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C A N A D I A N FEBRUARY 2012


V A L


ELECTRALITE Safety comes first for CVEC linemen


SUPPLEMENT TO OKLAHOMA LIVING


By Cordis Slaughter, CVEC Engineer and Manager of Operations


This photo represents one facet of our con- tinuing job training and safety program for line- men. Pole Top / Bucket Rescue is an annual requirement ensuring that, in the event of an emergency, our linemen are able to safely rescue an injured co-worker from the pole or a bucket truck.


The lineman on the ground has 4 minutes to assess the situation, make a mayday call with the required information, put on his climbing gear, climb the 40’ pole, rig up his hand-line, and lower the injured man to the ground.


He must rescue the downed man while also ensuring his own safety. Most of our linemen can do pole top rescue in less than 3 minutes and some in just over 2 minutes. Chris Cheat- wood, our Construction Superintendent continues to be the man to beat. A lineman’s job is highly physical, technical, and specialized. It can also be danger- ous without proper skills and appropriate attention to essential safety procedures. Annually our linemen receive safety training in several areas including CPR, blood-borne pathogens, hazard recognition and mitigation, personal protective equipment care, tailgate discussions, defensive driving, and chainsaw safety, just to name a few. An in-house safety consultant along with safety professionals from our statewide coop association (OAEC) do a good job of keeping us abreast of rapidly changing requirements in addition to providing our monthly safety meetings.


All of our linemen are CDL drivers and are required to stay abreast of DOT’s continually changing requirements. Technology continues to advance and our system is becoming more and more complex. During large scale weather events, our linemen may be required to go for a couple of days without sleep in grueling working conditions. It is not uncommon for a lineman to work all day, get called out in the middle of the night, then be expected to show up for work the next day. First thing you know, you have gone 30 or 40 hours without sleep. This is where a lineman must recognize his limitations and stop for rest. I’ll have to admit though, this goes against most linemen’s inherent desire to “get the lights back on”. I like to compare a linemen’s job to a farmer. A good farmer is committed, works long hours, is a manager, laborer, engineer, technician, equipment operator, and mechanic. He must work safe, continually evaluate his methods, and keep up with new technologies. A good lineman also must be totally committed and multi-talented. Most of us take for granted electricity along with most things around us that make our life a little cushier. I know I do. Next time you see that guy up on the pole or in a bucket, take just a moment to consider the sacrifice he along with so many others have made and continue to make to ensure that when you flip that switch, the light comes on. Believe me, that is no small sacrifice.


L


E Y The power of human connections By George As most of you, who have been “tor-


tured” by this monthly column for the past 27 years, know well, I grew up ten miles out in the country on a dirt road 2.5 miles from the nearest blacktop highway. Gravel was something we did not know much about, but county workers did grade the section lines as often as they could. My mother still lives in the same house and I try to make it out there at least twice a week – more often if necessary. The blacktop highway is still two and one-half miles away, but the 2.5 miles of dirt roads are now graveled and very reasonably well maintained.


Our home was built on a hillside about


1/8th mile off the section line road, with a clear view of the county road for about half mile. In my preschool age years, on a typi- cal day there was likely to be more tractors pass our house than pickups and for sure cars. Before we go the wrong direction with this let me assure you that I am not complaining, and have long since realized that I would not change a thing about my younger years. I don’t want a “do over” and have no complaints. Any time a car came by it got our


attention. Most days there was not much to get our attention. We had time to play in the road, just because we were told not to. But every day, except Sunday, we knew that we could count on the mailman coming by our house. If the roads were not muddy from a rain, he came about 9 a.m. every day. If we had not seen the mailman by 9:20 a.m., we assumed he must have come early and raced to the mailbox anyway. Most days we would stand on the front porch of the house, look across the meadow and watch, hoping the mailman would stop at our mailbox. If he did not stop, there would be a few seconds of disappointment. There were more days that he did not stop than days that he did stop. But if he did stop, the race was on to see what he had left. About all we were interested in was the “Sears & Roebuck” and “Montgomery Ward” catalogues. The catalogues came out twice a year, the “Spring and Summer” and the “Fall and Winter” editions. The OTASCO circular came out quarterly.


Continued on page 2


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