Groundman

About This Role

This groundman role assists skilled substation craft workers in installing or repairing cables and wires for electrical power or distribution systems. It involves physical labor at construction sites, including preparing sites, digging trenches, setting braces, and cleaning up debris. The position is suitable for someone with basic knowledge of the substation field and a willingness to learn.

Responsibilities

• Learn to use appropriate hand (e.g., hammer, screwdriver, sledgehammer) and power tools (e.g., grinders, hand compactors) to perform various functions
• Dig, spread, and level dirt and gravel using a pick, shovel, and wheelbarrow
• Lift, carry, hold, and move building materials, tools, and supplies
• Pull up cable by hand from large reels mounted on trucks
• Place insulating or fireproofing materials over conductors and joints
• Clean tools, equipment, material, and work areas
• Mix, pour, and spread concrete, asphalt, gravel, and other materials
• Perform a variety of routine, non-machine tasks, such as removing forms from set concrete, filling expansion joints with asphalt, placing culvert sections in trenches, assembling sections of dredge pipeline, and driving stakes
• Perform cleaning, compacting, grading, painting, sanding, or stripping operations
• Clean or prepare construction sites to eliminate possible hazards
• Participate in all safety-related processes and programs
• Engage with the work team to ensure zero injuries
• Understand that no job is so important that your safety and that of your crew will be compromised
• Watch for hazards and report any concerns to your supervisor or safety professional
• If needed, use your stop work authority until the issue is resolved
• Report all accidents and near misses to supervisor; participate in investigation process as needed
• Participate in all pre-job work planning and safety discussions
• Identify safety hazards you or other employees may be subject to and take all necessary corrective action to eliminate and/or mitigate hazards
• Understand and respond appropriately to all safety hazards and warning devices (e.g., back-up alarms, smell of smoke, different colored warning tags, warning sirens)
• Follow established safety rules and regulations and maintain a safe and clean work environment
• Use effective verbal and written communication skills
• Add, subtract, multiply, and divide whole numbers and fractions rapidly and accurately
• Listen to co-workers' suggestions, safety concerns, and recommendations, giving full attention to what they are saying and taking the time to understand the points being made, asking questions and providing feedback when appropriate