Road maintenance crews perform a lot of their work around overhead and underground power lines. It is understandable that workers become overly comfortable around these killers and it is helpful to periodically review the safety best practices that should go with any excavation, tree trimming or felling, bridge work, or other activities that can bring them close to utilities underground or above.
In truth, the safety best practices are straightforward. Whether the work is planned or part of a response to storms, contact the power company before any work is performed, follow their directions, abide by stand down or standby directives, wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) correctly, and proceed with caution.
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), electrocution is the third leading cause of construction deaths in the United States. Training of crews is important to make sure they understand standard operating procedures (SOPs) for working around utilities and that they understand how to properly wear PPE.
For any excavation on the Delaware and the Eastern Shore of Maryland, the Utilities Service Protection Center of Delmarva, Inc. (USPCD), commonly referred to as Miss Utility (i.e., “Miss the Utilities”), is the go to source for utility safety. Delaware code (Title 26, Chapter 8) establishes USPCD as the approved notification center for Delaware. The Maryland Public Service Commission also made USPCD the “One-call system” for the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Miss Utility of Delmarva is a free service for both the professional excavator and homeowner and anyone engaged in excavation activities is required to notify USPCD before work begins. The Miss Utility system is designed to be responsive to schedule needs of parties that work around the utilities.
During excavation activities (e.g., culvert or bridge replacement, drainage repair), Miss Utility should be able to quickly identify where all underground lines are located and then work can proceed with proper care. During tree trimming or felling operations (e.g., response to a tropical storm remnant or a severe snow or ice storm), lines may already be damaged and unstable. Often, the power company will instruct you to stand down until their personnel are onsite and can assess the safety of proceeding forward. They may ask that you defer to their personnel for certain tree or tree limb removal because they may have specialized equipment or training. It is understandable that your crew may be anxious to restore the road, but it is important that you follow their direction for your safety and the safety of others.
When you are cleared to work around power lines, the supervisor and crew need to be vigilant. As cranes, backhoes, or other equipment swing around in the roadway, someone should always be spotting the operator to ensure the separation distances are maintained. Some of the dangers of overhead power lines with use of equipment are shown in this OSHA video, together with recommended best practices.
Response to storms often will involve chainsaws, pole saws, and even ladders. Again, the power company should be consulted before any reactionary work takes place around power lines, particularly when they are damaged or downed. Even when the lines haven’t been visibly damaged, use of ladders, boom trucks, and pole saws must proceed with heightened awareness of the dangers. For example, another OSHA video examines ladder safety around power lines and you can easily apply the safety approaches they describe to your own use of ladders or pole saws around power lines.
OSHA has a number of regulations pertaining to power lines and working around them. They also provide training tools that can be reviewed with crews, such as the Line-Clearance Tree Trimming Operations e-Tool.
At the 2018 Roadway Management Conference, in Gettysburg, attendees observed a demonstration by the Adams Electric Cooperative with their high-voltage safety demonstration trailer. We expect to connect with Dominion Energy for a similar demonstration at the RMC in Charlottesville, Virginia this October. This is an impactful demonstration of the risks and best practices around high voltage infrastructure.
Because so much of a local agency’s work brings the potential to interact with overhead and buried power lines, as well as other hazardous utilities, periodic review of the hazards with crew personnel and reinforcement of PPE requirements and SOPs is a proactive measure against injury. So, before you get out the old chainsaw, take time out for a safety talk.
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