Page 33 - CE_Industral_Journal_2014

• Underground Distribution Systems the subjective nature of the skills evaluation, it is important
• Transmission Systems that all trainer/evaluators agree on what constitutes an
• Substations and Switchyards acceptable performance. The results of this evaluation
Testing for knowledge and understanding within each of in conjunction with classroom instruction and passing the
the subject areas can provide us insight into what the knowledge test, provides evidence of proficiency or the
Lineworker knows, but more importantly it can tell us what need for remedial training.
he or she doesn’t know.
What if my lineworker is not yet a journeyman, you ask? THE BIG PICTURE: SAFETY
By completing as much of the knowledge test as he can, The good news is that none of this has to be a guessing
the lineworker tells us the extent of his knowledge on the game based on someone’s assumptions. With a rational
various subjects. Armed with that information, we can process for evaluating both the knowledge and skills of
now design remedial training, based on the lineworker’s a lineworker, we can identify a level of competency with
current classification, to help shore up their weaknesses greater accuracy than ever before. Additionally, using
in knowledge. Knowledge testing is an important reliable instruments for evaluations can provide an objective
component of the lineworkers competencies, however to foundation for decision making and they can help offset
complete our evaluation we need to also understand the much of the personal ‘bias’ that naturally occurs.
lineworker’s skill proficiencies. We want our lineworkers to succeed. That means that
each time we assign a job we have the confidence that
THE LINEWORKER’S SKILLS COMPETENCIES this worker understands what is required and can perform
EVALUATION: the work safely and in a technically correct manner. To
Within the Electric Utility Industry, many jobs contain allow someone to accept a work assignment without
a technical skill element. This is especially true for being truly prepared is a terrible mistake that may even
lineworkers. Testing for skill proficiency is a crictical result in injuries or fatalities.
component in a complete evaluation for lineworkers. Often, looking behind the scenes at successful lineworkers
Additionally, we are finding that regulatory authorities such today, we find that many were forced to learn ‘on the job’
as OSHA and the Department of Transportation (DOT) both the knowledge and skills required to do the work. In
in the U.S. increasingly require evidence of ‘proficiency’ most cases no one got killed – possibly just lucky.
in training, not just that someone attended a class and No one would intentionally rely on luck in this business,
passed a knowledge test. we trust. Good training programs, such as the CARILEC
Therefore, both ‘knowledge’ and ‘skills’ need to be Certified Linesman Program, and effective evaluation tools
effectively evaluated for many Electric Utility workers. The are now available to improve the odds. All we have to do
evaluation instruments we use to do this will be more is start using them.
along the lines of the Essay or Story Problem format,
when added to the Knowledge Test. However, this type
of testing will go farther by typically having the instructor Ronald J. Schenk, CUSP
or other qualified person ‘observe’ the student as they Executive Director, Institute for Safety in Powerline
work through the requirements of the example work Construction (ISPC)
assignment they have been presented. Thus, evaluating ISPC is a 501(c)(3) non-profit Industry Association
skill proficiencies must be done in the training yard, for focused on lineworker training and safety. ISPC is based
this part of the evaluation. A recommended training in Alexandria, Louisiana, USA. www.ispconline.com
yard specification plan is shown in Exhibit 1. Typically,
tools, equipment and personal protective equipment are
involved in the evaluations as well, and how and when
they are used may well be part of the evaluation itself.
For the skills proficiency part of the evaluation ISPC has
designed a series of ‘work stations’ within a practice
yard that are designed to test a lineworker’s skills while
performing increasingly complex tasks, all the way up to
maintenance on simulated energized lines and equipment.
One of the first ‘work stations’, for example, may be
Climbing Wooden Poles. An example of what the evaluator
expects to assess is shown in Exhibit 2.
As you can see, much depends on the evaluator’s
subjective view of the student’s performance. Because of
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