ALABAMA: When a storm knocks out power, line workers climb into the dark and the danger to restore it.
When a storm takes down a neighborhood’s power, the crews who restore it often work through the worst of the weather: high winds, floodwater, and heat. They work at height, near energized equipment, and usually after long hours with little sleep.
Federal data shows how risky that work is. A Bureau of Labor Statistics analysis found that line installers and repairers suffered 201 fatal occupational injuries from 2011 to 2015, about 40 per year. Electrical power-line workers accounted for 131 of those deaths, roughly double the 70 among telecommunications line workers. BLS included electrical power-line installers and repairers on its yearly list of the 10 civilian occupations with high fatal-injury rates for every year from 2011 through 2015. One analysis of BLS figures put the fatality rate for the occupation at 23.7 per 100,000 workers, well above the rate for most jobs.
Electricity is only one of the risks. Power-line workers install or repair high-voltage cables and related equipment, and a single mistake or equipment failure can be fatal. Overhead power line contact is also a leading cause of electrical deaths across all occupations. BLS recorded 1,940 workplace fatalities involving electricity between 2011 and 2023.
The job is physical and often done at height. Line workers climb poles and work from bucket trucks, handling heavy equipment while exposed to the elements. Even telecommunications crews, who don’t touch high-voltage cables, must reach and work with wiring and equipment attached to utility poles. That group’s nonfatal injury rate was higher than the rates for all occupations and for electrical power-line workers in the BLS analysis.
The risk concentrates where the grid is built and repaired. Three industries accounted for over 95 percent of fatal injuries among electrical power-line workers: electric power generation, transmission and distribution; power and communication line construction; and electrical contractors.
Emergencies raise the stakes. Storm restoration means working fast in poor conditions, often at night and often while fatigued, which is exactly when mistakes become more likely.
Modern life runs on electricity. Hospitals, water systems, refrigeration, heating and cooling, and communications all depend on a grid that people maintain by hand, often at personal risk. Most customers only notice line workers when the power is out, but the work of keeping it on is constant.
There are simple ways to show appreciation:
Give crews space. Slow down and move over for utility vehicles on the roadside.
Stay away from downed lines. Treat every fallen line as energized and call your utility or 911.
Be patient during outages. Restoration is slow because crews must make each repair safely.
Say thank you. A sign in the yard or a wave to a passing crew means more than most people realize.
