In article ,
"Toller" wrote:

A couple years ago I asked the same question. Someone came up with at least
one example.
It does seem unlikely; if your main breaker is closed, your genny should
stall immediately when it tries to power the neighborhood. The only way you
could kill a lineman is if YOUR line if down and he is fixing it, or if (and
even this is a reach) you plugged in while he what handling a nearby line.
Of course, even then he is supposed to be protected from live wires by
insulation.

Bzzzzt, wrong answer and asumption, would you like to try for whgat is
behind Door #1.......

In your statement above, you make at least ONE very hugh assumtion that
is NOT correct. You assume that it takes many seconds, or minuets, of
backfeed power to electrocute someone downline. This is patently a
FALSE Assumtion. With the Transformers on the poles any amount of power
that gets put on the line generates an extremely Highvoltage Spike,
upline. It doesn't take, but a few miliseconds, of this spike to fry any
grounded entitiy across the HV side of the line. To protect linemen from
such spikes, they employ Grounding Straps on BOTH SIDES of the work area,
that in theory should protect them from such spikes. If the straps are
not installed correctly or if the workers are installing the straps
without using HotSticks, then they can certainly be ZAPPED by such
spikes, or power backfeed into the system. If you don't believe this
is true, just go ask any Lineman, and be prepared to get an earfull....

Me