Electricity Today T&D Magazine

Misconceptions about using flame-resistant clothing

BY DAN BONELLI, Cintas Corporation

According to Michael Hyland, chair of the National Electrical Safety Code (NESC) and vice president of engineering services with the American Public Power Association, a 1970s electrical utility commercial depicted a worker sporting a gold necklace and polyester clothing. Hyland notes that today, that type of dress would be unthinkable, as it poses a huge risk to residential, commercial, and industrial electricians.

The power industry has gone to great lengths to help protect electrical workers thanks to organizations such as the National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA) and Edison Electric Institute...

Line-construction contractors can do their best to train the management, offer safety training and equipment and trust the foremen who are appointed to a job, but it is an inherently dangerous business. Despite all the safeguards, some new linemen say this is what some foremen tell them about safety procedures: “That’s the way you may have learned it in training, but this is how it’s done on the job ...”
Training is designed to keep linemen safe. But is that training and equipment being put to proper use? The answer varies depending on the job and the foreman—more so than...