Electrical power in Russia

[franzh]

My wife an I just returned from a great vacation in Russia, particularly on a river cruise from Moscow to St. Petersburg.
Being a child of the US, and growing up with 120 VAC, it intrested me greatly about the use of 220, common in many parts of the world, just not in the US. I saw a cement mixer powered by 220, with the extension cord about 200 feet long, my guess about 22 guage, or about 2/3 the diameter of a common pencil. An electric concrete busting hammer (Hitachi) was powered by the same extension cord through a junction box, and a spot light too!
The male end had no connector, just the bare wires wrapped around a couple of nails plugged into an available socket!
That took some head scratching.

Franz

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[DonPhillips]

When Russia creates an OSHA, you will see less of this.

Don Phillips

http://worthingtonengineering.com

 

[alehman]

A few years ago I had occasion to visit a construction site in Rio de Janeiro. Similar experience. Job site power was tapped through a similar cord from the line side of a building service panel. I don't think there was a hard had or pair of safety glasses at the site.

 

[itsmoked]

n a lot of places: Life is cheap and lawyers are rare.. I

Keith Cress
Flamin Systems, Inc.-

http://www.flaminsystems.com

 

[Zogzog]

I work with a guy from russia, he used to work for the city as a tech for the rail systems. They had many failures on the bus-cable connections due to high R connections, so instead of using a IR camera they gave them a stick with a candle taped to the end, they would place the candle on the connections, if the wax melted, they would shut down and re-torque the lugs.

 

[oldfieldguy]

I saw much of the same sort of thing on a project in Algeria: Extension cord powered by bare wires stuffed into a receptacle, Dangling bare 120-volt light string inside a storage tank, no personal protective equipment, safety rules applied at random by the European and American personnel for their own protection, but largely ignored where inconvenient.

Made me want to kiss the first OSHA-worshipping safety inspector I met when I returned to the states. Of course, I wanted strangle him the very next day...

old field guy

 

[stevenal]

Here's a typical Costa Rican service. I think they have the right idea: make sure you kill off the unfit before they can breed. Those who actually listen to their parents get to carry on.

 

[ozmosis]

there's even a rocking chair for folk to watch them all go up in a puff of smoke! Spectator sport at it's best....

 

[oldfieldguy]

stevenal--

One has to admire the innovative use of a sectioned plastic bottle as a drip shield for that disconnect switch.

Recycling! It's "planet-friendly!"

old field guy

 

[itsmoked]

Nice point oldfieldguy!

That cracks me up - a three digit meter?! I'd probably roll it over every month..

Keith Cress
Flamin Systems, Inc.-

http://www.flaminsystems.com