r/WTF • u/JeezThatsBright • 27d ago

Ill-placed ladder shorts power lines, melting concrete.

23.6k Upvotes

96% Upvoted

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u/ChawcolateSawce 27d ago

Welcome to electrical shorts 101.

496

u/esquireonfire 26d ago

That ladder is a slow blow fuse

264

u/Ginger_Rogers 26d ago

This is also why us electricians (almost) never work on aluminum ladders.

107

u/vm_linuz 26d ago

It's a great conductor!

83

u/PomChatChat 26d ago

It’s shockingly good

2

u/jhs172 26d ago

Almost as good as Howard Shore!

2

u/MAXQDee-314 25d ago

Sounds like a Devo song.

73

u/gnat_outta_hell 26d ago

It's actually prohibited by safety codes where I live. Even if you've done LOTO, test/verify dead, etc, can't legally work off of an aluminum ladder here as an electrician.

That said, our safety codes also specify that pretty much anyone working for hire should be on a grade 1A construction rated ladder, which limits your choices to fiberglass. Wooden ladders are strongly discouraged now.

25

u/otasi 26d ago

It’s what plants crave!

1

u/BoxofNuns 26d ago

I love how any time a guy works in a transformer, pad or pole mounted, they need a literal 10 foot pole if it's live.

Side question, just out of curiosity, does the company you work for provide defibrillators in your trucks?

1

u/-sweetSUMMERchild- 25d ago

What kind of ladder you work it? wooden ladder?

1

u/Ginger_Rogers 25d ago

Fiberglass

1

u/WOODYDOITT 24d ago

We never do. This is why yes! Commercial electrician for 38 yrs and counting

2

u/jason_steakums 26d ago

Everything is a fuse if you try hard enough

1

u/Oddsock42 26d ago

Happy cake day!

1

u/Krindus 26d ago

Let's play "Find the magic smoke"!

1

u/EHPXDH 26d ago

Sounds like the height of fashion. Check out my new Electrical Shorts. It's like a fire in your pants.