By the time linemen hit their early 40s, many — if not most — suffer from crippling injuries. In fact, you'd be hard-pressed to find a lineman who hadn't suffered some sort of injury during his career. The tools we use on a daily basis contribute significantly to the condition we find ourselves in after 20 to 30 years of physical labor. Older linemen have joints that are worn out. Bad backs are another problem. We also see progressive injuries after years of use and abuse. Take disk problems, for example. Sometimes, we feel a twinge in our back or neck when lifting something heavy. Over time, those twinges take their toll, eventually rupturing the membrane around the disk. Yes, we have great jobs, but linemen shouldn't be used up by the time they're 60 years old.

Overcoming Political Hurdles

Why can't we linemen get the tools we need? In many utilities, it comes down to dollars and cents. Unless linemen can justify a way to purchase the tools, utilities are unwilling to make significant investments in them.

Enter WE Energies (Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.). The company knew that a significant number of injuries occurred among line mechanics. In 1999, it assembled a team of line mechanics, engineers, in-house safety consultants, supervisors and occupational health nurses to work with researchers from Marquette University in an Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) ergonomics study of line mechanics. As part of this team, we (Fred Wenzel, Tim Allen, Bob Koenecke, Dave Paro and Steve Rueter) led the field efforts for the distribution operations department.

As soon as the team came up with real numbers, its efforts started to pay off. With statistics on line mechanic injuries, estimates on injury reductions using the new tools and with increased efficiency on the job, we convinced management that the investment would benefit both line mechanics and the bottom line.

Two company nurses got us involved in the EPRI study. At first, we thought it would be a waste of time. After being introduced to a professor from Marquette who spoke in mostly technical terms, we wondered what we'd gotten ourselves into. The men we worked with also were skeptical, thinking we had found a way to duck out of work. But the more we learned, the more we realized we were onto something.

Preliminary Tools

Early on, we came up with a set of demonstration tools that caught the other line mechanics' attention. They started asking, “Can we borrow that?” or “Who gets the tool today?”

When we looked at a new tool, we'd order five of them. We ran the tools through identical tests to make sure they would do the job. We also distributed the tools to different crews and asked them to tell us what they thought. Some guys said, “I wish I had this tool 20 years ago.” However, we didn't always get this reaction. Some people don't want to change. They think line work has to be a macho job.

After a few weeks, linemen began to tell us they felt better physically because their shoulders, elbows and hands weren't strained. We still get teased by fellow line mechanics for being “ergo nerds,” but we can take the ribbing. More important, we've become the company's leading proponents on ergonomics as it's applied to line mechanics.

From Office to Field

When a layperson hears about ergonomics, he or she usually think office furniture and posture. Linemen need ergonomic tools. Although some tool companies claim their tools are ergonomically designed, these claims are usually marketing driven. Some tools may have a handle that was changed so that it fits in your hand, leading a tool company to claim it's “ergonomically designed.” However, the tool takes the same force to operate, so it isn't truly ergonomic.

Repetition is the nature of a line mechanic's job. To counteract the stress, strain and potential injuries of repetition, we searched for ergonomic tools and procedures that allowed us to work safer, longer and with less chronic pain and strain. We also needed tools that didn't slow us down.

Identifying Opportunities

To date, we've examined 53 ergonomic situations that are relatively common in power delivery. We field-tested products and tools to determine which work better in each situation. We've looked at installing insulators, connecting service wires to a secondary main, driving ground rods, operating vibrating power tools, installing deadend crossarms, and driving utility trucks across ditches and other obstacles. Half of the solutions we identified cost little or no money, and some even provide cost and labor savings. However, we discovered some solutions required substantial capital investment.

Executive Support

Charlie Cole, senior vice president of distribution operations, set the tone for our department. He supported our involvement at every turn. We got on the agenda of the company's safety committee meeting, and we knew the top brass would be there. Upper management was glued to every word we said. We sold them on investing in ergonomic tools by having them try the tools we'd been using all these years. They experienced firsthand how difficult some of these them are to operate. For instance, we had them try the MD-6, a two-handed manual compression tool that has been in use for decades. This tool requires significant force to operate. The executives actually had to put one handle on the ground and push on the other handle to make a crimp. That was a turning point for us.

At first, middle management didn't always respond positively. Of course, these managers are responsible for their budgets and are charged for implementing the change. They also thought we would run into resistance in the field. One area manager said, “The guys aren't going to even want these things.” Something must have clicked in his area, however, because now he's saying, “I need more tools.”

Injuries, Suffering and Dollars

Patricia Seeley, our certified professional ergonomist, identified common injuries to the shoulders and elbows that occurred to our line mechanics in the year 2000. We framed it as, “Here are the injuries that occur most often: rotator cuffs, shoulder replacements, back problems, tennis elbow and carpal tunnel.” Seeley discovered that if we reduced these injuries in the coming year, we could pay for the tools in six months.

We also knew that WE Energies had purchased hydraulic cutters and presses in use throughout the company for a variety of uses. Armed with this knowledge, we were able to justify battery-operated cutters for use on 4/0 copper and 336 ACSR (aluminum conductor steel-reinforced) overhead wire.

We also examined work practices. One work practice that changed due to our input was the installation of deadend wire. Previously, we used a side-entry deadend shoe to deadend a wire to a pole or crossarm. This resulted in repetitive twisting of the forearm and bending of the wrist when loosening and tightening nuts.

The study found that by using an automatic deadend shoe, forearm twisting was eliminated because an adjustable wrench wasn't needed, pinch grips weren't needed, and the repeated raising and lowering of shoulders was eliminated. Using an automatic deadend shoe meant that the job could be done in 15 seconds rather than the four minutes required when the job was done manually. This meant we saved 1250 man-hours a year with an associated cost savings of US$47,000.

In addition, we tested different drills. We spent one day drilling through poles at the service center. Although we eventually selected a product that didn't drill quite as fast as some of the others, we can do socket work with it or use it to wreck out or build a pole.

In the past, WE Energies had used a US$24 wooden spreader to mid-span off our open wire. We found a plastic unit that is easier to install in three-quarters the time and costs half the price of the wooden spreader.

Spreading the Word

We're fortunate that management has allowed us to visit other utilities. When we ask, “What's the No. 1 thing that bothers you?”, almost everyone says it's the compression tool. This tool is most prone to injuring linemen, particularly their shoulders and elbows. This manual compression tool is often used for underground splicing. In order to splice on underground secondaries, line mechanics must get this tool down in the trench. We found linemen that cut the handles down so they didn't have to dig such a big hole to work the tool. Now, with the battery-powered, ergonomically designed version of the MD-6, we only need a hole sufficient to get the tool around the connector.

Another turning point for us was when Charley Cole approved a trip to the International Lineman's Rodeo in Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. Last September, we showed other linemen the benefits of ergonomics. Some of the linemen felt their companies wouldn't buy these tools for them. We also heard comments such as, “My grandmother could do this job.” However, some linemen were envious that we had obtained these tools.

Tool Companies Cooperate

We are interested in working with tool companies to improve competition, which should result in better tools for all linemen. Some tool companies haven't shown much interest, but others are willing to change their products.

For example, we visited with Milwaukee Electric Tool (Brookfield, Wisconsin) and were impressed with their battery-powered drills. We found a drill we liked and asked Milwaukee Tool to install a quick-changer on it for us. That helped with both safety and ergonomics because it eliminated the need for key chuck. Milwaukee Tool also added a hand-line ring that enabled us to go from a two-hand operation to a one-hand operation, and eliminate gas-powered and 120-V drills. Now, Milwaukee Tool is coming out with a cordless drill for socket work and drilling that will take the place of three different tools.

Snap-on Inc. (Kenosha, Wisconsin) worked with us as well. When we told them we needed a socket and this-and-that-type wrench, they made it. Sometimes you get a long bolt and you don't have a socket deep enough to fit on there, so we said, “How about putting on one socket that would fit two different sizes?” Snap-on fulfilled our request a week later. At the rodeo, we found that other utilities, particularly in the Midwest, were using battery-powered Huskie Tools (Glendale Heights, Illinois, U.S.) that are working well for linemen. However, we've also found that battery-powered tools, whether for cutting, crimping or drilling, are sometimes kept in the garage and shared by 15 or 20 guys. To our knowledge, we're the first utility in the nation with a battery-powered cutter or press for every line truck. We have more than 108 crews in the company and another 100 troublemen.

We are excited that tool companies are listening to us, and they are taking our recommendations and making changes. If there are other tool companies out there, we'd love to hear from them.

What's Next?

Today, we're looking at changes in the way we get into and out of bucket trucks. Currently, we climb over the lip. What if a door were engineered into the bucket? We're also looking at clothing and equipment from head to toe. We'll soon be working with glove companies because we noticed a difference in strain by going from a tight glove to a loose glove or a natural mitt, which could reduce instances of carpal tunnel. The list of possible improvements is endless.

Better Lives

The five of us are ordinary linemen. When we joined the ergonomics team, we didn't expect it to change our lives for the better, but it has. We feel better, sleep better and have a healthier life in general. As we provide training on ergonomically designed tools, equipment and work processes, we expect the next generation of line mechanics to benefit even more. We've found what's available on the market, and we want to share what we've learned.

The WE Energies line mechanics quoted in this article all work in the company's southern Wisconsin service area. Between the five, they have nearly 100 years of overhead line experience. You are encouraged to contact the WE Energies' ergonomics team at:

tim.allen@we-energies.com
bob.koenecke@we-energies.com
dave.paro@we-energies.com
steve.rueter@we-energies.com
patricia.seeley@we-energies.com
fred.wenzel@we-energies.com