Flexible Monitoring: IoT Solves Communication Challenges for Utilities
Without an IoT system in place, maintenance workers manually perform a variety of tests to determine pole stability and structural integrity. These tests are time-consuming, expensive and at times dangerous. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, electrical power-line installers and repairers had a 20.5 percent fatal work injury rate in 2015, making it among one of the most dangerous jobs in the country. Nonfatal occupational injuries are also all too common. In addition to the suffering these injuries cause, they also translate to many days away from work. In 2015, electrical power-line installers and repairers spent an average of 20 days away from work, higher than the eight-day average for all occupations.