An analysis of transmission line grounding techniques using a digitized data management solution

In 2014, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) created new regulations regarding safe work practices for transmission line construction. These new regulations primarily focus upon improving the practices of grounding equipment during construction to create a safer work zone. Workers are at risk of touch and step potentials from high voltage lines and current propagation through the surrounding soil. Specifically, the regulation requires construction companies, such as Pike Corporation, to utilize protective equipment called equipotential grounding mats instead of conventional grounding rod systems, unless they can prove through an engineering study that a job will be safe to commence using traditional methodology. The team created a data management tool that can help Pike Corporation synthesize a variety of data inputs to determine which means of protection is best for a particular job. The project's secondary objective is to evaluate the impact of these regulations (and the solution within this context) on the company's strategy. Impacts on the company could be reported in terms of additional cost incurred or material resources consumed as a result of these changes. This study will help Pike Corporation make safe and cost-effective business decisions and will also help the industry to better understand the risks to workers and the potential benefits of equipotential grounding mats.