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NES operations chief: more clearance improves safety for lineworkers
Summary
NES operations leaders told the council extra clearance gives crews safer space to work in storms; NES described moving bucket work, dynamic conditions during events and said safety is a primary rationale for the 15‑foot standard.
Bridal Whitlock, NES vice president of transmission and distribution operations, told the committee that increasing clearance around energized conductors creates a safer working zone for crews during storms and reduces fatality risk.
"If I've got a grounded surface that comes in contact with me, I've got a fatality," Whitlock said, arguing that extra horizontal space and the ability to manage moving buckets in bad weather are critical to worker safety. Whitlock described crews working in dynamic conditions—moving buckets, low visibility and water—that increase risk when vegetation remains close to conductors.
NES staff said safety was a major driver of the 15‑foot policy and that some operational benefits—less repeat visits to the same circuits—have been observed, though they stopped short of calling trimming a "silver bullet" for outages. The committee recorded the safety rationale and included it among evaluation criteria for the March follow‑up.
