For a better understanding of Live Working

Abstract

This article brings together and complements previous discussions about the main contributions of Live Working (LW) in the modern management of electrical systems. Indeed, we will remember how LW are a good example of the application of the principles of Corporate Social Responsibility, how LW are an example of excellence in management and how along their many years of use, LW have been a continuous engine for innovation. These contributions -which can be considered as different approaches to LW- are especially important in current times where the companies responsible of the management of power grids, either transmission or distribution, have assumed a growing commitment with society. Today is imperative for these companies to find the right tools that will allow them to meet the growing social demand for quality of supply and network security, among many other challenges. This could be compared to a polyhedron where these different approaches to LW represent the different faces and in the interior we could find the service that grids provide to society as well as the LW themselves. We can look into this polyhedron through any of its faces, but we will always see within it the same set of benefits. A better understanding of this polyhedron will help us achieve a greater participation of LW in the maintenance and even construction tasks performed by the Electric Utilities. This article may help as well those people responsible for the human teams involved in Live Working techniques to motivate their members. Motivation is fundamental for a company if we want to keep a machine working in perfect condition. If an employee believes in the mission of the company, if he believes that his role is important, it is more than likely that his effectiveness will increase. This requires that the employee, in this case the Live Working expert, learns in depth all the aspects of his field to the point to achieve excellence. The achievement of excellence will generate in the worker a feeling of pride .. This article presents then some of the most noteworthy aspects of Live Working to be taken into account in the training and retraining courses to get motivation. This paper brings also some ideas on how to upgrade the communication strategies that will allow us as to get a greater penetration of LW, with the conviction that this increased penetration is very beneficial for both utilities as well as the companies that provide LW services. One of the many possible actions to undertake would be the formal teaching of LW in the university with the most appropriate study techniques. Engineering students are the future managers and operators of electrical systems so these specific studies would be a great opportunity to introduce them into the details of these construction and maintenance techniques as well as transmit them how exciting and challenging is to maintain electrical systems that are continuously operating every day of the year and every minute of the day.