Being an electrical lineman can be a very dangerous, even life threatening job. Many electrical linemen have lost their lives due to carelessness, or lack of knowledge on how to properly remain safe. The first step in creating a safe work environment as an electrical linemen, is first realizing that the job is dangerous, and precautions are needed. Additionally, you need to understand the risks that apply to the job, and identify them. Some of these risks include falling, electrocution as well as fires and or explosions.
To prevent the aforementioned risks, wear your equipment properly, this will give you extra protection, and possibly prevent injury. Use your tools appropriately, and do not use tools you’re not fully familiar with, its not worth the risk. For example, the Lineman dies and adapters, a tool you use when working on the line, if you don’t know the proper dies or adapters to use for the job, you shouldn’t try to do it without confirming you have the correct tool for the job first. In addition to the risk reducing techniques, do not rush by any means, when working in an electrical line, any quick movement can cause a shortage which can lead to an explosion.
It is recommended that you work in groups, and not individually due to the fact that someone in the group might notice something that you individually might not have noticed, decreasing the risk factor to this job. Lastly, always be aware of your surroundings, often times you can control whether an accident will happen or not just by being aware. Be mindful of the things you are around such as your tools, people, and the electrical components. While all these risks don’t as often apply to veterans, they heavily apply to young individuals new to the field.
These newcomers are at the most risk, they tend to overlook safety protocol because of their mindset. They assume they will be fine instead of taking the extra time to ensure that they will be safe by staying informed with safety guidelines. Keeping electrical Linemen safe is important for multiple reasons, one is because the utility work they do is essential for not only keeping our homes running, but everywhere else in public areas too.
Faulty electrical jobs can also not only potentially harm the linemen, but surrounding citizens as well. Each year many linemen ignore these mentioned safety procedures, and as a result of this many have lost their lives. Some of these unfortunate men didn’t even have the chance to return to their families at their home. As an electrical linemen your mindset toward the job will affect not only how you perform, but also your safety.
Younger workers should pay more attention to the safety guidelines in order to reduce the risks that apply to them. Striving for safety will improve both the quality of your work, due to you being more cautious, and reduce the overall risk that comes with the job significantly. Employers need to enforce these safety guidelines to maintain the safety of their employees at all times, and regularly make revisions on the guidelines. As technology also evolves, more risks may present themselves in the future.
The tools used typically by a lineman are dies and adapters, compression tools as well as cable cutters. The safety gear that should be used are: a hard hat, to protect the brain from any possible injury, insulated gloves specifically ones to handle high voltage, climbing belts, to remain safe in the event of needing to climb a pole, and boots. The type of boots needed may vary depending on the type of climbing required.
