Tag: #utilities

Guy wires and power lines can be a deadly mix, OSHA warns

Posted on by McCraren Compliance
energized-high-voltage-lines.jpg
Photo: OSHA

Washington — Spurred by a number of deaths in which a guy wire being worked on contacted an energized high-voltage power line, OSHA has issued a hazard alert.

In some of the cases, OSHA says its investigations revealed that the guy wires “weren’t grounded and had insulators positioned incorrectly.”

Guy wires are installed on poles for support. According to the agency, workers on the ground can be exposed to electrical hazards when:

  • Installing a new guy wire on a pole with energized lines.
  • Adjusting the tension to remove slack from a guy wire.
  • Replacing a guy wire after an incident or natural disaster.

“To protect employees, guy wires must be either effectively grounded or have properly positioned insulators to block the flow of electric current,” OSHA says.

The alert features illustrations on proper and improper positioning of insulation on guy wires.

“OSHA recommends employers follow relevant guidelines in consensus standards, such as the National Electrical Safety Code (IEEE, NESC-C2), which recommends ungrounded guy wires have insulators installed to prevent electric current from traveling down the guy wire to below 8 feet above the ground level,” the alert states.

McCraren Compliance offers a full range of safety and health training and consulting services. Plus we can help you incorporate well-being into your traditional systems in order to support the Total Worker Health of your workforce.

Call 888-758-4757, email info@mccrarencompliance.com or visit our website www.mccrarencompliance.com

Original article published by Safety+Health an NSC publication

Communication tower association committee tests worker safety gear

Posted on by McCraren Compliance
Jeremy-Buckles.jpg

Photo: NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association

Dayton, OH — A new video from NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association highlights the efforts of its Safety Equipment Manufacturers Committee to “test equipment the way it’s being used in the field.”

In cooperation with the University of Dayton’s Structures and Materials Assessment, Research, and Test (SMART) Laboratory, SEMC members test equipment – under real-world conditions – that meet the standards of the American National Standards Institute.

SEMC Chair Jeremy Buckles says in the video that the committee so far has developed five tests that simulate tasks during a tower climber’s workday.

“We wanted to show the climbers how their equipment functions under their everyday use. We want to make sure that we show the climbers if it’s supposed to function under motion, we’re going to test it for motion. There isn’t a standard test for that, so that’s what we’re here for.”

Buckles calls the committee a “group of friends” who share “a common goal of protecting the climbers, because our passion is for the industry.”

The video is the most recent installment in NATE’s Climber Connection series, which promotes safe work practices for communication tower workers. The association asks climbers and other industry stakeholders to use the hashtag #ClimberConnection when posting the video on social media platforms.

McCraren Compliance offers a full range of safety and health training and consulting services. Plus we can help you incorporate well-being into your traditional systems in order to support the Total Worker Health of your workforce.

Call 888-758-4757, email info@mccrarencompliance.com or visit our website www.mccrarencompliance.com

Original article published by Safety+Health an NSC publication

New video spotlights harness inspection safety

Posted on by McCraren Compliance
Original article published by Safety+Health
harness
Photo: Infrastructure Health and Safety Association

Toronto — A damaged harness can be the difference between a near-miss incident and a catastrophic fall when working at height, the Infrastructure Health and Safety Association says.

The association has published a video tutorial to help guide workers through properly inspecting their fall protection harness. It walks viewers through the inspection process, from reviewing the manufacturer’s instructions to inspecting the straps and stitching, checking the deployment indicators, and examining buckles and grommets.

“With the number of incidents occurring on jobsites that require working at height, it’s crucial for every worker to have a thorough understanding of how to inspect their safety harnesses,” IHSA says. “Follow these steps every time you don a harness to improve your ability to work safe for life.”

IHSA is one of four sector-focused safe workplace associations designated under Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Act. The video is the latest in its “Safety Talks” series.

McCraren Compliance offers many opportunities in safety training to help circumvent accidents. Please take a moment to visit our calendar of classes to see what we can do to help your safety measures from training to consulting.

McCraren Compliance offers many opportunities in safety training to help circumvent accidents. Please take a moment to visit our calendar of classes to see what we can do to help your safety measures from training to consulting.

New video for tower workers: work zone safety

Posted on by McCraren Compliance
Original article published by Safety+Health
work-zone-protection.jpg
Photo: NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association

Watertown, SD — A new video from NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association explores traffic control concepts intended to protect workers in roadway work zones.

Work zone protection requirements vary at state and local levels, video host Sean Gilhooley says, but all are based on Department of Transportation requirements and enforced by OSHA and state/local police.

George Kerstetter – director of outside plant operations at Tooele, UT-based Beehive Broadband and member of multiple NATE committees – offers input throughout the video. Kerstetter begins by recommending supervisors consider aspects such as time of day, volume of traffic, roadway speed limit and work zone proximity to the roadway when determining proper traffic control methods. Other suggestions:

  • Equip workers with high-visibility vests, proper head and eye protection, and steel-toed footwear. Workers should wear Type 2 vests during daylight hours and Type 3 vests at night. The latter type includes more retroreflective material as well as sleeves “to help identify you a little bit better as a human,” Kerstetter says.
  • Check whether the jurisdiction where the work is being performed has written traffic control plans. Make sure signs or temporary traffic control devices are visible to drivers.
  • Use a flagger or spotter if the work zone encroaches on a lane of traffic.
  • Direct traffic safely around the work zone while also accounting for pedestrians. Use cones to mark off the area and caution tape to direct people away from open trenches or holes.

The video is the most recent installment in NATE’s Climber Connection series, which promotes safe work practices for communication tower workers. The association asks climbers and other industry stakeholders to use the hashtag #ClimberConnection when posting the video on social media platforms.

McCraren Compliance offers many opportunities in safety training to help circumvent accidents. Please take a moment to visit our calendar of classes to see what we can do to help your safety measures from training to consulting.