nuts securing the tower to its baseplate were removed

[king1]

OK, I'm not an engineer but even I know that this was a dumb idea

I presume the maintenance must have been to replace rusty bolts or some such, in which case common sense would dictate to replace one at a time...

At a press conference on Monday afternoon, Transpower chief executive Alison Andrew said all the nuts securing the tower to its baseplate were removed, "which caused the tower to lift off the baseplate and fall".
Andrew said it was the organisation's belief that "the specifications and procedures for this type of work were not followed".
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zeala...-says.html

[harm_less]

OK, I'm not an engineer but even I know that this was a dumb idea

I presume the maintenance must have been to replace rusty bolts or some such, in which case common sense would dictate to replace one at a time...

At a press conference on Monday afternoon, Transpower chief executive Alison Andrew said all the nuts securing the tower to its baseplate were removed, "which caused the tower to lift off the baseplate and fall".
Andrew said it was the organisation's belief that "the specifications and procedures for this type of work were not followed".
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zeala...-says.html

The first TV news coverage I saw of this showed the base plates ('feet') in mid air with bolt holes intact so this latest revelation comes as no surprise. Apparently the maintenance being undertaken included sandblasting... 2 + 2 = ?

[Lilith7]

So presumably once those last bolts werer removed, the tower must have fallen straight away - which must have given those workers one hell of a fright. And possibly ended their jobs.

[Zurdo]

I saw the bolt holes in the plates when the photos first went up, and wondered how long it would take them to notice.

[nzoomed]

Yeah the rumour going around was that they were sandblasting the tower and had to remove the bolts so they can clean it properly.
Now this is a widely practised procedure, however there is a specified amount that are required to stay in place at any given time on each leg and it looks like they took them all out at once on that side.
It was pretty clear going by those photos seen on the news that the nuts were missing and the other 2 legs bent over at the base. I imagine that it would have been a scary thing to experience if you were standing there with those lines coming down to the ground carrying a good 100+KV of power!
I see they are already trying to play the "foul play/aka vandalism" card during the interview, who knows? Cant be ruled out 100% but you think they would have noticed.

[Lilith7]

Yeah the rumour going around was that they were sandblasting the tower and had to remove the bolts so they can clean it properly.
Now this is a widely practised procedure, however there is a specified amount that are required to stay in place at any given time on each leg and it looks like they took them all out at once on that side.
It was pretty clear going by those photos seen on the news that the nuts were missing and the other 2 legs bent over at the base. I imagine that it would have been a scary thing to experience if you were standing there with those lines coming down to the ground carrying a good 100+KV of power!
I see they are already trying to play the "foul play/aka vandalism" card during the interview, who knows? Cant be ruled out 100% but you think they would have noticed.

Yep, you'd think any vandalism might have been noticed straight away.

[nzoomed]

Yeah the rumour going around was that they were sandblasting the tower and had to remove the bolts so they can clean it properly.
Now this is a widely practised procedure, however there is a specified amount that are required to stay in place at any given time on each leg and it looks like they took them all out at once on that side.
It was pretty clear going by those photos seen on the news that the nuts were missing and the other 2 legs bent over at the base. I imagine that it would have been a scary thing to experience if you were standing there with those lines coming down to the ground carrying a good 100+KV of power!
I see they are already trying to play the "foul play/aka vandalism" card during the interview, who knows? Cant be ruled out 100% but you think they would have noticed.

Yep, you'd think any vandalism might have been noticed straight away.

Yeah you would think so!

[harm_less]

Yep, you'd think any vandalism might have been noticed straight away.

Yeah you would think so!

It's all about creating distractions and the biggest distraction of all came today from Luxon. Falling pylons, grounded ferry, more armed robberies, but look over there.... cancer drugs being funded.

This government is out of their depth and struggling to maintain credibility on many of their failing policies.

[Lilith7]

Yeah - & get tough on crime!!

Boot camps!!

Because we really need those criminals, every election we need them....

https://www.msn.com/en-nz/news/national/...0li9e_llAw

[C_T_Russell]

Yeah you would think so!

It's all about creating distractions and the biggest distraction of all came today from Luxon. Falling pylons, grounded ferry, more armed robberies, but look over there.... cancer drugs being funded.

This government is out of their depth and struggling to maintain credibility on many of their failing policies.

So you think there is some conspiracy to take pylons down merely as a "distraction"?
For a start it was a private contractor who was working on the lines that somehow made a major fuckup during routine maintenance.
Those shitty ferries that are breaking down  are something inherited from the last govt and now they have to try and find the money.
But hey cancer drugs are far more important anyway.

[harm_less]

It's all about creating distractions and the biggest distraction of all came today from Luxon. Falling pylons, grounded ferry, more armed robberies, but look over there.... cancer drugs being funded.

This government is out of their depth and struggling to maintain credibility on many of their failing policies.

So you think there is some conspiracy to take pylons down merely as a "distraction"?
For a start it was a private contractor who was working on the lines that somehow made a major fuckup during routine maintenance.
Those shitty ferries that are breaking down  are something inherited from the last govt and now they have to try and find the money.
But hey cancer drugs are far more important anyway.

My implication was that the cancer drug U-turn announcement was the distraction, to deflect attention from the shit show that was playing out that week which included a pylon incident that highlighted the lack of redundancy in Transpower's grid infrastructure, a ferry steering failure and grounding that refocussed on the coalition's cancellation of ferry replacements with no creditable 'plan B', the failure of an Air Force 757 (again) during a high profile political mission, continued armed robberies despite Mark Michell's announcements promoting getting tough on violent crime, plus whatever else was looming on the horizon.

Sure cancer drugs are a primary concern for many NZers, which just highlight's the tone deafness of Luxon and co in their dismissing the electioneering policy they used in this regard. The electorate are wising up to Luxon's 'corporate' prime ministerial style and lack of recognition of social responsibility. Numerous comments that he received a full on booing when his presence at the Warriors' game last night. Outside of his business buddy group he is not a liked person.

[Oh_hunnihunni]

Not just the Nats though. The power situation has been long in the making, successive governments have failed to grasp the nettle. Bit like a fair few other issues really...

Makes me wonder why we bother with 'democracy'.

[Lilith7]

Not just the Nats though. The power situation has been long in the making, successive governments have failed to grasp the nettle. Bit like a fair few other issues really...

Makes me wonder why we bother with 'democracy'.

Because often, the alternative is a damn sight worse...

[Oh_hunnihunni]

I rather fancy a benign autocracy.

If only we could guarantee the benign bit.

[Lilith7]

I rather fancy a benign autocracy.

If only we could guarantee the benign bit.

That's the problem... I wonder, if there's any way to guarantee that with perhaps the use of some as yet undiscovered drug? But it would have to be voluntary, & of course any drug which did that would be sure to have any number of willing volunteers.

And also any number of illegal manufacturers & users - daft idea but it would certainly be interesting, especially once politicians became devotees of such a benign drug, no more two faced BS for starters..

Lucky dreams are free, I'd be bankrupt by now!

[Oh_hunnihunni]

I am holding out hope for AI and the mass indoctrination of all machines intelligences with the First Law.

It has to be easier to build that into our successors than to retrofit it into humanity.

[Zurdo]

And of course the ferries aren't a problem caused by the last government, they actually put in a plan to solve the ongoing problems.

[Oh_hunnihunni]

Yes. A plan.

Government by committee means stuff never gets done.

[harm_less]

Not just the Nats though. The power situation has been long in the making, successive governments have failed to grasp the nettle. Bit like a fair few other issues really...

Makes me wonder why we bother with 'democracy'.

We get to vote in or out the talking heads that inhabit parliament but as 'Yes Minister' so eloquently showed it is actually the bureaucrats and heads of government departments that hold sway in how our country functions in real terms.

[Oh_hunnihunni]

Exactly. And we have the perfect living example of that in several countries right now. Insane and incompetents being managed by their puppeteers.