(1)
General. This paragraph provides additional requirements for work performed on
or near overhead lines and equipment.
(a) The
employer must determine if elevated structures such as poles or towers are
capable of withstanding the additional or unbalanced stresses of climbing or
equipment. If the pole or other structure cannot withstand the expected loads,
the employer must brace or otherwise support the pole or structure to prevent
failure.
Note to paragraph (1)(a): Appendix D to Division 2/RR contains
test methods that employers can use to determine whether a wood pole is capable
of sustaining the forces imposed by an employee climbing the pole. This
paragraph also requires the employer to determine that the pole can sustain all
other forces imposed by the work employees will perform.
(b) When a pole is set, moved, or removed
near an exposed energized overhead conductor, the pole may not contact the
conductor.
(c) Raising poles,
towers, or fixtures close to high voltage conductors must be done under the
supervision of a worker qualified for this work.
(d) Conductive rigging (wire rope) may not be
used to raise poles, transformers, and other equipment except when such rigging
is below, protected, or at a sufficient distance from energized high voltage
conductors to prevent hazardous contact.
(e) When a pole is set, moved, or removed
near an exposed energized overhead conductor, the employer must ensure that
each employee wears electrical protective equipment or uses insulated devices
when handling the pole and that no employee contacts the pole with uninsulated
parts of their body.
(f) To
protect employees from falling into holes used for placing poles, the employer
must physically guard the holes, or ensure that employees attend the holes,
whenever anyone is working nearby.
(g) Suitable guards and barriers must be
erected so that workers or tools and equipment will not fall into or
accidentally contact energized conductors or equipment.
(h) Materials and tools other than belt tools
for which the body belt is designed:
(A) Must
be raised or lowered by means of a suitable container or handline.
(B) May not be thrown to or from employees
working on poles or structures. When field conditions prevent the use of a
handline or alternative method from being done safely, a designated drop zone
must be established. Clear communication must occur to prevent employees from
entering the zone while material is being dropped in a controlled manner.
(2)
Installing and removing overhead lines. The following provisions apply to the
installation and removal of overhead conductors or cable (overhead lines).
(a) When lines that employees are installing
or removing can contact energized parts, the employer must use the
tension-stringing method, barriers, or other equivalent measures to minimize
the possibility that conductors and cables the employees are installing or
removing will contact energized power lines or equipment.
(b) For conductors, cables, and pulling and
tensioning equipment, the employer must provide the protective measures
required by
437-002-2315
(4)(d) when employees are installing or
removing a conductor or cable close enough to energized conductors that any of
the following failures could energize the pulling or tensioning equipment or
the conductor or cable being installed or removed:
(A) Failure of the pulling or tensioning
equipment,
(B) Failure of the
conductor or cable being pulled, or
(C) Failure of the previously installed lines
or equipment.
(c) If
the conductors that employees are installing or removing cross over energized
conductors in excess of 600 volts and if the design of the circuit interrupting
devices protecting the lines so permits, the employer must render inoperable
the automatic-reclosing feature of these devices.
(d) Before employees install lines parallel
to existing energized lines, the employer must make a determination of the
approximate voltage to be induced in the new lines, or work must proceed on the
assumption that the induced voltage is hazardous. Unless the employer can
demonstrate that the lines that employees are installing are not subject to the
induction of a hazardous voltage or unless the lines are treated as energized,
temporary protective grounds must be placed at such locations and arranged in
such a manner that the employer can demonstrate will prevent exposure of each
employee to hazardous differences in electric potential.
Note 1 to paragraph (2)(d): If the employer takes
no precautions to protect employees from hazards associated with involuntary
reactions from electric shock, a hazard exists if the induced voltage is
sufficient to pass a current of 1 milliampere through a 500-ohm resistor. If
the employer protects employees from injury due to involuntary reactions from
electric shock, a hazard exists if the resultant current would be more than 6
milliamperes.
Note 2 to paragraph (2)(d): Appendix C to Division
2/RR rule contains guidelines for protecting employees from hazardous
differences in electric potential as required by this paragraph.
(e) Conductors being strung must
not be allowed to slack enough to be in reach of traffic or pedestrians, unless
guarded by flaggers or other suitable safeguards.
(f) Reel-handling equipment, including
pulling and tensioning devices, must be in safe operating condition and must be
leveled and aligned.
(g) When
stringing or removing conductors under tension, sleeves must not be pulled
through the bull wheel or the puller on the tension machine unless appropriate
safeguards are taken.
(h) A
qualified employee, or an experienced person under the supervision of a
qualified employee, must be placed in charge of the reels as the reel tender.
(i) Reel handling equipment,
including pulling, braking, and sagging equipment must be firmly anchored or
secured during operations.
(j) The
employer must ensure that employees do not exceed load ratings of stringing
lines, pulling lines, conductor grips, load-bearing hardware and accessories,
rigging, and hoists.
(k) When
replacing a conductor with a new or larger conductor, the conductor being
removed may not be used to pull in the new one unless the one being removed has
been carefully inspected for its entire length and then adjudged to have
adequate strength.
(l) The
employer must repair or replace defective pulling lines and accessories.
(m) Each pull must be snubbed or
dead ended at both ends before subsequent pulls.
(n) The employer must ensure that employees
do not use conductor grips on wire rope unless the manufacturer specifically
designed the grip for this application.
(o) The employer must ensure that employees
maintain reliable communications, through two-way radios or other equivalent
means, between the reel tender and the pulling rig operator.
(p) Employees may operate the pulling rig
only when it is safe to do so.
Note to paragraph (2)(p): Examples of unsafe
conditions include: employees in locations prohibited by paragraph (2)(q) of
this rule, conductor and pulling line hang-ups, and slipping of the conductor
grip.
(q) While a
power-driven device is pulling the conductor or pulling line and the conductor
or pulling line is in motion, the employer must ensure that employees are not
directly under overhead operations or on the cross arm, except as necessary for
the employees to guide the stringing sock or board over or through the
stringing sheave.
(4) Towers and structures. The following
requirements apply to work performed on towers or other structures that support
overhead lines.
(a) The employer must ensure
that no employee is under a tower or structure while work is in progress,
except when the employer can demonstrate that such a working position is
necessary to assist employees working above.
(b) The employer must ensure that employees
use tag lines or other similar devices to maintain control of tower rules being
raised or positioned, unless the employer can demonstrate that the use of such
devices would create a greater hazard to employees.
(c) The employer must ensure that employees
do not detach the loadline from a member or rule until they safely secure the
load.
(d) The employer must ensure
that, except during emergency restoration procedures, employees discontinue
work when adverse weather conditions would make the work hazardous in spite of
the work practices required by this rule.
Note to paragraph (4)(d): Thunderstorms in the
vicinity, high winds, snow storms, and ice storms are examples of adverse
weather conditions that make this work too hazardous to perform even after the
employer implements the work practices required by this rule.
