16 Arbor Age / May 2014 www.arborage.com
B y M i c h a e l " H o u s e " T a i n
Whether a tree care company does contracts for utility line
clearance or not, electricity is part of their daily work envi-
ronment; and sadly, they may not always realize or recognize
it. Electricity is part and parcel of the modern world, with a
great many gizmos and whatnot relying on this unseen nebu-
lous force fl owing all around through wires and cables. And
although most tree folk, when
they put their mind to it, will
recognize its presence, either
aloft or underground, many
times electricity either gets
"forgotten" or dismissed as not
all that dangerous or important.
This is a mistake of the highest
order for tree care personnel,
as dangerous as ignoring large
cracks or areas of decay in a
tree to be climbed. As Dr. John
Ball's accident/fatality statistics
show, it is a mistake that often
and regularly takes a toll among
tree folk. "Electric," much like
gravity — another force with
which tree folk are familiar —
"just don't care." It will use any
conductive path to get back to
the ground; and although tree
people may not realize it, their
bodies are quite conductive, as
are trees, ropes, and many of
the other tools and gear used
to carry out tree care. The rules,
regulations and practices of utility line clearance are fairly sim-
ple and easy to understand/comply with, but the fi rst step is
recognizing that a hazard exists, and electricity is defi nitely a
hazard of the highest order. The next step is following those
simple rules, regulations and practices, regardless of whether
the crew thinks they can "get away with it this one time."
With its abilities to stop a heart or cook fl esh, it's up to the
tree care personnel to care and give electricity the respect and
distance it requires.
Line clearance or tree work
Although this is pretty
straightforward at fi rst glance,
it can get more complicated
and nuanced in the day-to-day
world of trying to get a tree
job done. After all, very few
residential tree care company
owners would think of their
crews as doing "utility line
clearance," but it is probably a
normal occurrence for crews
to be working around at least
drop lines or even transmission
lines in the regular course of
the day. In principle it's simple
— personnel that have not re-
ceived the required training,
education and evaluation that
comprises a Line Clearance
Arborist or a Line Clearance
Arborist Trainee do not get
closer to energized conductors
than the minimum approach
TRAINING & EDUCATION TRAINING & EDUCATION
ELECTRIC:
Always Present,
Always Dangerous
A fairly typical transmission line, note presence of transformer
and insulators.
Photo by Michael "House" Tain
