Outside Linemen are often observed climbing poles or in bucket trucks, installing or repairing electrical power lines out-of-doors. Major duties of the Outside Lineman include:

• Planning and initiating projects
• Establishing OSHA and customer safety requirements
• Setting towers and poles and constructing other devices to support transmission/distribution cables
• Establishing work positions for maintaining and repairing overhead distribution or transmission lines
• Stringing new wire or maintaining old wire
• Installing and maintaining insulators
• Installing and maintaining transformers and other equipment

In performing these duties, Linemen use climbing tools, hand tools, and heavy equipment on a daily basis.

Linemen also need to develop a great deal of technical knowledge during their apprenticeship. A recent job analysis identified 77 knowledge areas that are important for successful performance.

A few of the more important ones are knowledge of:

• How to work the energized circuits
• How to perform an emergency rescue
• First Aid/CPR
• Connections to be made for various transformers
• What makes a wooden pole unsafe to climb
• Delta and Wye transformer connections
• Specific job safety rules
• Appropriate hand signals to use with ground crew and equipment operators
• The proper knot to tie in different circumstances
• Blueprints, including symbols used

Some of the most important skills for Linemen are:

• Skill at working on high voltage lines while wearing protective equipment such as rubber gloves
• Skill at performing CPR
• Skill at rigging equipment
• Skill at tying knots
• Skill at operating a bucket truck
• Skill at splicing high voltage cable
• Skill at splicing aluminum or copper cable
• Skill at driving heavy equipment, vehicles, and trucks

College Credit is available to graduates of the power line apprenticeship. The American Council on Education (ACE) recommends college credit. These credits can be transferred towards continued education.

The ALBAT Program is federally registered enabling veterans to receive educational benefits while progressing through their apprenticeship.