16 Canadian Occupational Safety www.cos-mag.com
I
n the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in October 2012, a veteran hydro worker in
Sarnia, Ont., was killed while trying to repair damage caused by the destructive
storm that left more than 200,000 people without power across Ontario,
Quebec and the Maritimes.
The man worked for local utility Bluewater Power and was electrocuted while
trying to fi x downed power lines.
"It is devastating because the community was so proud of the fact that there
had not been anyone injured during the storm and that we'd come through it
as a family," Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley told the CBC, adding that Bluewater
crews were "working around the clock keeping the city functioning."
Utility and electrical workers, including power line technicians and utility
arborists, face signifi cant risks when working in or after storms of all kinds,
including hurricanes, heavy winds, rain, ice, snow or thunder and lightning.
"If you are going out there when the storm is still going on, the overhead lines,
things are moving, trees can still fall down when you're there, you have all those
hazards," says Barry Manes, power line technician training and apprenticeship
consultant at Ontario's Infrastructure Health and Safety Association (IHSA).
"Is it a wind storm, a snowstorm? When you set up on the highway, does the
public, the traffi c, see you? Are they going to drive into you? Or are the wires
going to fall down on my truck? There are all those situations."
Utility companies need to have workers available 24-7, 365 days per year to
respond to power outages and other emergencies, so workers spend a lot of their
careers responding to storms. In 2013, 3.2 million people were affected by power
outages across Canada, according to Eaton's Blackout Tracker Annual Report.
Weathering
STORM
Weathering
STORM
Weathering
STORM
Weathering
the
Hydro workers
take on wind, rain,
ice, snow to keep
the lights on
By Amanda Silliker
