Field Clearances

Procedures for Field Clearances

A Field Clearance is part of the District’s normal clearance process. A Field Clearance is used only to provide protection for employee/workers in the field working on lines, cables or stations not under control of the Energy Control Center (ECC). This section will provide instruction on when this type of clearance shall be used.

Employees working on the District’s high voltage system not under the control of the ECC shall establish their own Field Clearance per WAC 296-45-335 (2b, c&d). The Master Safety Card(s) shall be used along with District lock(s) where appropriate. The employee/worker in charge of establishing the Field Clearance shall visibly ensure that the lines, are open and isolated from all potential sources of energy, and then place the Master Safety Card(s). They can then have the line(s) tested, grounded, and proceed with their work.

This section will provide instruction on this type of clearance including:

Field Clearance

This procedure authorizes qualified electrical workers(s) to establish their own Field Clearance(s) restricted to the following:

  • All overhead laterals with one source of energization. A lateral is further defined as any line section with a single source that is hot-tapped. Line sections that are end of line fed by wedge or bolted type connected jumpers do not qualify as Field Clearances.
  • If a hot tapped single sourced overhead lateral contains a section or sections of underground line, the underground sections will be considered a part of the Field Clearance.
  • Laterals with single phase reclosers with hot tap connected jumpers are not under ECC control and will use the Field Clearance process.
  • Following the completion of the established Field Clearance, all operational system status changes, (anything other than the normal system configuration), shall be communicated by telephone or radio to the ECC System Operator.

Foremen may contact ECC to request clarification or assistance.

The qualified electrical employee(s) in charge of the work, shall ensure that all of the overhead lines and equipment, being worked under this procedure, are patrolled, tagged, tested, grounded.

The qualified electrical employee(s) in charge of the work shall report the time that the Field Clearance was established, the time restoration was completed, and the cause for each event.

Field Clearance Process

Step 1: Lead Employee / Worker

  • Verifies the location of the worksite and clearance point.

Step 2: Lead Employee / Worker

  • Patrols lines to verify source of feed and identifies visible open.
  • Opens or verifies switching device(s) are open and for non-storm work notifies ECC by phone or radio that the device is open.
  • Fills out Master Safety Card(s) and places it on the opening.

Step 3: Lead Employee / Worker

  • Communicates clearance point(s) with crew members.
  • Gives orders to test, ground, and proceed with work.

Step 4: Lead Employee / Worker

  • To release the Field Clearance, verifies all work is complete, verifies all employee/workers are in the clear, and that grounds have been removed.
  • Removes Master Safety Card.
  • Orders switchable device and/or jumper(s) to be returned to normal.
  • Verifies that power is restored, if applicable.
  • For non-storm work, after energizing back to normal condition, notify ECC by phone or radio that device is closed
  • During a storm, call designated ECC number (425-783-5023): Identify themselves, the location, device, pole number, time of energizing and the status of the line.

 

Servicemen Lateral Procedures

Step 1: Serviceman

  • Patrols out radial-fed laterals to the end of the line.

Step 2: Serviceman

  • If no damage or minimal damage is found (such as a limb on the line that can be safely removed by Servicemen) Servicemen can reenergize by refusing and closing cut-outs.

 

Procedures for Customer Owned, Abandoned or Unmapped Lines & Equipment & Battery/Energy Storage Installations:

Field Clearance shall only be used under the following conditions:

  • Customer Owned Equipment Field Clearance: District employees working on a customer owned high voltage system, not mapped or under the control of the ECC, shall establish their own Field Clearance per WAC 296-45-335 (2b, c&d). The Master Safety Card(s) shall be used along with District lock(s), where appropriate. The employee/worker in charge, establishing the Field Clearance, shall meet with the customer representative responsible for the work to receive the necessary information to properly identify the lines/equipment to be de-energized. The customer representative shall ensure that the customer’s employees will understand that the District’s Master Safety Card(s) is the District’s form of lockout/tagout. If there are any questions, the customer representative can also install their company lock/tag for additional safety. If the work requires a clearance on a line(s), cable(s) or piece(s) of equipment under District ECC control, the employee/workers shall follow standard procedure for obtaining a point of clearance from the System Operator to allow the employee/worker to establish their Field Clearance. The ECC System Operator shall only issue a point of clearance on the line(s), cable(s), or piece(s) of equipment under ECC control; clearance on the customer owned system shall be secured by the District employee/worker in the field. Terminal Clearance does not apply in this section.
  • Abandoned or Unmapped Lines/Equipment: This includes abandoned 55kV lines. Notification to ECC prior to beginning work and upon termination of work shall be made giving name of employee/worker in charge, location of work, and proximity to any high voltage lines or equipment.
  • Battery/Energy Storage Installations: Any part of the battery/energy storage installations downstream from ECC’s last point of jurisdiction or not under ECC’s control.

Major Disaster Field Clearance Procedures

  • Major disaster: This is when the ECC is unable to operate and control the District’s electric system. Field Clearances in this situation can be used; however, every attempt shall be made to reestablish communications with the ECC. This can only be done when it is confirmed and communicated to all affected employee/workers that the ECC is no longer in control of system operation.

Major Disaster Field Clearance shall only be established when the following criteria are met:

  • All forms of communication (District radio and telephone) to and from the ECC are lost and recovery will take more than 24 hours.

OR

  • Energy Control System Operators are unable to staff the Energy Control Center due to a catastrophic event i.e., major earthquake, structure fire, etc., and a temporary Energy Control Center cannot be established within 24 hours.

When one of the above conditions exists, the Distribution Services Assistant General Manager or designee may authorize the implementation of the Major Disaster Field Clearance Procedure.

The Assistant General Manager or designee will request that the implementation of the Field Clearance Procedure be communicated to all affected employee/workers.

The following procedure describes how Field Clearances shall be established.

  • The lead employee/ worker shall record all switching steps pertaining to the Field Clearance before issuing the clearance and allowing work to be performed. (See Field Clearance Switching Log in this section.)
  • 12 kV Circuits: Field Clearances shall be established between any line primary fused devices, opened gang-operated switches, primary solid blade disconnects, or opened and rolled back primary jumpers including to the end of the line.
  • 12 kV Laterals: Field Clearances shall be established from a line primary fused device(s), opened gang-operated switch(es), opened solid blade disconnects, or opened and rolled back primary jumpers to the end of the line isolated from any other sources of energy.
  • 115 kV Circuits: Field Clearances shall be established on the District’s transmission system only from an opened and locked open gang-operated switch(es), or opened and rolled back transmission jumpers isolated from any other source of energy.
  • Substations: Field Clearances shall be established on District substations by opening the 115 kV switch(es) with visible opens, opened and locked open gang-operated switch(es), racked out 12 kV breaker(s), 12 kV single pole disconnect switch(es), opened 12 kV getaway switch(es) or opened and rolled back transmission or 12 kV jumpers isolated from any other source of energy.

Field Clearances may not be established on any substations fed by a foreign utility without the foreign utility’s cooperation.

Major Disaster Field Clearance Process

The following process describes how to obtain and release a Field Clearance in the event of a major disaster. See WAC 296-45-335. For clearances at the Jackson Project, see “Clearance Procedures within the Jackson Project.”

Step 1: Lead Employee / Worker

  • Verifies the location of the worksite and all clearance points.

Step 2: Lead Employee / Worker

  • Patrols lines to verify source of feed and identifies visible open(s).
  • Opens or verifies switching device(s) are open and disable or render inoperative, any automatically or remote controlled switching device(s).
  • Fills out Master Safety Card(s) using the word “Field” as the “Clearance No.” and places it on each switchable device or opening.
  • Completes Field Switching Log (located in this section) which establishes the Field Clearance.

The employee/worker shall check those devices having SF6 gas for gas targets before operating the devices.

Step 3: Lead Employee / Worker

  • Communicates clearance point(s) with crew members.
  • Gives orders to test, ground, and proceed with work.

 

Step 4: Lead Employee / Worker

  • To release the Field Clearance, verifies all work is complete, verifies all employee/workers are in the clear, and that grounds have been removed.
  • Removes Master Safety Card(s).
  • Completes Field Switching Log. The Field Clearance has now been released.
  • Orders switchable device(s) and/or jumper(s) to be returned to normal.
  • Verifies that power is restored, if applicable.

Step 5: Lead Employee / Worker

  • All Field Clearance Switching Logs shall be turned in to a supervisor by the end of their shift.

Step 6: Supervisor

  • Forwards all original Field Switching Logs to ECC Superintendent or designee.

Return of the Electric System Authority to the Energy Control Center

The following procedure describes how the Energy Control Center shall re-establish authority over the District’s electric system:

  • The Energy Control Center shall be staffed with the minimum crew structure of System Operators for all shifts.
  • District radio communication shall be re-established to all active affected field employee/workers.
  • The Energy Control System Operator(s) will broadcast over all ECC District radio frequencies that the Energy Control Center is now in control of the electric system. This broadcast will continue every hour until all field employee/workers and all locations have been verified. Once notified, all switching and clearances under ECC’s control on the District’s distribution and transmission electric system shall take the authority of an Energy Control System Operator(s).
  • All established Field Clearance work shall be completed by the lead employee/ worker.
  • All Field Switching and Clearance Logs shall be turned into the Energy Control Center Superintendent or designee as soon as possible to establish current electric system configuration.