Bill Graham, safety and loss coordinator at Indian Electric
Cooperative in Cleveland, Okla., says it best: “We work in a very unforgiving industry. If a person makes a mistake, it can cost lives and they may not get a second chance.” How do these hard-working individuals stay safe in such a dan- gerous job? By creating a culture of safety. According to Kenny Guffey, director of safety and loss control at the Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives (OAEC), safety must be a part of everything that happens at an electric cooperative.
“Safety cannot be an afterthought,” Guffey explains. “It has to be something that is embedded in the organization, at every step of the way.” While working with powerlines in the electric industry can be dangerous, attention to detail and a focus on safety can mitigate the risks involved.
Increased Risks in the Electric Industry
As people and businesses have become more dependent on elec- tricity for their everyday functions, the power grid has become critical to our economy. Gone are the days when major powerlines can be brought offline for repairs. Today’s linemen are often work- ing with live power lines, often with tens or hundreds of thousands of volts of electricity pulsing down the wire, ready to strike in the event of a single mistake.
“Linemen are increasingly working with live powerlines,” Guffey
says. “They seldom have the luxury of taking a circuit offline to work on it.”
Linemen must make use of personal protective equipment such as insulated gloves, sleeves and line covers to protect themselves from the dangers of high voltage. Newer trucks are designed to isolate the boom and bucket from the ground, thereby allowing the linemen to work high in the air on live lines, like a bird on a wire. All these devices must be regularly inspected for safety. Something as minor as a hole in a glove can cause serious injury or even death. Trucks used for working on live powerlines must be tested for electrical integrity at least once a year. Booms must be kept clean from dirt and oil lest high voltage electricity be con- ducted down the boom pole to the ground, possibly injuring the lineman or a person on the ground.
The Cost of Injury
Mick Hart, Cimarron Electric Cooperative, inspects a line hose that is draped over a live powerline to protect linemen from electrocution.
“It is impossible to measure the true cost in terms of dollars when there has been the loss of a valued co-worker,” says Corey Parr, vice president of safety and loss prevention for Federated Rural Electric Insurance Exchange, an organization that provides insurance to electric cooperatives and helps co-ops manage risk and lower injury rates. “The emotional and personal impacts are immeasurable.” The organization recently created a voluntary reporting program on their website, similar to the FAA’s Aviation Safety Reporting System. Workers can report unusual safety incidents to this data- base—anonymously if they like. This allows the consolidation and study of safety issues that linemen encounter in the field every day, and allows Federated and others to create training programs de- signed to mitigate these safety issues. “We encourage everyone at our co-ops to report unusual safety issues they run across,” explains Greg Hambrick, western area
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