ESCC Outlines Critical COVID-19 Strategies for Power Companies
The Electricity Subsector Coordinating Council (ESCC) published the most recent version of its COVID-19 resource and mitigation guide for the power sector. Version 8 of the “ESCC Resource Guide – Assessing and Mitigating the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19),” was published 5/11/20 and offers expanded recommendations around social distancing and employee sequestering in control center environments.
About the ESCC Resource Guide
The ESCC is an organization led by power company CEOs that liaise with the federal government during emergencies. The first coronavirus-specific guide was released 3/23/20 and features input from investor-owned utilities, public power companies, electric coops and similar entities. It’s been updated several times since.
Version 6 of the guide focuses on keeping control room operators, like engineers and dispatchers, safe. Safety is especially important in facilities like this, as there is a steep learning curve so it’s not like a company can easily find temporary replacements for those who fall ill.
The main strategy for keeping control center employees safe is isolation, primarily from external visitors and non-essential employees, via self-quarantine and staggering shifts. Some of the specific considerations mentioned in the guide include:
- Keeping workstations 6 feet apart
- Determining whether or not workers can do their jobs in spaces adjacent to the control room
- Designating workstations only for individual employees (i.e., no sharing of space)
- Considering employee sequestering
Much of the guide delves deep into sequestration, including triggers, decision points, and execution steps. As you might expect, widespread testing is one of key factors for executing any COVID-19 strategy. Therefore, the guide implores governmental entities to direct testing resources to essential employees like control center workers.
Click here for the latest version from the ESCC. The bottom line is that control center personnel are essential in the power sector, and any COVID-19 mitigation strategy must take this reality into account. To do otherwise would put these workers – and the reliability of the power supply – at risk.
