Employees beat the heat with cooling vests
During the hot days of summer, Mississippi Power line crews are staying safe and cool with new technology in cooling vests worn under flame resistant (FR) clothing.
Industrial Hygienist Jonathan Bunn brought the idea to Mississippi Power after hearing from his colleagues at Alabama Power.
“The cool vest technology was researched and piloted at Alabama Power following the implementation of FR clothing,” said Bunn. “With the one team mindset, Mississippi Power and Alabama Power’s safety departments were able to work with linemen and a manufacturer to have a functional product that is helping prevent heat-related illnesses.”
The cooling vest operates by pumping cold water through the vest to lower the core body temperature of the crew member wearing it. The vests require crew members to have limited mobility as they have to be connected to a cooler filled with ice water.
Bunn selected nearly ten pilot teams throughout the service territory to test and provide feedback of the vests in June 2022.
“The trial for the cooling vests couldn’t have come at a better time – our crews were working through an extreme heat wave,” said Bunn.
“Safety and management received a lot of positive feedback from the pilot team, and management moved quickly to approve a full implementation throughout the service territory. I appreciate their commitment to safety to protect our front-line workers.”
The company fully implemented the cooling vests by providing one to every distribution lineman and substation worker and allotted 60 coolers to crews throughout the service territory.
“I like using the cooling vest when I’m in the bucket all day,” said Biloxi Lineman Kris Frederickson. “I’m glad to have this especially on the hot summer days.”
The cooling vests aren’t the only precaution line crews take to stay safe during the summer. They also plan jobs that are extra strenuous earlier in the day and regularly take breaks to cool off.
“Our safety team will continue to explore new and innovative ways to keep our employees safe as they serve our customers,” said Bunn.
Now in its 98th year of operations, Mississippi Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO), produces safe, reliable and affordable energy for more than 191,000 customers in 23 southeast Mississippi counties. Mississippi Power was honored with a Community Partner Impact Award from the Center for Energy Workforce Development for its innovative and ongoing efforts to build a diverse workforce. The Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve recently recognized Mississippi Power for its commitment to its military workforce. Mississippi Power has nearly 160MW of solar capacity at four locations across the company’s service territory, including Southern Company’s first project to combine the latest, cutting-edge solar technology with battery storage. Visit our websites at mississippipower.com, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
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