Bill sets rules to protect utility line workers

PORTLAND – The family of a Maine man who was electrocuted while fixing power lines is hoping to change state laws to prevent similar accidents.

Central Maine Power Co. employee Brent Churchill was killed instantly in December 1999 when he came in contact with a 7,200-volt line atop a pole.

An investigation by the company after his death found that he hadn’t followed some safety procedures, including wearing heavy rubber gloves, testing to make sure the lines were not live and installing ground wires.

It also found that he was awake for 48 out of 55 hours and had worked for most of those hours when he died.

Rep. Walter Gooley, R-Farmington, has submitted a bill called the Lineworker Safety Act on behalf of the Churchill family to the Maine House.

The bill would require utility companies to send at least two line workers at a time out to repair high-voltage lines.

It also would forbid workers from staying on the job for more than 17 hours without seven hours of rest.

Central Maine Power Co. adopted similar changes to its safety policy after Churchill’s death, but his parents said the bill would prevent the measures from being removed from future union contracts.

CMP is opposing the bill, said spokesman Clark Irwin.

“Fundamentally, the bill is unnecessary,” he said.

The bill is supported by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.