In aerial plant construction, safety is a paramount concern. Balancing complex installations with a working team and potentially dangerous exposures to electricity can cause more than a headache — it could cost your life.
A recent change to OSHA 29 CFR 1910.269 amended the language in 1910.269(q)(2) which dictated locations for temporary grounds used during stringing of conductors in an energized environment. The revision, however, doesn’t mean you don’t have to ground. Grounding for stringing is essential, but not always so simple.
GMP’s traveling ground kit is here to help. The kit’s grounding roller provides continuous ground connection to moving conductors from strands and open wires, to pull lines. The success of the roller stems from a connection to a jumper cable, which provides a path to ground for the voltage on the conductors even in the event of accidental contact with an energized power conductor. Grounding during stringing is more than just a rule or required task, it is absolutely essential to maintaining safety in aerial plant construction and should be upheld as such. The traveling ground kit, when all its components are properly installed, provides for a ground fault to open the circuit protective device and interrupt the flow of electricity.
Grounding the jumper cable is equally important. Jim Vaughn of Incident Prevention Magazine recounts that the options for grounding range from driving temporary ground rods to conducting grids with equipotential mats featuring access points to equipment. It’s up to employers to provide a well-installed, good grounding plan that is in line with the requirements of rule 1910.269(p)(4)(iii)(C)(1) and traveling grounding kits can help you achieve this.
Whatever the case, it’s of paramount concern to take the connection of the ground lead seriously and make sure your crew understands the importance of a good electrical connection through brushing the studs, clamps, or termination points on a structure. Grounding properly will not only meet OSHA requirements, it will provide safety for your workers and yourself.
General Machine Products has been a leader in supplying the telecom industry since 1936. Our grounding kit comes with an instruction card which outlines use per OSHA requirements, but to uphold safety discuss your grounding policies with your employer. To discover more essential tools for your toolbox, visit us today at gmptools.com or call us at 215-357-5500.
