9 Years Factory Isolater rubber sleeve for Hungary Importers

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DIY sandblasting cabinet (85 % finished, missing air filter , need to seal roof and back door and attach gloves). I made it 80 % from scrap I collected in past 10 years.

Rubber gloves may be one of the most important pieces of protective gear in an electric line worker’s toolbox.

The gloves protect them as they make repairs or upgrade high-voltage power lines.

PG&E doesn’t leave it to chance that the gloves are manufactured without defects. A team of three lab workers tests every piece of the company’s personal protective equipment — rubber gloves, rubber blankets, line hose, jumpers and hoods.

A very small number of the gloves tested each month are rejected. Still, it’s critical that the products meet the highest safety standards. In all, the team tests as many as 84,000 pieces of protective gear every year.

“You have to have a lot of faith in these products,” said Clint Paxton, a PG&E insulation test lab supervisor. “When you reach out and grab 21,000 volts, you’ve got to know that you’ve got a quality product in your hand.”

The testing happens in a warehouse at the Emeryville Repair Facility, where employees recently celebrated the facility’s 90th anniversary. The team includes Andre Ladrech, Dave Williams and Don Griffin.

First the gloves are visually inspected and inflated to look for obvious physical defects. If they pass those tests, they’re placed in a machine and filled with water. An electrode goes in each glove.
The gloves are then subjected to 21,500 volts of electricity for one minute. If there’s a failure — even as small as a pinpoint — an alarm sounds in the test chamber and the glove is removed and made unusable.

“It’s nice knowing that when the guys grab the equipment they’re going to be safe,” said Williams.

To make the process more environmentally friendly, the lab workers are designing a system to recycle the 14 gallons of water used to test each batch of gloves. The lab also is involved in recycling the failed rubber products to keep them from reaching landfills.

Lab workers are currently testing the newest incarnation of the rubber glove. PG&E worked with the manufacturer to create a glove that’s more ergonomically sound. PG&E is the first utility in the United States to use the new gloves.

“Employees asked for an improved glove, we worked with the manufacturer to develop it and we tested it in the lab and in the field,” says PG&E Director Jeff Borders. “Employees loved it and now it’s rolling out.”

Paxton — a former line worker — says the new gloves offer a better fit and are much more comfortable.

These next-generation gloves are being delivered now to all locations during regular replacement shipments.

Nothing is more important than helping ensure that electric workers are safe when restoring power or upgrading electric lines. As the lab’s motto says, “Your Safety Is Our Business.”