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Utility Safety Standards


How Dangerous is Linemen Work?

Many occupations pose risks to workers, but few match the dangers that linemen face daily. Linemen play a critical role in maintaining and restoring the power grid, often working in extreme weather conditions, at significant heights, and around high-voltage electrical systems. Their work is...

Tower Climbing Safety Equipment

What powerline technicians must know to stay safe BY JIM HUTTER, Capital Safety Most of modern life is powered by electrical energy, which is why transmission tower work continues to be an integral—yet extremely dangerous—part of the power distribution industry. The Occupational Safety and...

Safety Best Practices


Safety Reports for Utility Workers

Protecting utility workers with documented reporting BY MIKE DOHERTY, PowerTel Utilities Contractors Limited Within the lineman trade, accountabilities for the documentation of various inspections, job safety analyses (JSAs), audits, safe work practices (SPGs), qualifications, safety meetings,...

Vineyard Wind Blade Debris Still Washing Ashore

Weeks after an incident involving a broken wind turbine blade, debris from Vineyard Wind's project continues to wash ashore, raising concerns about the environmental impact and operational practices of this major offshore wind farm. The ongoing situation highlights the challenges associated with...

Safety Technologies


Battery Fires Pose Minor Environmental Risks, ACP Report Finds

Battery fires in large-scale energy storage systems (BESS) have raised concerns, but a recent review by the American Clean Power Association (ACP) found that such incidents pose only minor environmental risks. According to a third-party analysis of U.S. battery fires since 2012, these fires did not...

KEEPING PACE WITH SAFETY

Lineman Safety Standards are designed to create a safer work environment for linemen and communication workers. It is an ongoing mission for those of us who serve on the National Electrical Safety Code (NESC), so it’s worthwhile to highlight changes embodied in Part 4 of the recently released...

Lineman Safety

fall protection testing

Testing Conditions and Guidelines for Personal Fall Protection Systems

1. PERSONAL FALL ARREST SYSTEMS

(A) GENERAL TEST CONDITIONS

Lifelines, lanyards, and deceleration devices should be attached to an anchorage and connected to the body-belt or body harness in the same manner as they would be when used to protect employees, except that lanyards should be tested only when connected directly to the anchorage, and not when connected to a lifeline.
The anchorage should be rigid, and should not have a deflection greater than .04...

Lineman Safety Articles