Where do line workers work?
They may work for construction contractors, utilities, or telecommunications companies. Workers generally start a new job by digging underground trenches or erecting utility poles and towers to carry the wires and cables.
What is the job that works on power lines?
Electrical power-line installers and repairers install and maintain the power grid—the network of power lines that moves electricity from generating plants to customers. They routinely work with high-voltage electricity, which requires extreme caution.
How much money do line workers make?
Lineman Salary
| State | Annual Salary | Monthly Pay |
|---|---|---|
| California | $54,082 | $4,507 |
| Vermont | $53,410 | $4,451 |
| Oklahoma | $52,770 | $4,398 |
| Wyoming | $52,630 | $4,386 |
What do electrical power line installers and repairers do?
Electrical power-line installers and repairers typically do the following: Install, maintain, or repair the power lines that move electricity. Identify defective devices, voltage regulators, transformers, and switches. Inspect and test power lines and auxiliary equipment.
How much money do powerline technicians make?
Journeyperson powerline technicians wage rates vary but generally range from $40 to $60 an hour plus benefits (2019 estimates). Apprentices earn a minimum of 50% of the journeyperson wage rate in their shop in the first year, 60% in the second, 67.5% in the third and 75% in the fourth.
How dangerous is a lineman job?
Utility line work is in the top 10 of the most dangerous jobs in America. Around 30 to 50 workers in every 100, 000 are killed on the job every year. Many others suffer non-fatal loss of limbs from electrical burns and mechanical trauma. That’s more than twice the fatality rate of police officers and firemen.
How long does it take to install power lines?
Each utility pole takes about 2-3 hours to install without any additional obstacles. In other words, installing three poles would take one day. Depending on how long you need your electrical line to run and how close the nearest transformer is, we usually have an average line of poles up within a couple of days.
How do I become an electrical powerline installer?
Electrical line installers and repairers often must complete apprenticeships or other employer training programs. These programs, which can last up to 3 years, combine on-the-job training with technical instruction and are sometimes administered jointly by the employer and the union representing the workers.
What kind of jobs do power line installers have?
Workers employed by local utilities work mainly with lower voltage distribution lines, maintaining equipment such as transformers, voltage regulators, and switches. They also may work on traffic lights and street lights.
What does it mean to be a power line worker?
By definition, a career in the electrical field means exposure to hazard. Safely mitigating that hazard, both for the public and for the power line workers who scale utility poles to inspect and repair power lines, is what utility and electric companies are tasked with.
How often do people work on power lines?
So it’s no surprise to find electrical power line work has made the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ latest list of fatal occupation injuries among civilian jobs. The Bureau’s report puts the fatality rate of “electrical power line installers and repairers” at 20.5 per 100,000 workers, with an average of 26 annual electrocutions.
What are the dangers of being a power line installer?
Line installers and repairers install or repair electrical power systems and telecommunications cables, including fiber optics. Line workers encounter serious hazards on the job, including working with high-voltage electricity, often at great heights. The work also can be physically demanding.
