1. OWEN ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE
WORKING ON OR NEAR EXPOSED ENERGIZED LINES
Explain the purpose of this training, which is to train employees on the rules set forth in the OSHA standard on working on or near energized lines. (29cfr )
Use an example such as football. People play and watch it for years but how many of them have read and memorized the rule book? Not many.
It’s the same with line work. Not many people who do it have been trained on the OSHA standards that apply.
This is just part of the applicable standards.

2. QUALIFIED EMPLOYEES
Only qualified employees may perform work on electric distribution systems.
Qualified employees shall be trained in and familiar with the safety related work practices, safety procedures and other safety requirements set forth in “OSHA , Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution”.
To be considered a qualified person the standard says that you must be trained on the rules set forth herein.
Ask the participants if OSHA would consider them qualified.
Tell them you will ask them again at the end of this training and if the answer is no then more training may be required.

3. QUALIFIED EMPLOYEES
Qualified employees shall also be trained and competent in and posses the skills and techniques necessary to:
distinguish live parts from other parts of electric equipment
determine the nominal voltage of exposed live parts
Ask the employees if they can look at a pole and distinguish what is energized and what is not. Could a new apprentice make the same determination?
Nominal voltage is the maximum voltage the system is designed to carry.
Ask the participants if they could go to another system to work a storm and determine the nominal voltage by looking at the framing, insulators, etc.? If they can determine the maximum voltage possible then they can choose appropriate personal protective equipment.

4. QUALIFIED EMPLOYEES
Use special precautionary techniques, personal protective equipment, insulating and shielding materials, and insulated tools for working on or near exposed energized parts of electric equipment.
To comply with the OSHA standard a person must have this training to be considered a qualified person.
Do the participants know how to use special tools, and techniques that would only apply to this industry?
Reiterate what a qualified person is and how important it is to establish and document who is competent.

5. QUALIFIED EMPLOYEES
The employer shall determine through regular supervision and through inspections conducted on an annual basis that each employee is complying with the Safety related work practices in the OSHA standard.
This is why employers must perform safety audits that check the safe working procedures of employees.
They must also document that employees are disciplined for non-compliance.

6. EXISTING CONDITIONS
Existing conditions related to the safety of the work to be performed shall be determined before starting work on or near electric lines or equipment, such as but not limited to:
nominal voltage
hazardous induced voltage
protective grounds
condition of poles
All existing conditions must be checked, even slippery working surfaces or soft or loose ground where large vehicles may traverse.

7. JOB BRIEFING
The employee in charge shall conduct a job briefing with the employees involved before they start each job. The briefing shall cover at least the following subjects:
hazards associated with the job
work procedures involved
special precautions
energy source controls
PPE requirements
Every crew must conduct a job briefing before each job. If you are going to be setting poles near energized primary all day, then you would just do one job briefing that would cover the hazards of setting poles and the PPE required.
If you are going to lay out the wire on a single phase straight line pole then later you are going to lay out the wire on a three phase double dead-end, a second job briefing is required because there are additional and different hazards on the second job.

8. JOB BRIEFING
If the work operations to be performed during the day are repetitive and similar, then only one briefing is required.
Additional briefings must be held if significant changes, that might affect the safety of the employees, occur during the course of the work.
Most crews get together before each job to discuss how they are going to do it, however, to be considered a job briefing which meets the intent of this standard, you must cover all areas listed.

9. JOB BRIEFING
An employee working alone need not conduct a job briefing. However, the task to be performed shall be planned as if a briefing were required.
Take a moment hear to share a story with the group that illustrates someone working alone, and not properly planning their work.
I knew a serviceman who climbed a pole to check a security light. He climbed over an unauthorized attachment while ascending the pole. When he learned the light needed replaced, he removed it from the pole and carried it in one hand and used the other hand to hitch hick his safety strap down the pole. When he came to the unauthorized attachment he had to lean forward to get his safety over it. Upon leaning forward he kicked out and fell. The point of this story is that he did not plan his work by using a hand line to lower material and he climbed over something put on the pole by the consumer. Both points would have been covered in a job briefing if he were working on a crew.

10. GENERAL
Only qualified employees may work in areas containing energized lines or equipment operating at 50 volts or more.
Electric lines and equipment shall be treated as energized unless they are de-energized, tested for voltage, and grounded in accordance with Owen Electric Cooperative’s de-energizing lines program.
Remind the group that the standard on qualified employees is 50 volts or more, which would include secondaries.
A non-qualified employee such as an apprentice lineman may work as a qualified employee if he is under the direct supervision of a qualified person.

11. WORKING ALONE
At least two employees shall be present while the following work is being performed:
Installation, repair, or removal of lines energized at 600 volts or more.
Installation, removal, or repair of de-energized lines if an employee is exposed to contact with other parts energized at 600 volts or more.
This topic always sparks conversation at utilities because because of the night time call out. With a contractor make sure they understand that working alone can mean when a person is working with a large conversion crew but has been assigned to perform work on a pole by himself.

12. WORKING ALONE
Installation, removal, or repair of equipment such as transformers, capacitors, and regulators, if an employee is exposed to contract with parts energized at more than 600 volts.
Work involving the use of mechanical equipment other than insulated aerial lifts, near parts energized at more than 600 volts.
Any other work that exposes employees to contact with more than 600 volts.
Some utilities let servicemen use a small bucket truck with a material handler to change out transformers. This practice would be in violation of the standard.
Mechanical equipment other than aerial lifts would be digger derricks. The obvious reason for this is that operating a boom truck from the ground often requires an observer to distinguish the closeness of the proximity of the truck to the lines.

13. WORKING ALONE
Employees may work alone on lines and equipment energized at more than 600 volts when:
Performing the routine switching of circuits, if the employer can demonstrate that conditions at the site allow this work to be performed safely.
Work performed with live-line tools if the employee is positioned so that he/she is neither within reach of nor otherwise exposed to contact with energized parts.
So when can an employee work alone? When using a stick that keeps them far enough away from the energized parts that there is no possibility of a contact.

14. WORKING ALONE
Performing emergency repairs to safeguard the general public.
If the employees are the only qualified person at a scene and the safety of the general public is at stake then they would be exempted from the rules for working alone etc.
Use the safest means possible to de-energize the lines.

15. MINIMUM APPROACH DISTANCE
No employee shall approach or take any conductive object without an insulating handle closer to exposed energized parts than the clearances set forth in tables 6.1 through 6.5 of the APPA safety manual unless the employee is insulated from the energized part or the energized part is insulated from the employee.
Make sure that you explain minimum approach distance and how it applies to non-insulated portions of the body.

16. GLOVES AND SLEEVES
When climbing on poles that have lines or equipment energized at 600 volts or more, Rubber gloves shall be worn from the time the employee leaves the ground until he/she returns to the ground. “Ground to Ground”
When the employee is more than five feet from any energized lines or parts he/she may remove the rubber gloves to perform intricate work. The gloves must be put back on before ascending or descending the pole.
Take this time to look at and discuss your companies policy on wearing gloves and sleeves.

17. GLOVES AND SLEEVES
When working on lines or equipment energized at 600 volts or more from an aerial lifting device (bucket truck), employees are required to wear rubber insulating gloves and sleeves from the time the boom is lifted from the stored position until it is returned to the stored position. “Cradle to Cradle”

18. GLOVES AND SLEEVES Sleeves are not required when:
Exposed energized parts on which which work is not being performed are insulated from the employee.
Such insulation is placed from a position not exposing the upper arm to contact.

19. WORK POSITION
Whenever possible each employee shall work from a position from which a slip or shock will not bring the employees body into contact with exposed parts energized at a potential different from the employees body.
Talk about work position. Most apprentice training schools teach people to work from below the phases to meet this standard, however we realize this may not always be possible.

20. WORK POSITION

21. MAKING CONNECTIONS
When connecting jumpers, always connect it to the de-energized side first.
When disconnecting, always disconnect the source end first.
Loose conductors shall always be kept away from energized parts.
Use this slide to talk about making connections of any kind, including mechanical jumpers. You should always hold the hot end of a mechanical jumper with one hand on the outside of the bucket and you should always be aware of where the head is.

22. APPAREL
Employees shall remove or render nonconductive all exposed conductive articles, such as key or watch chains, rings, or wrist watches or bands, unless such articles do not increase the hazards associated with a contact.
Each employee must be trained in the hazards of flames or electric arcs.
Employees shall not wear clothing that when exposed to flames or electric arcs, could increase the extent of injury.
Talk about the apparel standard found at (l) (6) (i)
Talk about the effects of an electric arc, what it will burn and how fabrics can melt to the skin volts can arc at up to 26,000 degrees.

23. APPAREL
Clothing made from acetate, nylon, polyester or rayon either alone or in blends, are prohibited by OSHA regulations.
Even the nylon lining inside a coat can melt when exposed to electric arcs.
Hooded sweatshirts and flannel shirts are very dangerous even though they are 100% cotton because the looseness of the weave in fabric allows a lot of oxygen in the fabric which makes it burn quickly.

24. FUSE HANDLING
When expulsion type fuses must be installed or removed with one or both terminals energized at 300 volts or more, employees shall wear eye protection, use a tool rated for the voltage, and is clear from the exhaust path of the fuse barrel.
Always close a fuse door with a shotgun stick “Good practice makes good habits” some people use a pop tool or a hammer handle or even a rubber gloved hand.

25. FUSE HANDLING
This guy needed all 8 feet of his stick.

26. Covered Conductors
The OSHA requirements which pertain to the hazards of exposed live parts, also apply when work is performed in the proximity of covered (non-insulated) wires.
If this statement is true, look at how close the lineman’s body is to the conductor. How much do you trust a rubber hose?
Hoses are great for protection while moving a phase or working close to it, leaning on one to pose for a picture is a little ridiculous.

27. METAL PARTS
Non-currentcarrying parts of equipment such as transformer cases and circuit breaker housing shall be treated as energized at full voltage until inspected for proper grounds.
Remember to check for grounds.
Absence on a ground can also cause fluctuating voltage.

28. POLES
Before poles or towers are subjected to such stresses that climbing or the installation or removal of equipment may impose, they shall be checked to ascertain that they are capable of sustaining the additional or unbalanced stresses.
Always make sure a pole is safe to climb. You may have to work from a baker board on an adjacent pole or guy the pole or hold it with a truck.

29. POLES
When poles are set near exposed energized overhead conductors, the poles shall not be allowed to contact the conductor.
Employees contacting the pole shall use electrical protective equipment and not contact the pole with any unprotected portion of their body.
Pole holes shall be guarded or protected.
The guy on the ground must wear gloves and be trained “if the pole gets away from you, get away from the pole” do not allow an non-insulated portion of your body to contact the pole.
Hot boots insulated at 20,000 volts are an excellent idea. Even with a hole in the sole they can insulate up to 10,000 volts.
Ask if there are any questions on any of the rules we covered. There are other sections in the standard that pertain to pulling wire, lockout / tag out etc.