Line CLearance Certification

Arborist Forum

Help Support Arborist Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

UnityArborist

ArboristSite Member
Joined
Mar 11, 2009
Messages
55
Reaction score
5
Location
Eugene, Or
Has anybody out there received the Utility Specialist cert. from the ISA? It says on the ISA site the it does not qualify you to work around energized lines.

Where can I get the training for working around energized lines? OSHA? Somewhere else I would like to be able to focus my search.
 
I have a Utility Specialist Cert

Hi,Yah I was wondering the same thing I have a Utility Specialist Arborist Cert. But you have to become line clearance certified to get closer than 10' of energized high tension power lines. The only way I am aware of getting certified is to work for a company that has a Utility contract and get trained buy a quailified line clearance climber, you would be a trainee until you train under him. I write work for Davey's Utility tree crews and I asked a foreman if I could climb and get quailified, I have been climbing for 20years. He said he would if he could but since it's a Union contract I would have to work my way up and pull brush for 5years or so, no thanks been there done that for Dad since I could walk. If there is another way I want to know because I could market myself to restore trees nailed by utility trimmers.
:chainsaw:
 
There is no way other than working under a qualified/certified line clearance trimmer (that I know of) thats why I think the utility cert through ISA is fools gold!

you will have to hire on through a bargaining unit (union) & enter the apprenticeship.....working your way up & then you will have to make it through the 90 day probation period before you will be considered for the cert.

The unions have this wrapped up pretty good, due to the fact the JATC(joint apprenticeship training committee) sits on the board for most department of labor & industry within the states! the LCTT Cert through the unions is a state/federal type of certification....depending on your state!

tree trimmers use to be considered migrant farm workers by the Dept of L & I, Unions changed that......for the good i`d like to think...BUT, now obtaining that cert.? The road goes through your local union hall!!



Good Luck,


LXT....................
 
http://www.tcia.org/Public/product_ehap.htm

This is all the qualifications that I'm aware of that you need. Seems to work for us anyway.

Unions are a double edge sword, and for what they are worth, I'm sure glad that there is an alternative.

There are plenty of non union utility tree service companies out there that work for non union cooperative electric companies that would put you to work yesterday, not dragging brush all the time either. You'd get your experience for sure.

PM me if you want to climb around power. You might have to travel for awhile, but there is no shortage of year round work for a 20 year climber.
 
Last edited:
If you look down in the employment forum you'll see that Asplundh is looking for utility help in the portland area. It's a union gig, but you might get a gaff in the door.
 
Come over here (Estonia - even when limbs touching the line- hack it away -you can be a HO and still do it- pretty much you risk only your own life - and btw- utility co. DON'T HAVE to trim trees which are on private property - thats a homeowners duty!!!) [common sense says whoever made that law was pretty much drunk or on something stronger]
:monkey:
 
I own my on Company as a Sole Proprietorship. My interest in getting the cert is a new acquaintance who works for Davey doing utility in the area told me they have more work then they can handle, and none of other private tree companies around have the line clearance cert. He said that he could get me a bunch of removal work if I got the proper training.
 
The employer certifes that the employee is qualified to work around electric wires based on experience, training and knowledge. This includes EHAP training, First-aid / CPR, aerial rescue and more. EHAP includes hazard recognition, minimum approach distance, specialized pruning/rigging techniques, tools, etc. ISA Utility certification only says you have the knowledge to pass the test, but you have to have line clearance experience to take it.
 
Depends on your state, in PA...EHAP dont mean crap!!! & it shouldnt, honestly you need to work around power not read about it!

a good LCTT apprenticeship union/non-union will provide you the classroom time & field time, where im at you are required to have 2000 classroom hours & minimum 18 months training time under a certified/qualified line clearance tree trimmer!

Ehap...I cant stand that, what a complete BS smoke n mirrors giving of false knowledge moneygrab crap!! here the employer doesnt certify you, the department of labor & industry certify you!

just find a line clearance company & train with them, no EHAP course :dizzy: or utility specialist cert through ISA is gonna do anything for you, your first time up 60 ft & removing minor overhang.....yeah try & recall what the EHAP manual said at that particular time, LOL Ive seen guys from ACRT come out & think they`re gonna dazzle me with their talent......its a little different than back at the ranch.......I love watching them suit up, run up the tree & then BAM....uh oh , they turn pale, you can smell the fear...oh it delights me!

well..... then I gotta climb up or bucket in and talk em through it, I ask em...what did your book say? after stuttering for a minute or two they spit out something that doesnt apply, well give that a try, I`ll watch!! LMFAO

point is: the best training you will get is from a fellow Line trimmer along with classroom fundamentals....but no ehap or isa is gonna do it for ya!



LXT.................
 
Well said. I do not do line clearance and will not. It is for the Power Co. Any of my customers need it I tell them to call the Power Co. and they can usualy get the work done free. The Power Co. told me I could do it if I wanted to, however it is illegal to get within 15 feet. Hmmm, law and high voltage? Stay away.... :D
 
I own my on Company as a Sole Proprietorship. My interest in getting the cert is a new acquaintance who works for Davey doing utility in the area told me they have more work then they can handle, and none of other private tree companies around have the line clearance cert. He said that he could get me a bunch of removal work if I got the proper training.
I worked for Davey doing utility work for years and I can tell you would most likely have to go trough the utility company's vegetation maintenance division before you could even bid on the work.....but I could be wrong.......

and as lxt stated, the best and or pretty much the only way is to get the cert while working for a company and it takes 18 months training to get it....
 
Last edited:
Depends on your state, in PA...EHAP dont mean crap!!! & it shouldnt, honestly you need to work around power not read about it!

Who said anything about just reading about it?

a good LCTT apprenticeship union/non-union will provide you the classroom time & field time, where im at you are required to have 2000 classroom hours & minimum 18 months training time under a certified/qualified line clearance tree trimmer!

Sounds like overkill, 2000 hours of spoon feeding, but I can see where some might need that kind of thing to make sure they get it.


Ehap...I cant stand that, what a complete BS smoke n mirrors giving of false knowledge moneygrab crap!! here the employer doesnt certify you, the department of labor & industry certify you!

What's false about it? How is it any more or less a money grab than anything else? Your way is free? If OHSA recognizes it, how is it complete BS? (Disclaimer: I'm not an OHSA devotee per se)

just find a line clearance company & train with them, no EHAP course :dizzy: or utility specialist cert through ISA is gonna do anything for you, your first time up 60 ft & removing minor overhang.....yeah try & recall what the EHAP manual said at that particular time, LOL Ive seen guys from ACRT come out & think they`re gonna dazzle me with their talent......its a little different than back at the ranch.......I love watching them suit up, run up the tree & then BAM....uh oh , they turn pale, you can smell the fear...oh it delights me!

Do you even know what the tcia website states about ehap? No one is suggesting he just needs to read a manual. That isn't what it is all about. What, you never picked up a manual or book in 2000 hours of classroom? I'll venture to bet that there are more than a few line clearance companies that incorporate EHAP. Seems to have worked for me, but hey, it's not really rocket science.

well..... then I gotta climb up or bucket in and talk em through it, I ask em...what did your book say? after stuttering for a minute or two they spit out something that doesnt apply, well give that a try, I`ll watch!! LMFAO

I fail to see the humor. So you get some cheap laughs from acrt rookies, congrats. You'd let someone do something around power that wasn't right, sit back, watch, and laugh? Seems to me you must have been dazing through some of those 2000 hours of classroom work, or you’re maniacal. Perhaps both, certainly doesn't say much for your training or character.

point is: the best training you will get is from a fellow Line trimmer along with classroom fundamentals....but no ehap or isa is gonna do it for ya!

I beg to differ, especially in light of what I'm reading here, one can grasp fundamentals outside of someone's classroom from different sources and be just as well off. I guess part of the lesson here is, be careful who you get. They just might have a superiority complex flawlessly seasoned with delinquency.

Unity Arborist,

I'd ask your Davey man what is required, not everywhere is overrun with this kind of nonsense. If an EHAP program will suffice, and since you'd be the employer, I can't see why you couldn't hire an experienced utility arborist that is EHAP qualified to help facilitate that program for you and your employees.
 
...it is illegal to get within 15 feet. Hmmm, law and high voltage? Stay away.... :D

What law are you talking about? this is not true at all. read ansi.

and all the ehap/isa slamming is just a lot of :deadhorse:

i got both of these and glad i did. yes they have limits; so does field experience. :monkey:
 
What law are you talking about? this is not true at all. read ansi.

and all the ehap/isa slamming is just a lot of :deadhorse:

i got both of these and glad i did. yes they have limits; so does field experience. :monkey:
In NC if you're working closer than ten feet to the lines you are breaking law, I don't have all day to dig up the statute number but it's the law....

I'm not slamming anything here but the BEST way to get training is hands on and it takes 18 months to get your cert unless you were grand fathered in as I was....

Not sure what you mean by field experience having limits, maybe you mean the minimum approach distance which is 2' 4" in NC....
 
well Bigus testicless, Ehap is crap!! & that is the concensus with most LCTT`s, you proll couldnt make it through the apprenticeship so hey " this EHAP training will do" (true Al Bundy fashion).

yes I do find humor in acrt rookies along with those who carry other certs without the hands on experience!!!......if acrt is so damn good then why am I training what they breed? I mean hell...on paper their smarter & more knowledgeable than me..right?

shame that the program you call spoon feeding is the program that pilgrimed the LCTT certification & helped get our trade recognized through the Govt. Ehap is just a cheap money grab spin off, & to you Treeseer....what limits doe field experience have......when it come to working around power??? tell ya what guy take your lil books up the tree with you, walk out over the 23kv line & take that hang off............please feel free to refer to your books at any time for help! mean while Ill prolly be watching so when your gonna do something stupid I can stop you!!!

BTW, the cert I have is recognized by the dept of L & I, EHAP is not!! what you beg to differ doesnt mean anything cuz I doubt you have enough experience around lines any way!......Id like someone like you on my crew, lil book worm with soft hands, a weak back & a bladder full of hot air!!



LXT....................
 
Certification of any kind is based on Knowledge (books), Training (field) and Experience (apprentice). Everyone starts out green and wet behind the ears, makes lots of mistakes, hopefully lives through them, gains years of experience and expertise, and 30 years later goes on to AS to rant about the young'uns with their inexperienced, baby soft hands.:cheers:
 
Certification of any kind is based on Knowledge (books), Training (field) and Experience (apprentice). Everyone starts out green and wet behind the ears, makes lots of mistakes, hopefully lives through them, gains years of experience and expertise, and 30 years later goes on to AS to rant about the young'uns with their inexperienced, baby soft hands.:cheers:


heres where many differ ole Peter, certification in & of itself is through bookwork for the most part...I have no quams with that, Only entities drumming up certifications or spin offs of such is where I get a little jacked!

Yes, everyone starts out green! & everyone makes mistakes..BUT, dont think cause acrt passed you or you got EHAP/utility specialist certs that your smarts are gonna rival that of someone who`s been doing it day in & day out for 10,15,20+ years!! Not saying that this is the mindset of everyone....but it is the mindset of many!

just look at this sight, look how many think EHAP & Utility specialist Certification are "the gold standard" just because they couldnt get the real Cert!! thats what I dislike, the crybabies who dont wanna have to go work for the Union based power companies or Non union based & get the real Mccoy.....so they whine & cry & TCIA/ISA whip up a book, charge some money, provide a test & give em a Cert

This is so they can feel as though they belong.....So for those of you who have these Certs & never did your time through a legitimate state/federal recognized LCTT training program......guess what? you dont belong! you dont belong because you have tried to shortcut your way through, you have cried & asked for what is a pathetic attempt to make you feel better at something you can not perform on a daily basis but want to be held in a standard as equal to those who do & who have spent there life at doing such!

So to all the Line Clearance folks out there who went though "apprenticeship Hell" who voluntarily went to classes at the hall, red cross, linemans schools, etc.. and have made a living at doing it.......You are respected & thanked, for your service is earned & not bought! you have sweat, been scared & prayed many times while aloft!!! & yet someone in an office is reading a book & submitted their money to take a test that they think makes them your equal :dizzy:!!

to all LCTT`s :cheers:


LXT................

btw, pete.....Im thinking you have baby soft, limpwristed hands? :)
 
Last edited:
LXT................

btw, pete.....Im thinking you have baby soft, limpwristed hands? :)[/QUOTE]

Soft as a Blackjack oak, limp as my first hour on Viagra!!!:D Enjoy your weekend. Sweeties :heart: getting impatient. AS is not her idea of foreplay.
 
LOL.............you have a good wkend Pete, yeah moma doesnt like when I spend too much time here either!!




LXT........
 
........I can't see why you couldn't hire an experienced utility arborist that is EHAP qualified to help facilitate that program for you and your employees.
No doubt, that would be the quickest/cleanest way to get the company qualified to take the jobs. This would be especially beneficial if you aren't too proud to learn from an employee that you are over...you can get on the job training without having to take steps backwards.
 
Back
Top