northland power outage sabotage opportunity....

[jellywrestler]

It's almost funny that a crew of people did such a thing as took out three sets of bolts at once from a tower and left much of northland in a bit of strife. The service providers have publicly said that was the reason
But in all this how many arseholes out there have twigged to the fact that these seem to be easy to unbolt and can and will cause a fair bit of chaos, especially as right where it happened there were two sets of lines and pylons and it wouldn't be hard to drop one in each line and really do some damage that would take a lot longer to rectify.
This was easily accessable, imagine some of the out of way places where a dropped pylon or three will be a bit harder to repair?

Aside from this it will make a cool you tube video for people who have no idea of the cost of this damage, not they can if found get money from for reparation.

[BMWST?]

A second line was also off line for maintenance. One would think that you would not do maintenance on both lines at once

[Laava]

It's almost funny that a crew of people did such a thing as took out three sets of bolts at once from a tower and left much of northland in a bit of strife. The service providers have publicly said that was the reason
But in all this how many arseholes out there have twigged to the fact that these seem to be easy to unbolt and can and will cause a fair bit of chaos, especially as right where it happened there were two sets of lines and pylons and it wouldn't be hard to drop one in each line and really do some damage that would take a lot longer to rectify.
This was easily accessable, imagine some of the out of way places where a dropped pylon or three will be a bit harder to repair?

Aside from this it will make a cool you tube video for people who have no idea of the cost of this damage, not they can if found get money from for reparation.
Jeepers, stop giving people ideas!

[pete376403]

Who needs terrorists when you have a French owned company doing maintenance on essential infrastructure.

[jellywrestler]

A second line was also off line for maintenance. One would think that you would not do maintenance on both lines at once

if you were to paint a line of pylons it would take months and months so there no doubt is a level of work that can be done while still in service,,,, At the end of the day it took a matter of hours to hurry up with the other repairs and get that one back on line

[Grumph]

if you were to paint a line of pylons it would take months and months so there no doubt is a level of work that can be done while still in service,,,, At the end of the day it took a matter of hours to hurry up with the other repairs and get that one back on line

Guy "in the trade" on another forum reckons the number of "orange juices" charged up at the motel the night before might have something to do with it.

[husaberg]

Its pretty rare to do work on both lines at the same time when there is any potent risk to integrity of the lines the TP guys that make the decisions to can scheduled work and outages, even when there is essentially no risk are not the most popular at Transpower. They are traditionally incredibly risk averse.
So this one smells a bit fishy, as I find it hard to believe this work would have gone ahead when the second of apparently 2 lines was out.
Someone's taken a few shortcuts......or put some pressure on to go against proper procedures.. maybe the work needed to be fast tracked. Like when the national were last in power and ignored all the code of practice rules for building under the lines in CHCH.
or when Jude Collins husbands companies digger dug up the marsden point fuel line....
At the end of the last key govt the complete spare towers on this side were sent to scrap on TP orders along with all the spares that were stored for free.
in 68 when 20 towers were lost in the earthquake ,old poles were used to replace them. They were only finally replaced about 10 or so years ago.
A few towers here are fly in only only foot or helicopter access.

[SaferRides]

Then there's the Auckland rain radar that failed recently during some bad weather . The only access is by helicopter, so it couldn't be repaired until the weather improved...

You really wonder sometimes.

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[Racing Dave]

Twenty years ago, three power pylons in Molesworth were toppled by hurricane-force winds.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/work-underway-to-replace-power-pylons-destroyed-by-wind/ZNNETX3LIY23HU42E4SFA2LHR4/

Not particularly easy access there.

[pritch]

Someone's taken a few shortcuts......or put some pressure on to go against proper procedures.

Ah yes. I recall working on a construction project once and a supervisor shouted. "You've got a safety margin, use it!"
That's not what safety margins are for.

[rastuscat]

Ah yes. I recall working on a construction project once and a supervisor shouted. "You've got a safety margin, use it!"
That's not what safety margins are for.

Yes, I've seen things go wrong when people utilize the safety margin.

[husaberg]

Oh shit this is pure gross incompetence of a scale I find hard to believe. All the nuts on 3 of the 4 legs baseplates.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eCtlLLGNDA
for f's sakes.

[JimO]

it was this bloke354774

[Laava]

Oh shit this is pure gross incompetence of a scale I find hard to believe. All the nuts on 3 of the 4 legs baseplates.

for f's sakes.
Yep, that was the immediate rumour, not denied by Northpower. I also bet that that was probably common practice.
Who will be found liable is the big question, because it may not be the people that removed the nuts.

[SaferRides]

Yep, that was the immediate rumour, not denied by Northpower. I also bet that that was probably common practice.
Who will be found liable is the big question, because it may not be the people that removed the nuts.The day it happened there were easterly winds that became gusty at times. That is an unusual wind for the Kaipara, maybe that is what caught them out.

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[F5 Dave]

Just watched that. The boss guy just wanted the world to swallow him up.
You useless cunts have made me go on telly and say it's all my fault. WTF were you thinking? jesus how stupid are you?

[jellywrestler]

jesus how stupid are you?

i spent a night in warkworth last wed night, there were work crews at the accom i was at, not for power but some of their habits would have meant a cloudy head the next day

[R650R]

What would the torque specs be on those nuts? Reckon it would be right up the with say final drive assembly on a D9 dozer. 12 stud trailer axles are 500Nm and take some effort to loosen.

I don’t think your average limp wristed greenie eco protestor would even know how to use a torque multiplier let alone access one.

Occamsxtazor they say don’t subscribe to malice what could just be incompetence. I bet that was coming up to beer o clock on that job and they’d gotten away with it before perhaps by accident at first and then it becomes the norm.
Also there’s got to be a lack of decent supervision/oversight/auditing for this to go on.

A good issue to raise though this stuff does happen in other countries and that restore passenger rail nutter group we’re starting to get quite belligerent u til cops started taking more action. Only a matter of time before it becomes a real problem.

[pete376403]

What would the torque specs be on those nuts? Reckon it would be right up the with say final drive assembly on a D9 dozer. 12 stud trailer axles are 500Nm and take some effort to loosen.

I don’t think your average limp wristed greenie eco protestor would even know how to use a torque multiplier let alone access one.

Occamsxtazor they say don’t subscribe to malice what could just be incompetence. I bet that was coming up to beer o clock on that job and they’d gotten away with it before perhaps by accident at first and then it becomes the norm.
Also there’s got to be a lack of decent supervision/oversight/auditing for this to go on.

A good issue to raise though this stuff does happen in other countries and that restore passenger rail nutter group we’re starting to get quite belligerent u til cops started taking more action. Only a matter of time before it becomes a real problem.

If truly into sabotage rather than incompetence, an oxy-acetlyene torch would make short work if the nuts, regardless of torque settings. Also more difficlut to repair. However restore rail and other eco protestors are hardly going to attack the cleanest energy we have. In fact it's more the sort of thing I would attribute to hydrocarbon fueled road transport supporters :lol:

[husaberg]

If truly into sabotage rather than incompetence, an oxy-acetlyene torch would make short work if the nuts, regardless of torque settings. Also more difficlut to repair. However restore rail and other eco protestors are hardly going to attack the cleanest energy we have. In fact it's more the sort of thing I would attribute to hydrocarbon fueled road transport supporters :lol:
About 10 years ago an irate landowner cut through a few of the legs on a DC tower with a grinder.
not sure if it made the news but it was found during an inspection.
A few years ago someone also sabotaged another Transpower asset he was convicted and then jailed. He was a conspiracy theorist COVID antivaxer nutter.

[R650R]

If truly into sabotage rather than incompetence, an oxy-acetlyene torch would make short work if the nuts, regardless of torque settings. Also more difficlut to repair. However restore rail and other eco protestors are hardly going to attack the cleanest energy we have. In fact it's more the sort of thing I would attribute to hydrocarbon fueled road transport supporters :lol:

Extremists of any sort are never concerned with logic or not harming through friendly fire. The callous act of blocking main highways is a good example. Somewhere in that que would be rail workers trying to get to work or other former rail passengers now driving to work or even the purist of all bus passengers.
Your 911 hijackets likely didn’t go to the ticket counter and ask to check manifest to make sure no Muslim’s were on board besides themselves…
Hydrocarbon supporters would never damage power, we need electricity for the gas station pumps to work:)

[neels]

I would suspect from what I've heard from people in the industry that in this case it's more to do with the job being contracted and sub-contracted downwards to the point that the people doing the work don't really understand it, and the only motivation is to get in and out as quickly as possible to maximise profit.

In this country we used to have a SOE staffed by competent people who looked after the whole infrastructure, but Max Bradford decided that was inefficient and splitting it up to have multiple layers of Boards/CEOs/shareholders and contracting work to profit driven companies would make our electricity cheaper. I think Enron was the model they used.....

Regardless, the nuts on the feet of pylons aren't that big, I have a spanner large enough to drop one tomorrow if I was so inclined, I think incompetence is a bigger threat to our electricity system than sabotage.

[pete376403]

I would suspect from what I've heard from people in the industry that in this case it's more to do with the job being contracted and sub-contracted downwards to the point that the people doing the work don't really understand it, and the only motivation is to get in and out as quickly as possible to maximise profit.

In this country we used to have a SOE staffed by competent people who looked after the whole infrastructure, but Max Bradford decided that was inefficient and splitting it up to have multiple layers of Boards/CEOs/shareholders and contracting work to profit driven companies would make our electricity cheaper. I think Enron was the model they used.....

Regardless, the nuts on the feet of pylons aren't that big, I have a spanner large enough to drop one tomorrow if I was so inclined, I think incompetence is a bigger threat to our electricity system than sabotage.

Indeed - "Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity." Robert J. Hanlon of Scranton, Pennsylvania, US.

[F5 Dave]

I thought I'd come up with that saying until I saw it quoted. My version said incompetence, which is slightly different and more apt in more situations.

[BMWST?]

I would suspect from what I've heard from people in the industry that in this case it's more to do with the job being contracted and sub-contracted downwards to the point that the people doing the work don't really understand it, and the only motivation is to get in and out as quickly as possible to maximise profit.........................

Regardless, the nuts on the feet of pylons aren't that big, I have a spanner large enough to drop one tomorrow if I was so inclined, I think incompetence is a bigger threat to our electricity system than sabotage.

Indeed and the former argument results in the latter...all the real knowledge is leaving the businesses and all that is left are processes and tasks. The result is fragmentation to the point of no real responsibility . I think this is evident in a lot of our infrastructure now..Its like a a lot of houses are built. So many different teams and labour only contracts that there is no one person who can take (or wants) responsibilty for it.

[HenryDorsetCase]

Indeed and the former argument results in the latter...all the real knowledge is leaving the businesses and all that is left are processes and tasks. The result is fragmentation to the point of no real responsibility . I think this is evident in a lot of our infrastructure now..Its like a a lot of houses are built. So many different teams and labour only contracts that there is no one person who can take (or wants) responsibilty for it.

I dabbled a bit in property development back in the day. Too much stress for me now. My favourite story is we were building a block of five townhouses. Garage on the bottom, living in the middle, bedrooms up top. They were nice. The last one I saw sold was $900k plus. Anyway, it turns out the electrician went tits up or on a bender so three of the apartments had the conduit from the slab up through the garage wall but the other two were surface mounted in conduit. Why? The electrician didnt turn up so the blockies just carried on, so did everybody else. Then the project mismanager got a phone call..... the key to the issue was there was no site foreman or clerk of works or anyone actually making sure shit got done in the right order.

It also left me with the most abiding takehome I can give anyone. A building project is going OK if the site is tidy. If no fucker has rung WM and organised the skip to be emptied, or picked up the shit blowing round, or run a broom round or otherwise tidied up it is because no fucker cares and the job is in trouble. It is an absolute indicator of issues with a job. I bore all my builder/developer clients with it and now I am boring you with it. Also any buyers from those guys.

Go to the site, if it is a fucking tip, go elsewhere. Also shout them a slab or two when the roof goes on.

[F5 Dave]

Painter just tidying up at work after doing a few walls. Always pleasant, great job. Not that cheap but there ae great motivated guys out there. Some brush hands in the business are stoners, but the good ones are smart and passionate about knowing the products and applications.

Finding good tradies is like good employees. Pay them well and don't dump on them.

[BMWST?]

I dabbled a bit in property development back in the day. Too much stress for me now. My favourite story is we were building a block of five townhouses. Garage on the bottom, living in the middle, bedrooms up top. They were nice. The last one I saw sold was $900k plus. Anyway, it turns out the electrician went tits up or on a bender so three of the apartments had the conduit from the slab up through the garage wall but the other two were surface mounted in conduit. Why? The electrician didnt turn up so the blockies just carried on, so did everybody else. Then the project mismanager got a phone call..... the key to the issue was there was no site foreman or clerk of works or anyone actually making sure shit got done in the right order.

It also left me with the most abiding takehome I can give anyone. A building project is going OK if the site is tidy. If no fucker has rung WM and organised the skip to be emptied, or picked up the shit blowing round, or run a broom round or otherwise tidied up it is because no fucker cares and the job is in trouble. It is an absolute indicator of issues with a job. I bore all my builder/developer clients with it and now I am boring you with it. Also any buyers from those guys.

Go to the site, if it is a fucking tip, go elsewhere. Also shout them a slab or two when the roof goes on.

i was a sales rep for a building merchant for a while and your comments ring true.The best sites and the most organised sites were the tidy ones.They were run by"proper" builders. This is not the case now. One group builder who i used to deal with a lot mor laterly( i was involved with frames and trusses) had a site supervisor who was an ignorant bully and couldnt organise a piss up in a brewery

[jim.cox]

In my construction experience, its the quality of the site foreman that makes the single biggest difference to how the project runs.

Their attitude, and in particular how they respond to the inevitable problems, is crucial.

But sometimes you get a site that is 'cursed' and nothing goes well, site foreman regardless.

[pete376403]

In my construction experience, its the quality of the site foreman that makes the single biggest difference to how the project runs.

Their attitude, and in particular how they respond to the inevitable problems, is crucial.

But sometimes you get a site that is 'cursed' and nothing goes well, site foreman regardless.

Well this has moved a bit from the original post, but WRT to foremen (none of this foreperson shit, in my day all foremen WERE men) my foreman at GGH was an old-school pom and his mantra was "clean up as you go", he could not abide for a minute a dirty workplace, which usually comes with the territory when working on earthmoving machines straight from the job site. he was a great guy to work with, I learned a solid work ethic and a whole lot about Caterpillar tractors.

[F5 Dave]

An old boss was a sparky with the old railways. Had to install powerboard in these enormous sheds.
Hey boss about these positions.
"Just mount them where the plan shows"

Ok.
Then he gets chewed out for mounting a powerboard over a window.
But you said. . .


Sometimes little Hitlers just don't understand their Rule with an iron fist, I know best, approach is demotivating and bringing stupid results.

I try to always listen to employees. Often they bring an insight I hadn't considered. I wish my supireriors were actually superior in that sense.

[BMWST?]

Well this has moved a bit from the original post,
Sorry about that .it was only meant to be an example of the fragmentation of so many infrastructure projects.

[pete376403]

Sorry about that .it was only meant to be an example of the fragmentation of so many infrastructure projects.

Doesn't bother me at all - these forums are a bit like group talk at the pub, they wander around a bit too

[R650R]

Great advice in Henry’s post. One chap I know also recommends ending an interview with walk to the potential employees car. The state of the interior of their car will be as much a metaphor for their work practices as the clean job site.
It’s also works when dating to check out where they will be on the crazy hot matrix, the nutters will always have a passenger footwell full of anything from court restraining orders to digging implements.

Anyway here’s our answer to getting boats, China. Let them utilise our fast flowing clean cook strait waters for their fish boats, just weld on an extra deck and they’ll run a 24/7 service. They’d be up and running in 3 months I reckon.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=JIF5Ixih6WSDVNva&v=mUbuZfvFdrE&feature=youtu.be

[jellywrestler]

Doesn't bother me at all - these forums are a bit like group talk at the pub, they wander around a bit too

the new barmaid in the top pub at greytown has a nice arse for sure

[pritch]

Occamsxtazor they say don’t subscribe to malice what could just be incompetence.

Umm that's Hanlon's razor - sort of. Except that it's ascribe not subscribe.

Occam's razor: pluralitas non est ponenda sine necessitate, “plurality should not be posited without necessity.” This counsels us not to overlook the simple explanation.





Update: Didn't see the other posts about this until after I'd posted. Ah well...

[roogazza]

Small point, "Outages" were called Power Cuts"" to us older generations !!!!!! LOL. :lol: :devil2:

WTF :rolleyes:

[pritch]

Small point, "Outages" were called Power Cuts"" to us older generations !!!!!! LOL. :lol: :devil2:

WTF :rolleyes:

Or black outs? Nowadays we have brown outs too. That may confuse some people though?

[Berries]

the new barmaid in the top pub at greytown has a nice arse for sure
Did not realise Big Trev had left Carterton.


Or black outs? Nowadays we have brown outs too. That may confuse some people though?
It's an Auckland thing.

[R650R]

Or black outs? Nowadays we have brown outs too. That may confuse some people though?

I remember in high school years the first round of brown outs and power companies were switching off hot water every second day. Nothing quite like a cold shower straight after rugby practice.
Then fast forward another ten years and we had them again when all the switch gear at Auckland was getting overwhelmed with our growing population.
And still we don’t properly invest in the infrastructure no matter whose in charge.

[jellywrestler]

And still we don’t properly invest in the infrastructure no matter whose in charge.

whose we and what should they be actually doing?

[jim.cox]

whose we

The Public of New Zealand


and what should they be actually doing?

Engineering, for the Public benefit

[husaberg]

And still we don’t properly invest in the infrastructure no matter whose in charge.

whose we and what should they be actually doing?


The Public of New Zealand



Engineering, for the Public benefit

isn't it funny when the dude that claims to be a libertarian forgets he's not meant to publicly admit to wanting socialist decisions made....

[F5 Dave]

It's like living in a flat. User pays works well. Just conveniently forgot that if something goes wrong, the landlord fixes it.