Power Line Safety
What Must Your Employer do to Protect You?
Before working on overhead power lines, employers must ensure power lines are de-energized and grounded by the owner/operator of the lines, or other protective methods must be used.
Other protective measures include the following:
- electrical personal protective equipment, (insulating gloves, footwear, hoods, sleeves, protective clothing, and hearing protectors);
- non-conductive ladders and platforms;
- fall arrest and positioning systems; and
- other protective equipment (insulator caps, distribution cut-out covers, insulating line hoses, bushing covers, insulating shields, insulating cross-arm covers, and insulating pole wraps) to prevent contact with the lines.
Training
Employers must initially train workers upon initial assignment on specific safe work practices, safety procedures, and other safety requirements. Qualified employees must be trained as competent in:
- the skills and techniques necessary to distinguish exposed live parts from other parts of electric equipment;
- the skills and techniques necessary to determine the nominal voltage of exposed live parts;
- the minimum approach distances corresponding to the voltages to which they will be exposed and the skills and techniques necessary to maintain those distances;
- the proper use of the special precautionary techniques, personal protective equipment, insulating and shielding materials, and insulated tools for working on or near exposed energized parts of electric equipment; and
- the recognition of electrical hazards to which they may be exposed and the skills and techniques necessary to control or avoid these hazards.
Description of Accident
Five employees were constructing a chain link fence in front of a house and directly below a 7200-volt energized power line.
They were installing 21-foot sections of metal top rail on the fence. One employee picked up a 21-foot section of top rail and held it up vertically. The top rail contacted the 7200-volt line, and the employee was electrocuted.
Inspection Results
Following its inspection, OSHA determined the employee who was killed had never received any safety training from his employer nor any specific instruction in avoiding the hazards posed by overhead power lines. The agency issued two serious citations for the training deficiencies.
What would you recommend?
Recommendations
- Employers must instruct employees to recognize and avoid unsafe conditions applicable to their work environment - 1926.21(b)(2).
- Employers must not permit employees to work in proximity to any part of an electrical power circuit when the employee could contact it during the course of work, unless the employee is protected against electric shock by de-energizing the circuit and grounding it or by guarding it effectively by insulation or other means - 1910.416(a)(1).
Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.
2-3. Before working on overhead power lines, employees must use _____.
You forgot to answer the question!