder must be held by ONE PERSON on the ground, to prevent it slipping.
- Avoid using an OLD extension ladder that has reduced strength.
- More than ONE person shall NOT normally be allowed on a ladder, as far as possible.
- Climbing a ladder with wet or slippery footwear is FORBIDDEN.
Closing principle: 'Ensure you are totally trained as required — don't undertake tasks you are not competent to undertake.'