The California Public Utilities Commission and state regulations require that all of the state's investor-owned utilities maintain minimum-prescribed clearances between high-voltage lines and vegetation. The scope of this endeavor has caused PG&E to realize the benefits of using some of the same tools and controls as many manufacturing and service industries use to ensure they are receiving the quality of work paid for.

To ensure PG&E receives a product at the required level of quality, we have implemented a quality-control program that employs a third-party contractor to measure conformance to contract specifications and to assess how each of the inspection and trimming contractors are performing against a specific set of criteria. Trending this information over time allows PG&E to compare quality and meet regulatory requirements at the best possible cost to customers.

PG&E also has a quality-assurance function in its UVM program. This function measures compliance with regulatory requirements using statistical sampling coupled with approved auditing methodologies, and works to identify and address the root causes of problems in the program. Quality assurance goes above and beyond traditional quality-control activities by identifying gaps in the processes and procedures that guide our work. By focusing on “how” we do our work, instead of solely on the outcome of the work, we are able to understand why issues occur and can then implement changes to improve the program.

As we move into an era where pending regulations are being considered for our overhead systems, the use of sound-quality management strategies will be critical to reduce program costs, risks and outages.