Working Safely with Chain Saws
The chain saw has become an invaluable tool for lineworkers and arborists who maintain electrical systems, whether it is used for accessing areas for routine maintenance, for tree trimming to ensure circuit reliability or to clear problem areas during storm restoration efforts. The chain saw is also responsible for approximately 30,000 injuries a year. To […]

NESC and ANSI Z535 Safety Sign Standards for Electric Utility Power Plants and Substations
Both the NESC ANSI C2 rules and OSHA regulations require signs at appropriate places around utility facilities and workplaces. ANSI Z535 standards that specify the attributes of appropriate safety signs and labels for utility use include ANSI Z535.2: Environmental and Facility Safety Signs, ANSI Z535.3: Criteria for Safety Symbols and ANSI Z535.5: Safety Tags and […]

Train the Trainer 101: Arc Hazard Protection
You have read and heard about all of the related standards for arc flash protection and you still don’t have a program or even a plan for a program, right? In this installment of “Train the Trainer 101,” I will sift through the rules so you can begin a practical approach to creating an effective […]

Evaluating Crew Supervisors
Do your crew supervisors know what they should know about effectively managing a group of lineworkers to construct and maintain high-voltage power line systems? Often we find out the answer to this question too late. We made too many assumptions early on and the crew supervisor has now failed – possibly in a big way. […]
Learning Leadership: Leadership Skill Set 1: Self-Awareness
One of the greatest educational journeys you can take in life is to study yourself, other people and business, in that order. Too many people today have the journey backward. Knowing yourself is a fundamental objective when learning and understanding leadership. Throughout this article, we will build a case for why effective leadership of others […]
Voice of Experience: The Definition of Personal Protective Equipment
I can remember a day when I would ask employees to name the five topics of a job briefing and why personal protective equipment (PPE) is the fifth point on the list of topics. Since the second part of the question was always a greater challenge for everyone to understand, I’d like to take some […]

Soil Classification and Excavation Safety
An excavation – the act of creating a man-made cut, cavity, trench or depression in the earth’s surface – is one of the most hazardous activities that we deal with in construction. This Tailgate will shed light on proper soil classification, slope angle calculations and a simple rule that will help your employees make safe […]

