@Bhardman
For guys in the utility arboriculture world, they are working up and around power lines every single day of the week. MAD is the basic standard that keeps them safe on a day to day basis. I would liken utility arborists MAD to the stages of becoming a lineman. You aren’t gloving your first year or two. MAD is a term that is cross pollinated between varying professions and can apply to a whole variety of dangers including but not limited to machinery, chainsaws and yes power lines.
I would not say that the ability to read “what’s hot and what’s not” is more important than determining nominal voltage, because to the line guys it is usually all hot. In my personal experience, line kills are rare.
Arborists working for utilities are expected to get right up to their MAD on a regular basis. That being said, there are factors and documented training in place that allow them to do so. They will usually have a designated spotter who’s sole purpose during the job is to spot and communicate about maintaining MAD to the person near the lines. The qualified workers should either be reading a circuit map or be in direct communication with a utility rep about voltage, and then reference the chart that was previously mentioned by
@Tony and
@Tom Dunlap. That chart is also on their trucks for easy reference. These extra layers of redundancy allow them to work safely near the lines. A lot of times the hardcore utility dudes have been doing work in the same area for 20+ years and know their grid intimately, almost as well as the lineman. Sorry if this is all stuff you know, you said you work for a utility as a troubleman so you know about 10x more about line work than I do. I’ve only done utility arb work for about 3 years on and off.
I did want to broach a subject that
@Tony briefly mentioned in hopes that he could shed more light. I myself have never quite understood the incidental line clearance arborist designation. Would the utility recognize that if you knocked out power or got killed? My understanding is if you are within their MAD or touch their infrastructure, you are technically trespassing. In my own experience, the incidental line clearance designation has only been used as a verbal tool by residential tree bosses to pressure unqualified arborists into breaking their 10 foot blanket MAD. They get their employees some EHAT training and now they are qualified to break the 10 foot MAD? Seems fishy. Thanks for the great convo I get a lot of value from the buzz.
-Colin
