After hearing stories from an electrical burn survivor, lineworkers walked outside the conference room to witness the importance of wearing PPE in action. Tim Boswell, public safety manager for Evergy, and his team demonstrated what happens when a curious animal, T-shirt or mylar balloon comes in contact with live electricity.
Boswell encouraged the students and young line apprentices to get up close to the demonstration. That way, they could learn about the importance of personal protective equipment (PPE) and staying safe in the field.
Russ Owen of the International Lineman's Rodeo Association, says the safety trailer is a great educational tool that a lot of utilities use to educate their communities. At the same time, it can also be used to educate lineworkers, as was done at the safety conference two years in a row.
"We had the safety trailer to convince everybody how little things build up, how dangerous things really are," he says.
Check out the photo gallery to see the demo in action.