Description
Inspect overhead and underground electrical distribution and transmission lines, poles, towers, and related equipment to ensure safety, reliability, and regulatory compliance; identify hazards, defects, and clearance violations, and coordinate corrective actions.
- • Adhere to and enforce safety practices during field inspections.
- • Coordinate switching and protective grounding with system operators to safely access damaged lines.
- • Climb poles or use bucket trucks to inspect equipment and hardware.
- • Verify condition and placement of insulating and fireproofing materials on conductors and joints.
- • Inspect distribution and transmission components—conduits, cables, transformers, breakers, and switches—for condition and compliance.
- • Identify defective sectionalizing devices, regulators, transformers, relays, fuses, or wiring using diagrams and test instruments.
- • Drive patrol routes to inspect lines, structures, and rights-of-way.
- • Coordinate inspection findings and repair priorities with line crews, vegetation teams, and planners.
- • Inspect and test power lines and auxiliary equipment to locate problems using meters, binoculars, infrared, and corona detection tools.
- • Assess conductor sag, tension, and clearances to structures, roads, and vegetation.
- • Verify phase identification, labeling, and switching schemes against diagrams and specifications.
- • Flag and document damaged, decayed, or leaning poles and compromised foundations for replacement.
- • Inspect service drops and metering installations for code compliance and safety hazards.
- • Examine cross-arms, insulators, hardware, and guying for damage, contamination, looseness, or improper installation.
- • Patrol lines by truck, foot, drone, or aircraft to assess condition and obstructions.
- • Evaluate pole loading, guy tension, and anchor conditions; verify tags and pole class markings.
- • Survey vegetation encroachments and coordinate or notify for trimming per clearance standards.
- • Inspect splices, terminations, arresters, and grounding for integrity, corrosion, and proper bonding.
- • Inspect cable sheath and insulation for damage, overheating, or moisture intrusion.
- • Audit connections and fasteners for proper torque and workmanship; note missing covers or guards.
- • Monitor cable pulls and installation work for adherence to bend radius, tension, and depth requirements.
- • Inspect underground trenches, conduits, warning tape, and backfill for compliance with specifications.
- • Document findings with photos, GPS, and detailed reports in GIS/CMMS; issue work orders and hazard tags.
- • Respond to outages or incidents to assess damage, secure the scene, and recommend corrective actions.
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This site includes information from O*NET by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. Career Clutch has modified some of this information for student readability. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Last reviewed: Jan 2026
