Electricity Today T&D Magazine

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, supervisor’s crew visits, safety manager and senior management inspections, and compliance reporting are some examples of the significant differences between decades ago and expectations for high-end crews in today’s due-diligent workplaces.

There are significant challenges within the lineman trade based on human performance, culture of the work environment, nature of the specific work, and the basic fact that most tasks are carried out...

A personal fall protection arrest system (PFAS) is comprised of three vital components: an anchorage, body wear (full-body harnesses), and a connecting device (a shock-absorbing lanyard or self-retracting lifeline). The safety of at-height workers depends on these three components, and each one must be in place and used properly to provide maximum worker protection.
When discussing fall protection, anchorage connectors and full body harnesses receive a lot of attention. We don’t always stop to think about connecting devices like self-retracting lifelines or shock-absorbing lanyards, and yet these are the two components that bear the greatest forces during a fall.
Before...