B.E.L. linesmen train for live repairs
Just one false move and “bbbssssttt”, it’s lights out. That’s the reality employees of Belize Electricity Limited dealt with this afternoon as they participated in a live wire exercise in Ladyville. Using special equipment and newly acquired skills, the twelve B.E.L. linesmen from throughout the country conducted maintenance work without interrupting the flow of electricity. According to officials, this type of training will be beneficial to both the company and its customers.
Rodney Baird, B.E.L. Maintenance
“This doesn’t mean that we’ll never experience outage to do maintenance again, because the application of this work is limited by some factors such as critical load, clearances in the respective areas, weather et cetera.”
Janelle Chanona
“How necessary was this training?”
Rodney Baird
“Well it’s a good thing where customers will benefit in some areas by experiencing less outage and the company will benefit by keeping on the power to do necessary maintenance with increased revenue.”
Janelle Chanona
“How dangerous is this type of live wire exercise?”
Rodney Baird
“It has a certain risk factor in it, but with the training and the understanding, the use of the appropriate tools like the hot sticks, that should take care of the risks associated with the job.”
According to Baird, with this training the B.E.L. linesmen are now able to replace damaged insulators and cross arms, as well as rotten poles without having to turn off the electricity.
