Tag: Worksite Safety

Choosing the correct fall protection equipment for climbing transmission structures Your company is or will be outfitting distribution linemen with fall protection belts that stop falls immediately on cutout. Why then, when considering fall protection equipment for transmission climbers, would you choose equipment that allows linemen to fall over four feet, hitting numerous step bolts and potentially their heads into the tower at close to 15 miles per hour? Is it because IEEE 1307-2004 paragraph 4.4.5 Fall Clearance Distance states: “The worker shall not contact any lower level. Lower level...

Despite the economic downturn, the wind energy industry is growing rapidly and establishing itself as a prominent, sustainable solution that will help generate enough power to help meet current and future demands for renewable energy. Global leaders recognize that wind power can and will be one of the largest sources of new electricity generation. The United States is taking a strong position in this industry; the Obama administration is supporting wind power with an aggressive renewable energy stimulus to back it financially and foster continued growth within the industry. The American...

The Department of Labor, Bureau of Statistics, says tower climbers have “the most dangerous job in America.” Steve Fleming, Director of Antenna & Tower Training at Safety One International (www.SafetyOneInc.com), says that on average accidents on towers and cranes lead to 25 deaths per year. Fleming further suggested that close to 80 percent of the deaths at communication towers over the period of 1992-2001 were attributed to falls. “It is no surprise that there are still serious accidents even with OSHA keeping watch,” Fleming said. “Think about it, there’s no room for error. All it...

Two standards are needed to specify clothing for high visibility and flame resistance. Most companies in the U.S. choose ANSI 107 (for high visibility) and ASTM F1506 (for flame-resistance clothing complying with NFPA 70E or OSHA 1910.269). Citing both means you will have clothing (shirts and vests primarily) that are highly visible and arc- and flash-fire resistant. However, the flame-resistance side is often a weakness because of manufacturers or marketers who push “flame-resistant” standards that are misleading or outright deceptive. On February 28, 2008, Worksafe Victoria, governmental...

Progress Energy is a Fortune 250 investor-owned electric utility company that comprises generation, transmission and distribution businesses and a general services company. Progress Energy’s 11,000 employees serve 2.9 million customers over a 50,000-square-mile retail service area in North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida. The generation business is made up of four nuclear, 16 fossil, four hydro and 30 combustion turbine plants. Transmission consists of high power voltage lines ranging from 69 kV to 500 kV, and various substations and switchyards. The distribution system consists of...

Drop into any hardware store or home improvement center, and you’re likely to find aisles full of tools labeled “ergonomic.” But what exactly does that mean? Simply put, ergonomics is the science of designing and producing tools and other work-related implements that improve a worker’s efficiency while reducing discomfort, fatigue, and risk of injury. “Ergonomically enhanced tools can include helpful features like angled handles, padded handgrips and non-slip coatings,” said Paul Holstein, COO of eTailer CableOrganizer.com. “However, no matter how impressive a tool’s design is, it’s almost...

Accidents happen when we least expect them. “Why?” is usually the first question. The common follow-up analysis is, “How could I have let this happen?” “Delayed intelligence” is a natural thought process following an accident or unpleasant event that can be explained by your level of thought awareness. Before the incident occurred, you likely were operating in “automatic.” Your level of thought awareness or attention to details while doing the task was low to numb, and you probably were operating out of habit. Immediately following the incident, your awareness level was elevated, and you...

Tower rescue presents a completely different level of difficulty in planning and methodology. Whether 250-ft communications or transmission towers, they are often necessarily placed in remote areas, and usually inaccessible to conventional paramedic rescue vehicles. While it is each individual employer’s responsibility to make their own determinations on how rescues will be accomplished, the following may help in preplanning for these unusual rescue situations. Pre-planning for rescue in these situations must answer several questions. Effective Communications911 plays a key role in...

Could deployment of an Automated External Defibrillator prevent sudden cardiac death and save your utility from a perfect legal storm? A few years ago, a popular movie retold the story of a lone fishing boat caught in the storm of the century. In this true story, three storm fronts came together to produce a deadly trap that the ship could not escape. In the utility industry today, several issues are building up simultaneously as well, creating the potential for a perfect storm of legal damage for those caught unaware. Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD), the overall leading cause of death in the...

An integral part of any electric utility infrastructure, substations that are properly designed and maintained by qualified and trained workers are safe and reliable. If a failure occurs, however, it can be catastrophic and even disastrous. The integrity of any substation starts with its design. Initial considerations include excavating the area, installing forms for concrete pads used as a foundation for equipment and the structure, installing an effective ground grid and conduit for associated wiring, laying down a high-resistance sand/gravel base and topping it off with a five-side...

Clearly a key component of the safety program at any facility, and particularly at a complex installation such as a nuclear power station, is its energy control policy. Commonly referred to as “lockout/tagout,” it is the plan developed by an employer to protect workers from serious injury or death resulting from the unexpected start-up of machines or equipment or the release of stored energy. Dominion’s Kewaunee Power Station is no exception. While many of these programs are driven by 29CFR1910.147 (Control of Hazardous Energy), energy control procedures at a power plant...

More than 2,000 workers are injured yearly in arc-flash incidents. High incident electrical energy traveling through the air results in an arc flash. Electricity jumps across a gap in milliseconds, heating a small quantity of air to temperatures reaching as high as 35,000 degrees F-three-and-a-half times the temperature of the surface of the sun-forming an intense fireball that vaporizes metal and burns everything combustible in the immediate area. When an arc flash occurs, energy is released in a number of forms. One is UV, causing injuries similar to sunburn, which can damage the eyes....

Have you ever heard “This is how we’ve always done it” or “We’ve never had a problem before” to describe events that have led up to personnel injuries or even death? While this is a common reaction when people are being questioned during an accident investigation, complacency in the workplace is one of the most dangerous states of mind for you or your employees. A job in the utilities industry can be quite rewarding. However, it can also become mundane and boring to people performing the same functions day in and day out. Knowing that these functions...

Advanced products offer utility safety professionals a more effective method for treating burn injuries with less suffering and help reduce injury-related costs. Utility safety professionals charged with lowering the risk of serious injury are undoubtedly focused on prevention. Not only does preventing workplace accidents eliminate pain and suffering, it also pays dividends in lower exposure to liability and in reduced Workers’ Compensation and related costs. It is also common practice among leading utility safety experts to provide products in the workplace that will make immediate...

How the right cleaner can extend the life of tools and workers by uncovering hidden damage and restoring high visibility. A power utility got a big surprise recently when they tested a new, specially formulated rubber goods cleaner on a hot-line jumper. The cleaner revealed potentially hazardous burn and cut damage lurking beneath the grimy, blackened surface. The failed tool was removed from service, averting possible injury. REMOVE GRIME, REVEAL DAMAGE Rubber goods take a beating in the field. Dirt and grime build-up turns tools black. Any change in appearance is a warning that the rubber...

A look at an often unheeded danger. Learn more about frostbite and the predisposing factors that significantly increase its likelihood. David awkwardly gripped the mug with his right hand, forgetting the deformities, and the ceramic cup fell to the floor and shattered. To this day, simple tasks such as fetching a cup of coffee prove to be tricky. Since the incident, David has been relegated to the meter shop rather than working out in the field. Disappointed with his clumsy act, he recalled the event that claimed two fingers and the job he had thoroughly loved. It was a bitter day, but...

Among utility workforces there are many excuses for not practicing sound ergonomics along with safety. The most common excuse is that an aging workforce is naturally more injury prone and there is nothing that can be done about it. Another excuse is: “we’ve always done it that way.” To make matters worse, many firms have hired ergonomics consultants who deliver totally unworkable proposals. For example, one consulting firm suggested to a meter-servicing unit that they install an expensive ($10,000) electric motor height-adjustable platform to accommodate a shorter-stature...

What do a pain in the neck, back or shoulder have in common? Unsafe work behaviors. What’s an ounce of prevention really worth? Not much standing alone. In essence it comes down to equal parts awareness and action in the realms of both safety and health. Awareness without action is simply unused information; action without awareness is simply impulse. Neither is particularly effective without the other. Similar is the link between safety and health. It has been shown with more and more certainty that safety, the practice of consistent safe behaviors, cannot happen in the workplace...