Electricity Today T&D Magazine

Taking care of your grounds and jumpers

A lineman’s ground and jumper cables look and feel like they’re built to last forever, but looks can be deceiving. They get tossed in the truck, dropped in the mud, left hanging in the rain, and generally overlooked. With everyday use, we start to take them for granted. And slowly the wear and tear adds up, compromising their mechanical and electrical reliability. That’s why the care, maintenance, and regular testing of your grounds and jumpers are so important.

Take your personal protective grounding personally

Grounds
Grounds are essential cables that contribute to your...

The risk of injury, and even death, from electric shock is drastically reduced by taking a few simple steps with your rubber goods. Keep up with daily inspections and cleaning, use safe storage methods, and test your equipment regularly at an experienced, accredited testing lab.

Why Rubber Goods?

Rubber goods can include gloves, sleeves, boots, blankets, line hose, and more. These are key personal protective equipment (PPE) in preventing electrical current from entering your body and causing injury or death. The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) require rubber goods to be worn when workers are within close proximity to...