Electricity Today T&D Magazine

Why Grounding Remains a Source of Serious Injury

Grounding is one of the most emphasized safety practices in line work, yet serious incidents continue to occur during grounded operations. These events rarely result from a lack of training or awareness. Instead, they stem from assumptions about how grounding behaves under real-world conditions that are more complex than any classroom scenario.  

The Difference Between Training Scenarios and Field Reality

Training often presents grounding in controlled, idealized conditions. In the field, soil resistivity varies, access is limited, and system configurations change without warning. Temporary grounds are installed under time pressure, sometimes...

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...