Each day, lineworkers come face-to-face with work that may potentially be hazardous, such as working on “hot” or energized power lines.  Continuing education and training opportunities help the lineworkers at Slope Electric Cooperative be prepared to face these situations that may arise while out in the field. The North Dakota Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives (NDAREC) hosts an annual Hotline School to ensure lineworkers are prepared to work in energized power line situations and learn new techniques.

Earlier this summer, Slope Electric had two lineworkers attend the hotline training, Brad Schmidt and Shay Olson. During the two-day course lineworkers rotated through hands-on training stimulation stations that help enhance their skills of working on energized power lines.

Being able to work on energized power lines helps prevent electrical service interruption to members during routine maintenance and outages when possible. Training lineworkers with these skills also allows them to work safely and diligently during these situations. Having lineworkers participate in training opportunities helps familiarize them with new equipment, industry changes and keeps their skills up to date.

Safety remains our number one priority at Slope Electric. To ensure our employees possess the knowledge and training to keep themselves, our team, members and communities safely powered, we are fortunate to have access to training opportunities like Hotline School through NDAREC.