FIELD EVALUATION OF A PROXIMITY ALARM DEVICE.

Industry as a whole and the mining industry in particular have been faced with the hazard of bare high voltage lines in the vicinity of work areas. These lines were not a hazard until a crane or similar type of equipment containing a boom or mast was brought into the work area. In spite of the efforts of the equipment operators, the boom or masts of their equipment, on occasion, would strike the overhead lines. In the past 2 years the mining industry has experienced four electrocutions from such accidents. This report examines the use of a proximity warning device on a crane boom to provide a warning when the boom approaches a predetermined safe distance from an energized powerline. The purpose of this study was to determine the sensitivity and ruggedness of the device under field operating conditions.