Five Summer Safety Tips for Utility Workers That Could Save Lives
- Jul 15, 2025, 04:13 PM
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1. Hydrate with Electrolyte Replenishment Solutions
Working outdoors in high temperatures and humidity can lead to dehydration, sun stroke, heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and potentially fatal heatstroke. Utility workers often perform physically demanding tasks in the heat, increasing this risk. In fact, over the 2021–22 period, the trade, transportation, and utilities industry had 1,420 workplace injuries that resulted in at least one day away from work due to exposure to extreme environmental heat.
Even a 2% loss of body fluids can reduce motor speed and focus — increasing the risk of accidents. Water is necessary, but water alone will not replace lost nutrients and minerals such as electrolytes.
Specifically designed for industry, Sqwincher® hydration solutions are an effective method for reducing the rate of heat-stress-induced industries by restoring important mineral salts and fluids and are absorbed into the body significantly faster than water alone. Moreover, Sqwincher® products are available in powder concentrate, liquid concentrate, and ready-made drink configurations in Regular and ZERO sugar-free formulations in a variety of flavors, packaging, and yield sizes for quick and convenient use.
2. Protect from UV Rays
Protection from the elements is an essential part of working outdoors, but we often forget about the damage UV Rays can do to our skin. In the United States, more than 9,500 people are diagnosed with skin cancer every day making it the most common type of cancer even though UV exposure is the most preventable risk factor for all skin cancers.
Becoming aware of how to be sun safe is essential to skin cancer prevention. Working in the sun may not be avoidable, but the damage to your skin is. CoreTex® Products provides a safe, effective, and economical solution for all outdoor workers! Both SunX® 30 (SPF 30) and SunX® 50 (SPF 50) Broad Spectrum Sunscreens are FDA compliant, meet all of OSHA’s recommendations, and pass the Lineman’s Glove Test (Type 1 Class 2 ANSI/ASTM D 120), and are available in several unique packaging options.
3. Dress for the Weather
For line workers, dressing for safety is more than fashionable, it is a life saver.
Summer weather includes thunderstorms in addition to high heat. As such, utility workers should look to utilize leather protector gloves made from grain cowhide leather for its water-repellent properties (since lineman work in all types of weather), as well as rubber insulating glove powder to help absorb any perspiration inside the gloves that can result from sweating.
Check out the new Saf-T-Gard® Voltgard® Dura-Fit™ Leather Protector Gloves and
Saf-T-Gard® Voltgard® Flexi-Fit™ Leather Protector Gloves. Both are water-repellent, enabling high-voltage rubber insulating glove wearers unstoppable use, protection, productivity, and compliance even in the harshest weather. Saf-T-Gard® Voltgard® GluvEze™ Powder is also available in various-sized squeeze bottles to conveniently fit inside canvas glove bags or pockets.
Furthermore, rain, heat, and humidity can cause low-visibility working conditions. Utility workers should wear arc-rated, high-visibility rainwear like the Tingley Eclipse™ Class 3 Hi-Viz Coats, Jackets, and Overalls to ensure they are seen by drivers and other workers, especially in busy work zones.
4. Use Fall Protection with Breathable Materials
Working at heights is an inevitable challenge of utility worker safety. According to the BLS National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries in 2023, slips, trips, and falls rank as the second most fatal work injuries by major event or exposure, posing a significant threat to the safety of utility workers. Whether it’s scaling towers, climbing scaffolding, inspecting water and gas systems, or operating machinery off the ground, it’s a clear and present danger, especially during the summer months when the hazards are amplified by inclement weather.
Sweating and the presence of wet surfaces or uneven terrain can also contribute to falls, so utility workers should look to utilize PPE with breathable materials. The Miller H500 Harnesses, for example, feature improved comfort around the waist, back, and shoulder area, and significantly reduce heat and sweat build-up with the addition of perforated foam material in combination with a mesh for cushioning that provides breathability. This means less water vapor resistance and cooler, drier workers, which equates to better safety and compliance.
5. Prevent Dropped Objects Injuries with Fall Protection for Tools
Protecting workers at heights requires more than just preventing falls. Their tools also need protection.
In 2022, according to the BLS, there were 52,000 injuries reported from falling objects or equipment, resulting in 4% of all workplace injuries. In addition, there were 238 fatalities reported, representing 48% of all "struck by" incidents and 4.5% of all workplace fatalities. Proper training and gear could have prevented many of these injuries and fatalities, especially in the summer months when sweaty palms can cause dropped tools.
In 2018, the International Safety Equipment Association (ISEA) and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) approved the “Dropped Objects Standard” to establish minimum design, performance, and labeling requirements for product solutions that prevent falling objects and guidelines for testing that equipment. The current standard focuses on four classes of preventative solutions to mitigate dropped objects. Peruse our selection of anchor attachments, tool attachments, tool tethers, and containers that directly address this standard.
Connect with Saf-T-Gard to Learn More
Industrial safety is our legacy going back nine decades, and electrical safety is our expertise. As a leading manufacturer and distributor of rubber insulating products, arc flash and electrical protection clothing and kits, grounding equipment, and testing services, Saf-T-Gard is dedicated to serving industries where worker safety and protection from electrical current are critically important.
For an overview of our electrical safety products, and to order for immediate shipment, please visit Electrical Safety. For an overview of our summer safety products, please visit Summer Safety Essentials.