EPRI 7th Live Working Conference

Advantage President Jody Singleton has been invited to the EPRI 7th Live Working Conference to give a presentation and live GroundHound instrument demonstration to linemen, crew supervisors, utility safety personnel, and others who deal with high-voltage work-sites at EPRI’s Seventh Live Working Conference.

Presentation and Live Demonstration of GroundHound Site Safety Instrument for EPRI 7th Live Working Conference attendees

Jody Singleton, President and CEO of Colorado-based electronics-engineering firm, Advantage Electronic Product Development, the developer and manufacturer of The GroundHound has been invited to present at EPRI’s (Electric Power Research Institute) prestigious Seventh Live Working Conference held October 17-18, 2013 at the EPRI-Lenox, MA Laboratory. Singleton’s presentation addresses:

  • Hazardous voltages on high voltage work-sites caused by ground potential rise, (commonly known as step and touch potential)
  • Recognizing the shock hazards that exist on a work-site,
  • The importance of a proper work-site grounding system,
  • Advantages of continuously monitoring Ground Potential Rise (GPR)
  • Why alarming for it and logging the readings results in a safer work-site with the data necessary to improve upon procedure.

Singleton is also invited to give live demonstrations of the firm’s GroundHound Site Safety Warning Instrument that measures records, alarms dangerous work-site conditions and is controlled by a smartphone.

The demo audience will consist of safety officers, linemen and supervisors and other individuals in high voltage work. Singleton will provide a live demonstration of the multifunction GPR instrument to persons affiliated with improving safety for high voltage workers. This demo offers an opportunity for them to see the (DOE) Department of Energy-licensed and patented, GroundHound instrument perform live real-time monitoring and alarming of conditions associated with high-voltage work-sites.

The instrument was developed by utility safety professionals from Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) to reduce shock incidents from step and touch voltage and help workers identify transients on the work site. Working in conjunction with Advantage the safety instrument provides warning, recording and measuring of those incidents for high-voltage crews. Using an iPhone or Android, the foreman can see the sensor’s readings without having to walk across hazardous ground or touch charged equipment.

Singleton stated, “The aging infrastructure and more tightly constricted corridors magnify the chances of certain hazardous work conditions for lineworkers. Catastrophic injuries and even fatalities among high voltage workers can be decreased significantly when they know more about the potential hazards around them. For the first time, instrumentation can improve assessment of step and touch potential (GPR) and Transient spikes for safer work environments without a worker ever walking over hazardous ground or touching charged instruments. I am honored at the invitation to present at EPRI’s 7th Live Working Conference and to share vital safety information with the people who actually work in the industry and make decisions about high voltage worker safety.”

About Advantage: 

Under the government’s technology transfer program, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), granted Advantage Electronic Product Development an exclusive license covering all product development, sales and manufacturing of their patented technology. Advantage applied its advanced instrumentation skills in the development of this site safety system. The wireless real-time GPR monitoring instrument provides knowledge of work site conditions and relays it to an iPhone or Android resulting in markedly greater safety for high-voltage workers.

Incident Prevention, Inc. Electric Power Research Institute