USAID to carry out safety training of linemen of Power Distribution Companies (DISCOs) to help cut down on fatal accidents

The USAID Power Distribution Improvement Program has finalized the plan to launch a safety training program for the linemen of nine (9) DISCOs all over Pakistan. This training will be kicked-off in this month and initially 620 linemen of Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (HESCO) will receive intensive safety training. Thereafter, this program will be replicated in other DISCOs including SEPCO, LESCO, GEPCO, FESCO, MEPCO, IESCO, PESCO and QESCO.

This assistance to DISCOs is provided as part of the Government of United States’ commitment to support Government of Pakistan in reforming the power sector and helping DISCOs improve their performance. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) implements a number of programs for assistance, which also include institutional improvement of DISCOs through capacity building and trainings in all the functional areas.

“The statistics of deadly electrical accidents in distribution companies present a very grim picture showing no signs of reduction; rather there has been an increase in the in the number of accidents in the last few years. More than 100 linemen lost their lives in 2010-2011 which left miserable effects on their families and an equal number was injured seriously or disabled.

Analysis of the  accidents clearly indicates that the majority of accidents are due to non adherence of safety procedures and that more than ninety percent of accidents are not due to defective equipment but due to failure on the part of workmen and those in authority to observe safety rules and adopt safety practices for accident prevention” said Dick Dumford, Chief of Party of the USAID’s Power Distribution Improvement Program, which has been organizing the trainings in collaboration with the Ministry of Power and Water.

The USAID Power Distribution Improvement Program shall continue to assist DISCOs to bring improvements to their systems so the people of Pakistan benefit through improvement services