Proper protection for electrical workers has been a concern in the United States since accidents and fatalities were first recorded. As a utility, Georgia Power (Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.) takes safety very seriously and is always looking for ways to minimize safety risks. In recent years, Georgia Power has modified its cover-up programs to greatly reduce accidental electrical contacts.

In early years of line work, when energized gloving procedures were first introduced, most gloving activity was performed from poles, with a small percentage performed from work platforms. While working from a pole, linemen depended on positioning and knowing how close they were to exposed energized conductors to keep them safe. In those early years, work procedures for covering energized conductors with rubber hoses and blankets were developed.

A lineman was taught to cover energized conductors and other equipment in the immediate work area for protection. At some point during the job, the cover was removed to expose energized parts and allow the work to be completed. Because linemen stood on the poles in climbers, a potential phase-to-ground contact was possible and many fatalities occurred from this procedure.

As aerial devices came on the scene, linemen were no longer at ground potential but were isolated from the ground. This created a false sense of security. The phase-to-ground potential continued to exist but in a different form. Linemen continued to successfully cover and perform work on energized conductors in the same manner as they had in the past, giving little thought to the exposed ground potential that existed. Although the use of aerial devices played a major part in limiting phase-to-ground contacts, they continued to occur.

Georgia Power has undergone many changes over the years in safety and training. One of the most important changes has been in the company's cover-up philosophy. In its revised cover-up programs, Georgia Power emphasizes the covering of paths to ground in the immediate work area.

In the latter part of the 1990s, Georgia Power began restructuring its apprentice-training program, known as the Lineman Development Program (LDP). This program consisted of overhead and underground training modules. In the LDP overhead training module, weeks of climbing and energized hands-on training from an aerial device were performed. The LDP underground module also included training for protection of exposure to energized conductors.

With the help and advice of Georgia Power Safety and Health advisors, Georgia Power reviewed safety records as far back as the 1920s. The documentation showed that the overwhelming majority of contact fatalities involved a path-to-ground contact. With this information, the Methods and Training instructors at the Georgia Power Klondike Training Center, located east of Atlanta in Lithonia, Georgia, developed and implemented a cover-up program to address the covering of paths to ground in the immediate work area.

In the electrical world, it is well known that it takes two points of contact to endanger a lineman — an energized conductor and, in most cases, a path to ground. A list of rules was written to define the concepts of how to cover energized conductors and paths to ground. The purpose of the protective cover and its application is to protect the worker in the event he should slip or make an unanticipated move. Therefore, the arrangement of these protective devices around the work area “shall be such that it prevents, insofar as possible, any accidental contact with energized line parts as well as paths to grounds.” Because these concepts are practical and can be applied in all situations, a culture change is occurring in the way energized line work is performed.

The Four Cover-up Rules

Georgia Power uses the following rules to ensure linemen's safety:

Rule 1: Always cover the neutral and energized conductors in the order you first come to them.

The cover up begins with the closest conductor, usually the neutral. The exception may be energized secondaries.

Rule 2: When practical, cover the neutral and energized conductors and devices before covering grounds (such as poles and arms).

The protective equipment must be installed and removed in the order that gives the worker maximum protection at all times while moving into, around and out of the energized area. In most pole configurations, the energized conductors are positioned away from the pole. The practical and safest approach would be to cover the energized areas as they are approached and before reaching past them. This aids in eliminating the chance of any accidental body contact.

Rule 3: Before working on an energized apparatus in your work area, check to ensure that the grounds (such as poles arms) are covered.

Once the energized parts in the immediate work area are covered, all paths to ground in the work area must be covered before uncovering and working on an energized part. An example would be to cover an area of the pole that would prevent a straight line preformed tie, which must be turned 180 degrees for proper installation from making contact with the pole.

Rule 4: Before working on a grounded apparatus (such as poles and arms), check to ensure that the energized conductors and devices in your work area are covered.

Sometimes, a lineman's task involves working on a path to ground such as a steel arm or the pole itself. Before doing so, Rule 4 requires that all energized conductors in the immediate work area be covered. Reaching past an exposed energized conductor and making contact with an unprotected body part could expose a lineman to an accidental contact. An accidental contact can become a fatality if the lineman's unprotected body part is in contact with a path to ground or some other difference of potential. Applying the concepts of the four cover-up rules can eliminate accidental contacts, making energized work safer and less stressful.

With the four cover-up rules now integrated into Georgia Power's LDP, the Safety and Health advisors and Methods and Training instructors strive to ensure all journeymen linemen are aware of and adhere to these procedures. The Klondike Training Center offers refresher classes to their journeyman linemen that teach the concepts of the four cover-up rules. The LDP and refresher classes both have classroom and field instruction. The field instruction includes several energized tasks designed to measure each student's understanding and ability to apply the concepts of the rules. These programs have been well received and are viewed as critical to working energized conductors safely and efficiently.

In retrospect, it appears that there are not as many phase-to-phase contact issues as phase-to-ground issues. Overall, linemen do a good job of protecting themselves in energized areas. However, if the four cover-up rules can prevent just one accident, they are worth implementing. As line work continues to evolve, new work practices and procedures must be created to help eliminate accidental electrical contacts. Georgia Power's Methods and Training instructors, along with the Safety and Health advisors, hope that sharing this cover-up philosophy will make a difference in your utility.

This article was written by Georgia Power's Overhead Distribution Team and is the result of a unified commitment to creating a safe working environment. The 10 team members of the Overhead Distribution Team represent over 275 years of experience. The information in this article reflects the evolution of safe work practices by those who have gone before us and those whose reasonability is to instruct and mentor the existing workforce.