Participants of the workshop organised to discuss causes and effects of external (third party) cable damage and how to prevent them.
Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation (Kahramaa) recently organised a workshop on “Awareness to Prevent Cable Damages and Adopt Best Safety Practices” for main contractors, consultants, safety officers and personnel supervising excavation activities.
The workshop was also aimed at personnel from utility providers and organisations involved in national infrastructure development projects, such as the Public Works Authority (Ashghal), Qatar Railways Company (Qatar Rail). It focused on the causes and effects of external (third party) cable damage and how to prevent them.
Following extensive analysis and study of statistics by the electricity distribution faults analysis committee, it was observed that a large percentage of faults was caused by “damage to underground cables by external agencies/third parties”. The faults committee also observed and analysed a sharp rise in the number of faults due to “damage caused to underground cables” in the past three years.
The workshop was held as part of a new initiative by the distribution faults committee to reduce the number of cables being damaged and, in turn, lower the incidence of faults caused by such damage.
Kahramaa aims to realise its vision and commitment to “provide uninterrupted power supply” to consumers by reducing interruptions caused by external cable damage, it was explained.
The workshop also discussed the regulatory and mandatory procedures to be followed before taking up any excavation work.
The event was attended by consultants from Ashghal and served as a guidance for safe digging practices and how to avoid dangers related to high-voltage cables.
One of the outcomes of the workshop was an increase in awareness of safety issues pertaining to electrical cables while executing projects.
