Milhouse Safety Blog: Line Clearance Safety

Safety is paramount for vegetation management companies to protect workers and maintain the integrity of electrical infrastructure. Our own firm, Milhouse Forestry, takes pride in providing team members with proper training so they can safely and effectively solve clients’ vegetation management challenges. 

Here are some essential safety tips for electrical line clearance: 

• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): Ensure all workers wear appropriate PPE, including helmets, safety glasses, gloves, high-visibility clothing, and footwear with non-conductive soles. 
• Training and Certification: Provide comprehensive training and certification programs for workers, including electrical safety, hazard identification, emergency procedures, and proper equipment usage. 
• Job Planning and Risk Assessment: Conduct thorough job planning and risk assessments before starting clearance work. Identify potential hazards, such as electrical wires, falling branches, or uneven terrain, and implement appropriate safety measures. 
• Lockout/Tagout Procedures: Implement proper lockout/tagout procedures to ensure electrical lines are de-energized and secured before work begins. Workers should understand and follow these procedures to prevent accidental energization. 
• Equipment Inspection and Maintenance: Regularly inspect and maintain all equipment, such as chainsaws, woodchippers, and climbing gear, to ensure they are in safe working condition. Replace damaged or worn equipment promptly. 
• Tree Assessment: Assess trees for stability, decay, or structural issues before performing clearance work. Remove or secure unstable trees to prevent them from falling on electrical lines or workers. 
• Fall Protection: Use appropriate fall protection equipment, such as harnesses and lanyards, when working at heights. Secure climbing ropes to stable anchor points and ensure workers are adequately trained in climbing techniques. 
• Electrical Awareness: Train workers to identify and avoid contact with live wires. Emphasize the importance of maintaining a safe distance from energized equipment and lines. 
• Communication and Coordination: Establish clear communication protocols among workers, supervisors, and utility companies. Ensure everyone understands their roles and responsibilities during line clearance operations. 
• Weather Conditions: Monitor weather conditions regularly. Postpone work during severe weather, such as thunderstorms or high winds, to prevent hazards associated with falling branches or contact with energized lines. 
• Emergency Preparedness: Develop and communicate emergency response plans. Train workers in emergency procedures, such as first aid, CPR, and proper reporting of incidents. 
• Public Safety: Implement safety measures to protect the public during line clearance operations. Use barricades, warning signs, and flaggers to redirect or inform pedestrians and motorists of potential hazards. 
• Max Voltage: It’s important that team members understand the degree of voltage in the work area during their time working in the field. A reminder that max voltage on a distribution line is 25KV. 
• Minimum Approach Distance (MAD): It is essential that team members operating a bucket truck should never get any closer than 31 inches while working around the utility lines.  
• Grounded Lines vs. Dead Lines: Just because a line is not grounded, that doesn’t mean it’s dead.: Always be aware; there is still a possibility of energy running through the line. 

The forestry industry poses its own challenges; thus, it is imperative that vegetation management firms foster a culture that is safety focused. Encourage workers to report safety concerns, provide regular safety meetings and trainings, and reward safe practices. Strive to create safe working conditions that result in safe electrical utilities for your clients and communities. 

At Milhouse Forestry, we ensure all operators have OSHA 10 safety training, and our field experts have Line Clearance Certification. Additionally, all equipment is inspected before dispatch, ready at a moment’s notice. We provide tree pruning and removals, right-of-way clearing and maintenance, vegetation management with herbicides and emergency storm work, and logistical support to our clients, promising safe practices with every service provided. 

Are you interested in how Milhouse Forestry’s commitment to safety can benefit you? Contact us today: https://milhouseinc.com/contact-us/