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Sunday, August 4, 2013

Linesman Tools Help Restore Power

By Lela Perkins


Some storms come during certain times of the year that can interrupt the power supply to communities over large geographical areas. The utility companies servicing these area have crews that will go out into the storm and try to reconnect the power so people can stay comfortably in their homes and not wander out into an ice storm or hurricane. There are some linesman tools that are specially made to help the workers get to where the downed wires are located and help them reconnect the wires back to the poles and restore the electricity to a community.

An essential piece of equipment in that linesmen depend on is the utility trucks they use. These are large trucks that can fill up a roadway and make them hard to pass on narrow roads. The extra large vehicles often weigh nearly five tons and carry just about anything linesmen will need to perform their job when they are out on the road. Several big compartments are located throughout the vehicle to store all the supplies and tools they would commonly need for a repair job.

The utility trucks come with lift buckets to get the personnel into places where a ladder would prove to be too dangerous to use. The bucket can move up and down and left and right. They have a boom arm that can extend out and get personnel over a mess that could be lying on the ground.

Trees that have tumbled over can be unpredictable. Cutting off a branch can make the tree roll and fall on top of people standing nearby. When a worker is in a bucket, they are usually above the tree and away from the places it might roll. This helps to keep many workers safe in an unsafe environment.

Chainsaws are a normal part of the equipment a linesman will use after a big storm. They have to remove trees that are lying on the wires off of them before they can repair the lines and restore the electrical flow. The chainsaws allow them to cut branches and trunks so the tree lays flat on the ground and will not be a danger.

Another standard piece of equipment on the trucks are safety harnesses that they utility workers will use when they travel above the ground. These harnesses are attached to the railings on the bucket or they can be attached to rungs on a ladder. They will help if a worker loses their balance and begins to fall. The safety harness will keep a worker from dropping onto the pavement and possibly injuring themselves.

Linesmen often wear heavy leather belts to store their hand tools in. When a utility employee works on connecting wire back onto a pole they often use screwdrivers, utility knives and wire crimping devices. These are easily stored in the pockets on a utility belt and are always in reach when an employee needs to use them.

A lot of wire can get knocked down in a bad storm when trees tip over. A utility company will send workers to a site with their linesman tools to fix the problem. The equipment is designed to help them get the power back on as quickly as possible.




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