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Electrical Power Line Worker

He's been an electrical power line worker for 35 years. The job has taken him across the province, to the United States and overseas. Today, Bill Finnerty represents hundreds of line workers in Ontario, including many working to restore power in hurricane-ravaged Louisiana.

LINDA WHITE

[ 2005-10-19 ]

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"Our training is the best in North America," he says proudly. "We're the most highly qualified and are in demand. I've had calls recently from as far away as Australia. People come from around the world to train in Ontario."

Finnerty completed his apprenticeship with Ontario Hydro and spent most of his career working with contractors. He is now a business assistant with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 353 Ontario.

"I've been in every town in this province. I've done transmission work, underground work. Anything you can do in this trade, I've done it. It's the best job you can have," Finnerty says. "How else can you see this country, finish work and go out to hunt and fish? The nicest thing about the job is that it varies from one day to the next. You're not stuck in one spot all the time."

Line workers -- also known as linemen or linewomen -- typically work in a variety of work sites, depending on the location of high-voltage transmission lines and support towers.

Repair and service line workers are on call most of the time and may work long hours during major storms and other emergency conditions. Power line maintainers often work on lines carrying up to 500 kilovolts of electricity. Some work may be performed from helicopters, while other work is on underground systems.

Some jobs require living in bush camps while new lines are installed. "If you're building a factory in Northern Ontario, for example, we're the first ones there so we can bring high-voltage transmission lines in," Finnerty says.

Safety is key. "It costs about eight weeks worth of wages a year to ensure linemen remain safe on the job," Finnerty says. Annual training includes updates on things such as rubber glove safety, working in confined spaces, bucket rescues and first aid.

"IBEW is very safety oriented. We hold safety meetings each month and our members must show up," Finnerty says. "It's a dangerous job. Your pole buddy is watching to make sure you don't get killed. You make a mistake, you don't get a second chance. That's why safety is so important."

The trade attracts primarily men, but does offer opportunities for women. Working outdoors -- often at high heights -- is all in a day's work. "You can be working on a 50-foot pole or on a 600-foot tower. Most of my boys are farm boys who like the outdoors," Finnerty says. "At one time, they called us 'cowboys'. You're in the heat all summer and in the cold all winter."

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