It's Coming!

LOOK OUT FOR THE LINEMEN!

Working on the line crew was a dangerous job. Crews setting poles and putting up lines had almost no safety equipment in the early days and many men were injured or killed from falls or from electrocution. Despite the danger, men with few job prospects jumped at the chance to work for a decent wage, by Depression standards. In addition to the unemployed, line crews often included local farmers eager to help speed up the arrival of electricity to their homes and farms. Sometimes in these early days there were separate crews to dig the holes and clear the right of way, but often working for a cooperative was divided simply into indoor and outdoor workers. Gradually, working as a lineman became safer and easier as crews got better safety equipment, two-way radios, power tools, and most importantly, bucket trucks, and they obtained more training in safety and emergency procedures. However, to this day the work on the line crew is still hard and often dangerous.