Protecting Workers in Underground Cable-in-Duct Installations: The Significance of Quality Lubricants

Underground electrical cable-in-duct installations offer health and safety management opportunities: Specify the right cable pulling lubricant to keep your workers healthy and safe.

 

Man in an underground vault, hand-lubricates a large cable as its pulled through the conduit.

Occupational health and safety are a top priority for any construction or maintenance project. While companies proactively work to maintain safety compliance within the work environment, accidents still happen. Every aspect surrounding the job site and the worker plays a vital role in reducing risk. From maintaining proper PPE to specifying safer equipment, even the little and often overlooked elements within the job environment deserve a proper reevaluation.
With the increase of underground construction projects involving the installation of electrical cable into ducts, there is one small but significant opportunity to improve worker health and safety within this potentially hazardous environment: specifying the right cable pulling lubricant. Certainly, not all cable hauling lubricants are made the same. In fact, high-quality cable pulling lubricants that are specifically designed and engineered for cable and duct material compatibility, environmental conditions, and worker safety are available on the market.

Are quality cable lubricants safe for contact with workers’ skin?

Modern cable hauling lubricants are water-based and designed specifically for cable-in-conduit installations. This kind of lubricant is very safe to use.
Compare this to the generic industrial-style, petroleum-based lubricants. According to their SDS, these contain ingredients such as white mineral oil, paraffins or hydrocarbon wax, which are flammable or combustible and require gloves for safe handling. This glove requirement is particularly important if the installer intends to hand-apply, pour, or spray the lubricant. High quality water-based lubricants do not pose these types of risks.

Related Content: What is the difference between liquid and gel cable lubricants?

Can the cable lubricant type and application methods minimize risk for injury in the cable pull pit?

Slip and fall injuries caused by lubricant spills are a serious concern. When applying lubricant by hand from a bucket, spills are common, and multiple workers are required to transport the containers in and out of the pit. If the number of workers and their movements in the cable pull pit can be reduced, the chance of slips and falls that result in worker injuries also lowers. Furthermore, if the amount of lubricant spilled as a result of hand application can be minimized through the use of a professional-grade lubricant application system, the risk of worker injury from slipping is further reduced. Modern, water-based cable pulling lubricants can be cleanly applied using automated pumping equipment. However, petroleum-based lubricants with their oil and wax additives, are much thicker types of lubricants that can’t be pumped and most often must be hand applied. Selecting the right type and application of cable lubricant can minimize potential slip or fall injuries.

How can water-based cable lubricants protect workers’ backs and hands?

Application of cable lubricants by hand is a very common practice but safer, more efficient methods are available to installation crews. Generic industrial-style, petroleum-based lubricants must be hand applied to the cable, exposing the worker to potential hand injury. High-performance , water-based cable hauling lubricants can be applied using ergonomic, automated, pumping equipment.
The industrial petroleum-based, high-viscosity lubricants are supplied in heavy plastic buckets. Large volumes of plastic buckets must be lifted in and out of the cable pull pit straining workers’ backs. This can be avoided by using high-performance cable pulling lubricants supplied in large re-usable containers that are placed on a truck situated next to the pulling vault, instead of inside of it. Consequently, cable pulling lubricants can be ergonomically applied with automated pumping equipment to eliminate lifting hundreds of heavy buckets over the course of an installation project, resulting in fewer back injuries. No longer needing to think about keeping hands free from danger or lifting heavy containers, appreciative workers can focus on the real job – the quality of cable installation.

Conclusion

The risks to workers associated with ducted cable installations can be mitigated through the mandate to use water-based, specification-grade cable pulling lubricants that are available in high-volume re-usable containers and applied by automated pump systems.

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