November 1, 2018
New System Reminds Linemen to Clip In Lanyard
When drivers forget to click in their seat belt, a loud, audible warning reminds them to buckle up. But when linemen get in a bucket truck and forget to clip in their lanyards, there is no warning signal.
This oversight puts lives at risk. Ejection from a car hitting the back of the truck or a fatal fall from leaning too far to reach an object are real dangers to linemen in bucket trucks. Both of these catastrophic incidents could have been prevented with one simple step: clipping in the lanyard to the bucket.
When Potelco Inc., a Quanta Services company, recognized this problem and potential risk, it came up with a product idea to protect not only its linemen, but also linemen throughout the industry. After creating the initial prototype, Potelco turned to RECON Dynamics to create and refine a product for commercial use. The end result—the Aerial Harness Training System—is built on Internet of Things devices and patented by RECON. The system reminds field personnel to clip their lanyard in, similar to a seatbelt warning.