In mountainous terrain inhabited by bears and moose, and sparsely populated by humans, electric utilities of varying sizes operate with a patchwork of hydropower, natural gas and diesel-powered generation. Extreme weather...
There have been many changes and new challenges in ensuring line contractors perform their work safely, but Matthew C. Compher is up to the task. Compher, vice president of safety, health, environmental and quality at Houston...
In July 2021, the Holland Board of Public Works (HBPW) in Michigan announced that its newest utility truck was going to be a hybrid vehicle, which is cleaner, quieter and less expensive to maintain than traditional utility...
Aging infrastructure, increasing demands for electricity and the transition to renewable energy are fueling contracts for substation work. Those factors are also driving the need to keep training lineworkers, who as...
Every work day on U.S. construction sites, there are more than 1,100 incidents that damage underground utilities, according to Common Ground Alliance’s (CGA) 2019 Damage Information Reporting Tool (DIRT), released in October...
We asked experts to explain the different skills and interests needed to work successfully in transmission, distribution and substations. Steven Kunsman, vice president and general manager of substation automation for North...
In 2017, Heather Escalante’s husband Chris, a traveling apprentice, fell 35 feet on the job. He injured his hip and wrist and sustained a traumatic brain injury. The doctors informed him that it may take years for him to...
Hurricane Ida made landfall Aug. 29, 2021, at 11:55 a.m. CDT as an extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane near Port Fourchon, La., with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph. Preliminary reports from NASA suggest that the...
Bushhogging, seeding and herbicides are all methods to control undesirable vegetation and ensure safe, reliable electricity transmission. Vegetation along high-voltage transmission corridors and local distribution systems...
As one of seven NECA chapters focused on outside electrical construction, American Line Builders (ALB) represents 41 electrical contractors in the District of Columbia, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio...
According to the most recent data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the incidence rate per 10,000 full-time workers for occupational injuries and illnesses from ice-, sleet- and snow-related events in 2017 was 1.8...
Deborah Kelly, a former line constructor in Alaska, loved her work. Until recently, she climbed utility poles with a mostly male crew, doing the heavy work of outdoor line construction and repair in all weather. She couldn’t...
On Oct. 28, 2020, Hurricane Zeta made landfall in southeastern Louisiana, wreaking havoc on the region’s infrastructure. As the 27th named tropical storm and 11th hurricane in 2020, Zeta is just the latest storm in an...
A recent event at the Minnesota State Community and Technical College (Wadena, Minn.) is just one component of an overall strategy by the college to begin to attract elementary and high school students to careers in...
The nation’s late summer flurry of hurricane activity was unprecedented. Within days of the record downpours from Hurricane Harvey that overwhelmed the Houston area for nearly two weeks in late August, Hurricane Irma roared...
The American Line Builders Apprenticeship Training (ALBAT) Center in Medway, Ohio, has been renovated and expanded to provide state-of-the-art classroom technology, lodging for a growing student base, and additional overhead...
