Fatal Forklift Accident in Ohio

A worksite accident last July 15 left one casualty at Appleton Paper in West Carrollton, Ohio. The worker, William Wilson, got his legs trapped under a beam that fell from a forklift. The heavy beam, a spreader bar, had to be crane-lifted off of the victim by the emergency crew that responded to the accident. Though Wilson was rushed to the Miami Valley Hospital, he later died due to complications. He was 39 years old.

Initial reports had stated that the accident involved a fallen crane, but was later on clarified as a spreader bar that fell from a forklift being used on the plant. OSHA has yet to do further investigations, as well as has stated that it could take more than two weeks before investigations finish and the real cause of the accident is determined. Due to this incident and the obvious need to do equipment checks and maintenance on the plant site, Appleton Paper was shut down.

Such accidents and casualties in the workplace can be prevented, given the implementation and observance of safe work practices such as regular equipment maintenance, proper lockout/tag-out procedures, safe and skillful operation of powered industrial equipment, secure rigging, and sufficient hazard communication in the area. The management and owners should be the first to assert such safety on the jobsite, with the safety and welfare of their workers in mind. Notwithstanding, the workers have to strive alongside the management as well in making sure that their safety is looked out for in the workplace. Together, further unfortunate incidents such as this can be avoided.

Dallas Cowboys’ Facility Collapse: Lessons on Legality

Initial investigations on the recent collapse of the Dallas Cowboys’ practice facility in the city of Irving, Texas exposed some issues on legality related to planning, building and maintaining the facility.  Reports revealed the lack of the building’s blueprints and other specifications as well as the lack of an engineer’s seal on the planning documents.  These and some other lapses may seem menial at first, but they can prove to be very important – especially in case facilities collapse and lives of people are harmed.

Owners, building contractors, engineers and even the local authorities can learn from this incident.  Here are some lessons from the Dallas experience.  Take note of them and make sure you don’t make the same mistakes.

• Keep records and copies of all work-related documents such as blueprints and other building specifications.  Submit required files to the proper authority.  Apparently, the city of Irving lacked files of the facility, including a record of the engineer who signed off on the facility’s design.

• Make sure that your planning documents have an engineer’s seal.  Remember that those who violate this will be punished.

• Check that your facility builder has a state license.  They need this before they can build or even design your facility.  The investigators of the states’ board of engineers found that the builder of Cowboys’ had no license when they designed and built the facility.

• Follow the local building code.  Have any re-covering or any improvement on your facility inspected.  The Cowboys’ roof was reportedly replaced last year but no inspection on it was done.

• Examine the reputation of your facility’s builder.  Their years of experience should be matched by good records.  The company that built the Cowboys facility has a record of a building that collapsed years ago, allegedly due to the company’s negligence in design and construction.

• When your facility collapses, have it inspected (usually by the National Institute of Standards and Authority) for future recommendations.  Don’t let others experience the same fate due to the familiar lapses in legality.

Other lessons that can be useful in preventing such accidents are:

• Maintain your facility properly and regularly.  Always eliminate hazards.

• Provide safety measure for your facility’s occupants.  Train your workers too on what to do and who to call in case of emergencies.  Always be prepared.

• Know and follow the law.  Don’t wait for any accident to happen before you keep up with your local standards and policies.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is reportedly set to release a report on the Cowboys’ incident in about six months.  Hopefully, more valuable lessons will be learned from this and applied in the building and construction industry.

OSHA to Investigate on the Cause of Dallas Cowboys’ Facility Collapse

On Saturday, tragedy struck as 12 people were injured after the Dallas Cowboys’ practice facility collapsed. The Occupational Safety and Health Administratioon (OSHA) is currently conducting an investigation on the cause of the accident. “We’re trying to determine if there were any violations, or determine the cause,” said Elizabeth Todd, spokeswoman for Region 6 of OSHA. She added that OSHA investigators will be looking for identifiable hazards, as well as interviewing witnesses. The agency has six months to finish its investigation.

During the incident, about 70 people were inside the Cowboys’ facility for a rookie mini-camp practice. This includes players and coaches, as well as staff and media. A line of heavy thunderstorms hit the dome, causing the lights on the dome’s ceiling to swing violently right before the ceiling crashed to the ground. This whole scene was caught on video.

Among those injured in the collapse was Rich Behm, a scouting assistant who suffered from a severed spinal cord and was paralyzed from the waist down because of the accident.

Related Link:

San Diego Scaffolding Collapse Update

Better Fall Protection in Your Workplace:  News and Safety Tips

Creating Emergency Action Plans for Your Workplace

A Guide to Safety for Exits and Exit Routes in the Workplace

5 Distractions that Cause Workplace Hazards

Following OSHA Rules, Protecting Employees:  6 Workplace Safety Tips Often Taken for Granted

Manufacturing Safety: Safe Operation of Robots or Robotics Systems

Forget dogs. Robots are humans’ best friends. They may not be fond of fetching twigs or licking your feet, but you can rely on them when it comes to accomplishing tasks half the time.

This is the very reason why they are ideal helpers in factories and other manufacturing facilities. Not only can an industrial robot be designed to finish jobs assigned to ten people, it can be very useful in eliminating hazards that human workers are exposed to in a workplace. This can be anything from heat stress to electrocution to amputation.

But just as robots or robotics systems help reduce or eliminate workplace hazards, they can bring in new ones with their presence. These hazards usually arise with lack of training for employees, as well as improper use of guards.

Here are some general guidelines in reducing or eliminating the hazards posed by robots or robotics systems:

• Employer must insure that the company has a written robotics safety policy that all employees working with or near robots understand.

• The written robotics safety policy must indicate the names of personnel who are authorized to work with robots.

• All robot operators must receive adequate training in hazard recognition, control of robots, as well as the proper operating procedure of the robot and related equipment.

• Employers or safety coordinators must make sure only programmers have access to the work envelope and full control of the robot when it is in teach mode.

• Each robot must be installed according to the manufacturer’s guidelines and applicable codes.

• All robots must be compatible with environmental conditions.

• Power used for the robot must follow the specifications of the manufacturer.

• Each robot must be secured in such a way that it prevents vibration and tip over.

• Each robot must be installed in such a way that hazards like pinch points with robot components and fixed objects are avoided.

• The zones of movement of the robot must be posted on signs and markings displayed conspicuously on floors, walls and the robot itself.

• Stops must be placed on the robot system’s axes. This way, its motions are limited when under rated load or maximum speed conditions.

• Proper lockout procedures must be established and followed for preventive maintenance or repair operations.

• Ensure that robot manufacturer’s preventive maintenance schedule is followed rigorously.

• Before servicing the robot, workers must neutralize first the stored energy devices like springs and accumulators.

• Employees must conduct a periodic check of all safety-critical equipment and connections.

Related Links:

Better Safety with Machine Guards: Basics and Proper Use

Lockout Tagout Basics : Machinery Tags (When Absence Means Trouble)

OSHA Announces Top 10 Most Cited Violations

Safety for Maintenance Workers: PPE for Gardeners

Among  various jobs in the maintenance industry, gardening is probably the most fun.  Not only can you work outdoors, you also get the chance to be in touch with nature. If you think about it, gardening can be one relaxing job.

But you can barely relax when you’re faced with hazards like heat stress, blindness, amputation and falls.  That’s right.  Apparently, the most fun maintenance job can be the most threatening too  That is, unless you learn to protect yourself from the hazards you’re exposed to.

One basic way to do this is to wear proper gardening PPE (personal protective equipment). Whether you’re clipping hedges, manicuring lawns or trimming trees,  you might want to wear the following protective clothing/equipment for they can actually save your life:  

1.  Face shields or safety goggles/safety glasses

• indispensable when using high-powered tools and equipment like chain saws and lawn mowers to protect you from flying debris

Bonus gardening tip: Face shields also act as additional protection against the harsh rays of the sun.

2.  Long-sleeved clothing

• useful as protection against UV rays and flying debris

Bonus gardening tip: Long-sleeved shirt and pants should always be snug to prevent entanglement with hedges, bushes and power equipment

3.  Safety gloves

• must be worn when operating a walk-behind mower, hedge clippers and other garden tools or equipment that expose you to finger or hand injuries like scratches, blisters and cuts.

Bonus gardening tip: Safety gloves help you get a firmer grip of tools and equipment

4.  Hat or cap

• helps protect you from direct sunlight

5.  Helmet or hard hat

• required when using a ride-on mower, trimming branches of trees or going to great heights

6.  Steel-toed boots and shin guards

• necessary when operating a push mower, chain saw and other power equipment that may injure your toes or feet

Bonus gardening tip: Whatever gardening tasks you have, always wear non-slip boots/shoes with no lace to prevent entanglement with equipment, bushes and hedges.

7.  Hearing protection like earmuffs and earplugs

• necessary when operating high-powered tools and equipment

8.  Chainsaw jackets

• may only be worn after assessing the risk of developing heat stress

9.  Fall protection

• required when you have to work aloft in a tree or other high areas

• usually consists of safety belt, safety strap, saddle belt and rope saddle

Related Links:

Safety Measures for Changing Weather

5 Distractions that Cause Workplace  Hazards

Heat Stress 101 – Part 1

Heat Stress 101 – Part 2

Heat Stress 101 – Part 3

Better Safety with Machine Guards: Basics and Proper Use

Lockout Tagout Basics : Machinery Tags (When Absence Means Trouble)

Top 10 OSHA Fines for Small Companies

January Safety Tipbits: Compilation of Tips and Safety Measures in the Month of January

1.  Vehicle Safety During Winter:  Safe Use of Snow Chains

The holidays have come and gone yet we’re still left with the torturing cold of winter. For many of us, going on the road does not just mean shoveling up snow and getting rid of ice. It also means driving with double caution.

Driving slowly is not enough, though. Some states actually require the use of snow chains to…(read the whole article)

2.  Winter Safety at the Workplace:  What to Do Before a Blizzard and Other Winter Storms

If I were to become one of the X-Men, Storm would definitely be my choice. Who else has the power to control all weather conditions in the whole universe? Okay, it might also be because of her gorgeous body, flawless skin, elegant tresses and her unrivaled ability to pick locks. But hey, even without those traits, she’s one of the most powerful mutants in their weird bunch. When I was a little girl, she was the only X-men mutant who never ceased to scare me whenever her white eyes and raging storms flashed on the TV screen. …(read the whole article)

3.  Winter Storm Survival Measures Part 2: What to Do during a Winter Storm

After raving about Storm yesterday, I’m back with a sequel to blizzard or winter storm preparations. Today, I’ll be serving you with a list of safety measures when facing a winter storm while on the job. No mutants in outlandish costumes this time, but just some things to remember and apply in case you get stuck at work while…(read the whole article)

4.  Outdoor Safety at the Workplace:  9 Winter Safety Tips You Didn’t Know

Working during winter feels more like survival of the fittest than an everyday challenge. The risks are even tenfold for employees who have to work and drive outdoors. Here are nine tips that should keep you safe during this…(read the whole article)

5.  General Maintenance and Winter Safety: Repairing Damaged or Downed Power Lines and Trees

Among employees most at risk during winter are electrical utility workers. Not only do they have to brave the bitter cold outdoors, they are also in charge of servicing damaged or downed power lines, as well as clearing fallen trees. Such tasks are already highly dangerous so you can just imagine the risks involved when workers have to…(read the whole article)

6.  Mining Safety:  Rising Hazards in Mining Sites during Winter

Every year, mining fatalities rise during the winter season. The risk of getting ill, injured or killed is doubled, if not tripled, with the combination of low humidity, low barometric pressures and seasonal drying of some areas in coal mines.

During winter, coal dust is suspended in the atmosphere what with the air being dryer than usual. This increases the hazard of explosion. Winter also brings about low…(read the whole article)

7.  Winter Safety:  7 Tips for Winter Slip and Fall Prevention

If only winter fairy godmothers existed in real life, we could ask for this protective bubble around every worker so that they’d forever be spared the doom of slipping on slippery surfaces. Okay, maybe not forever but only in winter when walkways and steps are more slippery and…(read the whole article)

8.  Winter Safety:  9 Tips on Driving on Icy Slopes or Hills

Driving in snow means facing a multitude of tests. First, there is the test in humility. No matter how good a driver you are, winter driving requires you to slow down. Second is the test in patience. You want so bad to get to where you have to go. But you have no choice but to keep a longer following distance from the vehicle in front of you. Third is the test in colors. If you don’t know the color of …(read the whole article)

9.  Chemical Safety:  Guidelines in Pouring and Molding Plastic

If plastic weren’t invented, we would be stuck with buying wooden furniture, stone figurines, glass mugs and all other heavier and more expensive materials on the market. While being useful and indispensable in many areas of our lives, plastic is one of the most hazardous materials in the manufacturing industry. To prevent illnesses and…(read the whole article)

10.  5 Safety Tips for Construction Workers on Avoiding Stress and Injury

Working as a construction worker is much like being a superhero. Every day, you’re tasked with bearing heavy loads and using ultra cool equipment and tools. Riding in cranes and squatting on scaffolds put you so high in the sky that you almost feel like flying. But the same things that make construction job extraordinary could put…(read the whole article)

11.  Vehicle Safety Tips: All You Need to Know about Night Driving

I remember how as a child I always loved going on joy rides at night. For me, the cool breeze and bright lights at night are unmatched by the sights and sounds offered by day. Being a passenger on night rides came with this magical feeling I couldn’t explain then. When I learned how to drive my own car, I found that all…(read the whole article)

12.  Manufacturing Safety:  OSHA Requests Comments Related to Diacetyl and Other Food Flavoring Compounds

Food flavoring manufacturers, listen up! The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) needs your help in implementing standards related to exposure to diacetyl and food flavorings containing it and other compounds like acetoin, acetic acid, acetaldehyde and furfural.

This is a response to the petition submitted to OSHA by the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. The petition stated evidence from NIOSH Hazard Evaluations that some employees who …(read the whole article)

13.  Ergonomics and Vehicle Safety:  Beating the Unhealthy Effects of Frequent Driving

Caution: Driving is dangerous to your health. If you find a car door with a sign saying this, you’d probably laugh and shrug it off. After all, while driving can cause injuries, it seems absurd that it can cause illnesses.

But think about it. Whenever you go for a long drive, do you feel exhausted right after the trip? Does your body feel stiff? Do your neck and shoulders feel sore? Does your back…(read the whole article)

14.  Warehouse Safety:  General Guidelines and OSHA Citations

In the U.S., there are about 7,000 warehouses employing more than 140,000 workers. Unfortunately, hundreds of fatalities also come from…According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), warehousing establishments are usually cited for the following 10 OSHA standards…(read the whole article)

Vehicle Safety Tips: All You Need to Know about Night Driving

I remember how as a child I always loved going on joy rides at night. For me, the cool breeze and bright lights at night are unmatched by the sights and sounds offered by day. Being a passenger on night rides came with this magical feeling I couldn’t explain then.

When I learned how to drive my own car, I found that all that magic is gone. Yes, sometimes I still pretend I’m an artist in a music video or an uptown girl visiting a foreign city. But driving at night time pushes me to reject all my weirdest fantasies. After all, creativity can wait when danger is lurking behind the darkness.

For drivers who have to work at night by delivering goods or traveling from one workplace to another, a wild imagination is not necessary to stay safe on the road. All you need are the following safety measures on night driving.

Maintenance and Inspection

• Clean your windows at least once a week to keep them spotless. Immediately replace cracked glass as they can reflect glare from other vehicle lights.

• Inspect all your vehicle lights (headlights, taillights, signal lights) to make sure that they’re clean and in good working condition. Do a general cleaning every week.

• Broken lenses are a big no-no. Always keep your headlights properly adjusted.

• Make sure all headlights are accurately aimed. You can do this by parking your car within 20 feet of a flat wall. Turn your headlights on, get out of the driver’s seat and check from a center position inside the coach if both headlights point straight ahead and if they hit at the same height.

On the Road

• Always maintain a longer following distance. Since it’s more challenging to see pedestrians and other vehicles on the road, you should keep a longer distance from the vehicle ahead of you. This is all the more true if you’re driving a truck as it has a longer stopping distance than a regular vehicle.

• Keep your headlights dim as you drive. Dim them, too, when you are within 250 feet of a vehicle you want to overtake.

• Avoid looking directly at bright lights.

• Watch out for animals on the road. Keep in mind that a lot of creatures are more active at night and are harder to see. Yes, vampires are included in the list, so watch out for human-looking creatures in black capes.

• Avoid smoking while behind the wheel. In fact, avoid multitasking while driving, more so at night. A six-second phone call could cause you a lifetime injury. And that might mean a severe injury at night time.

• Beware of highway hypnosis. You can avoid this night driving hazard by using the radio and taking in cool, fresh air.

• Avoid taking medication before driving as this can cause you to become sleepy or impede your judgment.

Responding to Fatigue

• Fatigue, as you know, has caused millions of accidents in the past. When your eyelids are getting heavy or you simply feel fatigue setting in, follow these guidelines:

• Pull over and rest. It’s best to take a nap, arrive late in your destination than meet an accident along the way.

• Take frequent breaks. If you’re on a long trip, stopping every hour and doing some exercise will help you stay alert.

• Use your visor to cut down on glare from other traffic.

While the tips above seem simple, your stubborn side could take over once you’re behind the wheel. Remember that whether or not you’re a professional driver, you should be doubly cautious in driving at night than ten times sorry when you meet an accident. And yes, take your imagination cap off in the meantime.

Related Links:

Rule on Truck Drivers’ Working Hours Unchanged

5 Distractions that Cause Workplace Hazards

Top 10 OSHA Fines for Small Companies

13 Safety Tips on Handling Loads with Forklifts

Tips on Using All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs)

General Maintenance and Winter Safety: Repairing Damaged or Downed Power Lines and Trees

Among employees most at risk during winter are electrical utility workers. Not only do they have to brave the bitter cold outdoors, they are also in charge of servicing damaged or downed power lines, as well as clearing fallen trees. Such tasks are already highly dangerous so you can just imagine the risks involved when workers have to do these jobs in the middle of a winter storm.

Today, we won’t stop at just imagining these risks. Instead, we’ll go into the safe work practices that electrical utility workers must follow when repairing damaged or downed power lines and trees.

Fatal Hazards

Here are some of the hazards involved with servicing damaged or downed power lines and fallen trees:

• Falls from heights

• Electrocution by contacting downed energized lines or trees in contact with fallen lines

• Getting hit or crushed by ice or broken/falling tree limbs, poles, or towers

• Getting injured in vehicular accidents on the way to the emergency scene

• Burns from fires caused by energized lines or equipment failure

Safety Precautions

Now that you know just how disastrous things can get in these emergency situations, here are the safety measures electrical utility workers must follow to eliminate or control the hazards that may befall them:

• Before doing any repairs or starting with any work procedure, electrical utility workers must first assess the hazards present in the situation.

• It’s best to de-energize all power lines.

• Use additional protection from ground like barricades or insulation.

• Workers should wear proper PPE including fall protection, head protection, eye protection, foot protection, gloves, and chaps.

• Don appropriate hearing protection when working with chippers or chainsaws.

• Use proper footwear to protect yourself from slippery surfaces.

• Use only appropriate power equipment designed to be used outdoors and in wet conditions.

• Make sure that appropriate guards are used with all machines.

• Employees must be extra vigilant during the whole procedure as winter storms can present unexpected conditions like falling trees, poles and ice.

Click HERE for additional tips on working with or near power lines.

Related Links:

Safety in Cold Weather

Safety Measures for Changing Weather

5 Distractions that Cause Workplace  Hazards

Cold Stress Prevention: 7 Safety Tips to Avoid Hypothermia and Frostbite

Top 10 OSHA Fines for Small Companies

Forklift Safety with Proper Training, Inspection and Operation

We’ve heard so much about window washers falling from buildings and construction workers injuring themselves with collapsing cranes. Yesterday, another fatality happened; but this time it involved a forklift.

A Rudco Products employee got pinned against a trash compactor when his co-worker lost control of a forklift. Julio A. Rivera, 37, was immediately brought to the South Jersey Healthcare Regional Medical Center after the accident. He was pronounced dead soon after.

The incident above is just one among more than 100 forklift-related fatalities every year, as estimated by OSHA. That’s not all. The administration also said that nearly 95,000 serious injuries happen every year because of unsafe forklift operations.

Being crushed between a forklift and another surface is actually 2^nd among the primary causes of forklift-related injuries and deaths. The first one is vehicle-tip over’s while the third to sixth are the following, respectively:

• Getting struck by the vehicle
• Getting hit by falling material from a dropped load
• Falling from a platform to the forks
• Running the forklift off a loading dock, ramp, or other surface

Training and Inspection

Safe forklift operation all starts with a well-trained driver. After undergoing complete training, drivers must be re-evaluated every 3 years. They should be re-trained if they meet an accident, have near misses, or get re-assigned to different equipment or workplace.

Before operating a forklift, a driver must make sure that it’s in good condition. Even if the vehicle is new, you must not skip this procedure. After all, even forklifts can get damaged after only days of operation.

Photo by LaRae

You must perform the following steps to ensure that there’s nothing wrong with the forklift:

• Check above your head for any obstructions.
• Inspect vent caps for clogs and forks for cracks or bends.
• Examine if battery and fire extinguisher are fully charged and secured.
• Test the horn to ensure that it’s loud enough to be heard throughout the workplace.
• Check if the vehicle makes strange sounds.
• Check if floor brakes and pedals work smoothly.
• Make sure gearshift and clutch shifts without jerking.
• Check if lights and gauges of the dash control panel work properly.

Guidelines in Forklift Operations

When loading a forklift, make sure you don’t go beyond its recommended load capacity. Always position the load based on the suggested load center. When inserting the fork into the pallet, the forklift must always be in a standing position.

When traveling in a forklift or operating it, DO…

• use your seatbelt
• keep your head, arms, hands, legs, and feet inside the vehicle
• keep to the right in 2-way traffic
• slow down if there are people and other vehicles before you of if the surface is wet or slippery
• slow down when turning
• slow down and sound the horn at corners, blind curves or other places where visibility is obstructed.
• keep the load as low as possible
• ensure that the forks are tilted back
• use caution when driving or operating around ladders and scaffolding
• use more caution in a construction site since no lines or marked paths are available unlike in a warehouse
• keep a safe distance from edges of ramps, docks and platforms

NEVER…

• Allow anyone to stand or pass under raised forks, whether they’re loaded or empty
• Allow anyone to use the forks as a man lift
• Tilt the load forward while the load is raised or the vehicle is moving down hill
• Allow stunt driving or horse play on or around the forklift
• Run over loose objects like scrap material or debris
• Drive sideways/across slopes
• Go near open trenches
• Drive over makeshift bridges

Remember, as with any equipment in your workplace, proper operations of a forklift require right training and procedures. It’s important that the employer and employees work hand in hand in making sure that safety is not compromised on the job. Be safe out there, everyone!

Helpful Links:

Forklift eTool : New OSHA Release
Forklift Safety
Darwin Awards Winner of 2000 – Death While Filming a Safety Video
25 Safety Tips for Steel and Pipes

Safety While Working with Electrical Lines

I remember as a kid my father going to night school to become an electrician. He was already doing the job where he worked, he worked for a large television manufacturing plant. He worked in what he called the powerhouse, it was where all the transformers and generators for supplying electric to the plant were housed. I can remember him telling me that the high voltage would make the hair stand up on his body when he got close to it. He had his share of close calls with electrical shock. But he was very professional and safety minded so he never incurred any serious injury.

Working with electricity of any voltage can be dangerous if you’re not careful. You need to pay close attention to what you’re doing, as well as have the proper training and tools.

Today I want to talk about the high voltage over-head lines, and those of you who work on them. I’ve done some research, and have come up with some very good safety guidelines. Let me know if you have any questions or comments. I am always open to your input.

Safety guidelines for working safely around overhead lines :

1. All overhead lines must be deenergized and grounded, or other  protective measures must be provided before work is started.
2. Arrangements are required to be made with the person, or organization that operates, or controls the electric circuits to deenergize and ground them, if the lines are to be deenergized.
3. When protective measures, such as guarding, isolating, or insulating are provided, these precautions must prevent employees from contacting such lines directly with any part of their body, or indirectly through conductive materials, tools, or equipment.

Note: The work practices used by qualified persons installing insulating devices on overhead power transmission or distribution lines are covered by OSHA in 29 CFR §1910.269.

Unqualified persons working on electrical lines :

When an unqualified person is working in an elevated position near overhead lines, the location must be such that the person and the longest conductive object, he or she may contact, cannot come closer to any unguarded, energized overhead line than the following distances: for voltages to ground 50kV or below — 10 feet, for voltages to ground over 50kV — 10 feet plus 4 inches for every 10kV over 50kV.

Note: For voltages normally encountered with overhead power lines, objects which do not have an insulating rating for the voltage involved are considered to be conductive.

Qualified persons working on electrical lines :

When a qualified person is working in the vicinity of overhead lines, whether in an elevated position, or on the ground, the person may not approach, or take any conductive object without an approved insulating handle closer to exposed energized parts unless:

1. The person is insulated from the energized part (gloves, with sleeves if necessary, and rated for the voltage involved are considered to be insulation of the person from the energized part on which work is performed).
2. The energized part is insulated both from all other conductive objects at a different potential and from the person.
3. The person is insulated from all conductive objects at a potential different from that of the energized part.

Vehicular and mechanical equipment :

Any vehicle or mechanical equipment capable of having parts of its structure elevated near energized overhead lines shall be operated so that a clearance of 10 ft is maintained. If the voltage is higher than 50kV, the clearance shall be increased 4 in for every 10kV over that voltage. The clearance may be reduced under any of the following conditions:

1. If the vehicle is in transit with its structure lowered, the clearance may be reduced to 4 ft. If the voltage is higher than 50kV, the clearance shall be increased 4 in. for every 10 kV over that voltage.
2. If insulating barriers are installed to prevent contact with the lines, and if the barriers are rated for the voltage of the line being guarded and are not a part of or an attachment to the vehicle or its raised structure, the clearance may be reduced to a distance within the designed working dimensions of the insulating barrier.
3. If the equipment is an aerial lift insulated for the voltage involved, and if the work is performed by a qualified person, the clearance (between the uninsulated portion of the aerial lift and the power line) may be reduced.

Employees standing on the ground may not make contact with the vehicle, mechanical equipment, or any of its attachments, unless:

1. The employee is using protective equipment rated for the voltage, or the equipment is located so that no uninsulated part of its structure (that portion of the structure that provides a conductive path to employees on the ground) can come closer to the line than permitted in line above.
2. If any vehicle or mechanical equipment capable of having parts of its structure elevated near energized overhead lines is intentionally grounded, employees working on the ground near the point of grounding may not stand at the grounding location whenever there is a possibility of overhead line contact.
3. Additional precautions, such as the use of barricades or insulation, shall be taken to protect employees from hazardous ground potentials, depending on earth resistivity and fault currents, which can develop within the first few feet, or more outward from the grounding point.

All employees must be trained in the safety of working near or with overhead power-lines. Follow these safety guidelines, working with electricity is a dangerous profession. You need to be extremely careful and alert at all times. Be safe out there.

Related Links:

Ergonomics for Electrical Workers:  Safety When Using Tools for Installation and Repair

Electrical Safety for Construction Site Workers – Part 1

Top 10 OSHA Fines for Small Companies

General Maintenance and Winter Safety:  Repairing Damaged or Downed Power Lines and Trees