FirstEnergy Deploys Wearable Safety Devices
The viability of wearable safety devices for utility crews got a big boost when FirstEnergy announced that it is providing personal voltage readers to its line workers and utility personnel. FirstEnergy is a large utility that serves over 6 million customers across six states, so this announcement will definitely carry some weight in the industry.
Nuts and Bolts of FirstEnergy’s Wearable Safety Devices
The company’s personal voltage readers will help protect field workers from hidden electrical threats. Each voltage reader, along with a companion device called a current detector, is designed to be attached to the brim of any standard hard hat. This location makes the devices unobtrusive to the point where employees typically forget they are wearing them.
Audio and visual alerts are triggered whenever the wearer approaches an electrical threat. These alerts encompass flashes, sounds, and directional data that the employee can use to understand the exact location of the potential hazard.
FirstEnergy purchased 10,000 of the devices in early 2020 for any employee who could be exposed to electricity in the field, including field engineers, line crews, substation electricians, and similar roles. The company initially distributed the devices within the following FirstEnergy service areas: Ohio Edison, The Illuminating Company, Toledo Edison, Penn Power, West Penn Power and Potomac Electric. It plans to expand to all of its service territories by the end of 2020.
The company expects these devices to be particularly useful during outage restoration events, mainly due to threats such as charged lines hidden in storm debris, or unfamiliarity with surroundings as might be the case for mutual assistance crews. Importantly, these new wearable safety devices will not replace any existing personal protective equipment (PPE); rather, they will be added to the list of required PPE.
I’m all for safety, so the notion of wearable safety devices such as these from FirstEnergy is exciting. I look forward to the day when every field worker from every electric utility has access to similar levels of protection.
