Electricity Today T&D Magazine

How to protect workers with an occupational health and safety management  system

BY IVANA STRGACIC, Strategies for the Environment Inc.

Reliability (that is, keeping the lights on) is at the forefront of electric utility business plans. Another important item that takes priority in these plans is electrical safety. Linemen are part of the overall equation when power outages occur, so implementing the most efficient business safety practices possible is paramount. One way that utilities can achieve zero injuries in the workplace is by implementing an occupational health and safety management system (OHSMS).

OHSMS systems are part of a company’s...

Remote field operations present the safety organization with a myriad of challenges when it comes to ensuring the safety of the people that you send out to work in the field every day. Without a doubt, this includes the line workers, but it also includes nearly every member of the staff whose duties are performed outside of the controlled confines of your facilities. Certainly, many of the hazards are identifiable and risk mitigation procedures and equipment are deployed, along with your remote crews, in the effort to keep everyone safe and bring them back home at the end of the...