Canadian Occupational Safety

18 Canadian Occupational Safety www.cos-mag.com their workforce into areas where there is imminent lightning," he says. "Lightning moves on pretty quickly so it doesn't delay the response much at all." To prevent incidents in or after storms of all kinds, Peterborough Utilities Group emphasizes doing things the same way during storms as they do on a normal day — not changing protections or procedures. "If we take a shortcut because we are worried about public perception and the pressure of getting the power back on, which is defi nitely real in their minds, and not follow protections that keep them safe, then that is when things that are unknown can cause electrocu- tion and injuries," says McCracken. When there are storms, many workers have to work long hours to get everything back up and running — which means worker fatigue can be an issue. "It may be a short sprint effort to get the power back on or in the case of a major ice storm, it's going to be a marathon," says Sprackett. "When you get a large storm and response is taking weeks, 16 hours a day out in the freezing cold, doing very physical work will wear people down." Most utility companies have some policy in place to manage fatigue. For example, many companies permit workers to put in a maximum of 16 hours per day. Others have a sleep- time clause in the employment contracts, says Manes, so if a worker works a certain amount of consecutive hours prior to his next shift, the company requires him to go home for mandatory, paid sleep. The industry and unions put a lot of focus on recognizing how fatigue may be settling in differently for different workers, says Sprackett. "And it's not necessarily a younger worker will be able to take it better than older — it's an individual thing." WorKers 'HigHly trained' Utility workers in Canada receive a lot of training on protecting themselves and each other, including in storm situations, says Sprackett. "They are highly trained to not expose themselves to those hazards. They have work methods that prepare them for a professional approach to those things so their safety is not jeopardized," he says. They fi rst receive training on hazards and risks associated with storm response during their apprenticeship for becoming power line technicians or utility arborists. For example, utility arborists are trained on climbing trees in icy or snowy conditions where they can't get at the trees with bucket trucks. Then employers follow up with training sessions for storm response to talk about the different work plans for the different types of storms. "Every storm has its own characteristics: where to report, who to contact," says Sprackett. "People work and implement plans based on the training, they don't ad lib. The hazards are too dangerous and unforgiving to step outside of that regimen." Peterborough Utilities Group's corporate practice on adverse weather conditions must be covered twice per year in department safety meetings. And workers generally respond well to it. "The more reminders, the better," says Dale. "Watch out for each other and don't try to take a risk and injure yourself." When a storm causes power loss, utility workers also need to be prepared to deal with potentially angry customers. They are trained to get the most customers and high-priority locations back in service as quickly as possible, and have a process to follow of restoring the main lines fi rst, then secondary and then individual houses — which some people do not like. "People are out and they are pleading with the crews to get power back on in their individual houses," says Sprackett. "There can be a lot of push and pull in these situations because emotions are running high." Peterborough Utilities Group has a violence and harassment policy and prevention practice to help workers learn how to de-escalate the situation if customers are particularly diffi cult. leaders suPPort safety Supervisors have a very important role to play when their crews are dealing with stormy weather. They need to complete additional job planning, risk assessments and monitoring of the work hours of the crew, says Dale. They also reinforce existing work habits so workers stay focused in spite of the pressure to get the power back on. Supervisors initiate tailgate talks and impart important safety messages to workers before they commence their storm response. They also initiate a buddy system to ensure no worker is out of view of a work mate. "Any new supervisor in the last 20 years would not, in our industry, allow workers to break any safety rules," says Manes. "They understand the Occupational Health and Safety Act and rules and they know the consequences." The supervisors are also commu- nicating frequently with the control room to get any necessary updates. If supervisors or workers feel their safety is in jeopardy, they can refuse to work, says Manes. "If their boss' offi ce is at the south end of the utility and the workers are on the north end, you can have two different weather patterns that roll through and in adverse weather conditions, if the workers and supervisors out on the job deem it unsafe, they don't have to work," he says. But in all his 40 plus years in the industry, Sprackett cannot recall a work refusal happening in a storm situation. "Everybody is at heightened awareness. Their fi rst and foremost consideration is not to risk the safety of the employees," he says. "We have a very good culture in our industry, generally, compared to most industries, where workers and employers are right in sync on that issue, particularly in storm situations." This is demonstrated in the Electrical Utility Safety Rules, which state: "When weather conditions make the job unduly hazardous, work must be suspended immediately." During major storms, oftentimes, utility workers need to be deployed to other jurisdictions to help out. Workers at Peterborough Utilities Group have gone to other jurisdictions to help restore power, including during the ice storm in Toronto, and they have had to call other utilities for assistance as well. "There's a huge pride in our line of work and we enjoy going out to other spots to help out when they are getting too much to bite off," says Dale. To reduce the risks of working in an unfamiliar zone, the visiting power line technicians will be accompanied by a local worker who can help them with the different mapping and system. But the most important thing is that a commitment to working safely is shared among the various locations. "With us, working with high voltage, it's not like the other trades with 'Oh well, I made a mistake.' If you make a mistake in this one, you pay for it the rest of your life — and that's if you live," says Manes. "There's a lot of good understanding about all that… and for the most part, the utility industry is all about safety, there's no question about it." Visit www.BradyCanada.ca/GHSWebinar to sign up for a Free Webinar to learn more about GHS and how to comply. Let Brady Experts Help You Get GHS Compliant When it comes to GHS hazard communications, Brady offers a variety e c n a i l p m o c e v i t a t l u s n o c f o o t s t c u d o r p d n a s e c i v r e s y l p m o c y t i l i c a f r u o y p l e h with safety regulations, as well as educational seminars, webinars, and online learning options.

• Cover