Month: March 2021

Jason Johnson, a Mobile Service Technician based out of Birmingham, Alabama, has been with Altec for over seven years.

As a father of four, Jason Johnson knows how important family is when it comes to choosing a career.

After starting out working in Altec’s Birmingham Service Center, Jason transitioned to his current role as an Altec MST. We sat down with Jason to discuss what it means to be a part of Team Altec.

Family Life

Before coming to Altec, Jason worked for a tree care company and a local municipality as a mechanic. When he found out his first daughter was on the way, he knew he had to make a change that would give his family the peace of mind they so desperately needed.

“Before I didn’t have much of an income, we were living paycheck to paycheck; now I have the stability to provide the type of life that my family deserves,” Johnson said.

Jason said that now his family life is different because of the stability they have because of Altec.

Making a Difference 

In addition to the support and improved quality of life he and his family feel as a member of Team Altec, Jason enjoys knowing he is positively impacting his customers.

“I love the fact that at the end of the day, they call me directly whenever they have an issue, and I do all I can to help them. If I can’t help them over the phone, I’m on my way to them,” Jason said.

Beyond his day-to-day work as a mobile service technician, he looks forward to future opportunities at Altec.

“Due to the things that I’ve learned throughout the years, I know that one day I’ll be able to move up and be able to contribute in other ways than I do right now with Altec,” he said.

Altec Careers

At Altec, we know if we put our minds and hearts and backs into something, we can do anything. We care about people. We look after each other.

And no matter where we go, across the nation or the globe, we know one thing holds true: our equipment, our services, and our solutions are used to advance our communities and improve other people’s lives.

Does a career at Altec seem like the right fit for you? If you’re interested in joining Team Altec, check out our current job openings here.

Understanding boom tip continuity is one of the most important safety considerations when performing live line work from an aerial device.

Check out these tips to consider for safe work practices when it comes to boom tip continuity:

1. Know Where the Boom Tip is– On Altec insulating aerial devices, bands of arrows mark the insulating portions of the booms. The boom tip area includes every component beyond the uppermost band of arrows.

You must consider everything at the boom tip electrically connected, including the:

• Platform
• Controls
• Jib
• Winch rope

2. Understand How Contact Occurs – If any part of the boom tip contacts an energized or grounded object, consider the entire boom tip to be at the same potential as that object. If the boom tip contacts another object at a different potential at the same time, such as a phase, neutral, or grounded object, current can flow through the entire boom tip, including the person in the platform. Insulating liners cannot protect the person in the platform from contact, directly or through the boom tip, with either two conductors or a single conductor and grounded equipment.

3. Protect Yourself at the Boom Tip – Properly cover exposed, energized parts, and maintain minimum approach distances from any energized components which are not properly covered.

For your primary protection, you should use:

• Insulating gloves
• Insulating sleeves
• Hot sticks

Other tools which are maintained, rated, and tested for the voltages should also be included when performing live line work. Note the material handling jib is not a “hot stick.” It is a conductive part of the boom tip and must be used with other rated and insulating protective equipment when handling energized components.

4. Pay Attention to Your Surroundings – Stay aware of potential contact areas near the boom tip so you can guard against contact with energized or grounded components. This will help protect yourself and others while working from your Altec insulating aerial device.

For more information about boom tip continuity on your aerial device, contact the Altec Sentry Safety team online.