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Best Practice: Pre-use Inspection of Rubber Protective Equipment
BEST PRACTICE

SUBJECT: PRE-USE INSPECTION OF RUBBER PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT

PRACTICE STATEMENT: Protocols related to the effective inspection of insulated protective equipment.

PRACTICE DESCRIPTION:
    All rubber protective equipment shall be inspected prior to each use. All rubber/plastic insulating equipment shall be inspected for any damage, wear or contamination that would compromise its ability to insulate or isolate the linemen from different potentials. Applicable service dates shall be observed. If upon inspection insulating protective equipment is found to be defective the equipment shall be identified and removed from service.
BENEFITS:
  • Provides for uniform inspection guidelines that can be applied industry wide

REFERENCES:

ASTM F478 – 1999 Standard Specification for In-Service Care of Insulating Line Hose and Covers
ASTM F479 – 2001 Standard Specification for In-Service Care of Insulating Blankets
ASTM F496 – 2002 Standard Specification for In-Service Care of Insulating Gloves and Sleeves
ASTM F1236 – 2001 Standard Guide for Visual Inspection of Electrical Protective Rubber Products
National Electric Safety Code (NESC, ANSI C2 – Part 4)

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

The ET&D Partnership maintains a Web site in support of this Partnership. For more information on Best Practices visit Powerlinesafety.org

Page last updated: 04/14/2010