Proper Training Can Offset Risks to Electrical Utility Workers

by Alex A. Kecskes

Between 2003 and 2007, 28,401 workers died while performing their job. Contact with electric current was the seventh leading cause of occupational fatalities during this period, causing 1,213 work-related fatalities. Clearly, utility workers face many risks

Electrical utility workers must be skilled in safely working with widely differing technologies. Workers are expected to be well-trained to observe strict industry standards covering technologies in three basic tiers of electrical infrastructure: generation, transmission and distribution.

In electrical utility work, performing one's job the wrong way may mean the difference between life and death. E-learning can play an ancillary role in enhancing worker safety and performance. But institutional education is still the gold standard when it comes to preparing electrical utility workers to do specific jobs with skill and safety. One must have hands-on experience under the supervision of competent instructors to achieve proper certification. This is necessary to perform complex, technical tasks with safety and efficiency.

The administrative network governing electrical utility workers' safety includes OSHA, under the U.S. Department of Labor, and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, under the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Safety training for electrical utility workers must include:

For an added perspective, check out this video: