About six years ago, I was excited and eager to have regular opportunities to get out from behind my computer-aided design (CAD) workstation and visit our utility’s substations, transmission line right of ways (ROWs), and telecom sites throughout our service area in Texas. Most of us engineers and technicians looked forward to these inspections as a chance to escape the confines of our cubicles.

However, for many, the thought of putting on the hot, heavy, and uncomfortable lab coats we were using at the time was extremely unpopular, especially in the Texas heat. It didn’t take long for me to see their point. One engineer who was close to retirement told me, “I don’t even go out in the field anymore, because I’m afraid of having a heat stroke. At my age, it’s a health hazard.” Even though field verification is a necessary part of design-build companies’ best practices, many employees may still be reluctant to wear flame-resistant (FR) clothing to complete the task.…

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