As Scope’s digital inspection technology has allowed for greater transparency around the inspection and repair process of stringing lines, it has also made apparent to many stakeholders that the industry as a whole lacks common practices, or a standard outlining what may or may not be acceptable around stringing line care. While ASME B30.30 addresses generic line care information, it lacks application specific considerations to effectively address these concerns.  Without a standard in place, the quality of stringing line inspections and remediation types vary vastly from facility to facility, or even person to person, leaving stakeholders with no means for demanding compliance or a level of acceptance. Ultimately, these stakeholders are stuck shouldering an unnecessary amount of risk around stringing line failures damaging equipment, injuring people, and delaying projects.

Today, overhead stringing lines failing in the field remain commonplace and it is Scope’s belief that the lack of such line care standards is at the core of this problem. Furthering Scope’s mission to make every pull a safe pull, Scope has leveraged its network of electric utilities, electric utility contractors, OEMs, rope manufactures and inspection/service providers as a means to compile the various methods being applied across the industry, organize, sort and ultimately synthesize that data in search of a coordinated solution which may be leveraged by the industry as a whole.

This document is the direct result of the contribution of many stakeholders across the electric utility industry and is not a Scope bi-product. It remains Scope’s intent to leverage industry leaders  most experienced with overhead stringing operations to contribute, challenge, and further this document over time. Scope plans to host regular collaborative sessions both in person and virtually in the pursuit of a stringing line care standard that reduces risk and increases safety for all.

Until an industry standard is formally adopted by one of the industry’s governing bodies, Scope welcome’s stakeholders to leverage these guidelines, in part or in whole, in pursuit of a more comprehensive stringing line management program. We also encourage parties interested in stringing line health to contribute by lending their personnel most experienced in line stringing. Sessions are open to anyone who’d like to participate and details of upcoming sessions can be acquired by contacting Scope.

At a minimum, revisions of this document will be posted on Scope’s website and distributed via email to anyone that has subscribed to the updates.  Most current revision will be hosted here: www.visionbyscope.com/best-practices