AE Aerial AE-07 Step 7 of 12
Down Guys and Guy Guards
Install guys that balance the line's unbalanced tension, tension them before the strand and guard them for the public.
Crew
- Foreman
- Lineworker
- Ground Worker
Hazards
- Electrical Contact
- Stored Energy in Tensioned Strand
- Falls
- Struck by Vehicles
Purpose
Install guys that balance the line’s unbalanced tension and stay safe for the public. Strand pulls hard on terminal, corner and dead-end poles. Without a guy that takes that load, the pole leans, and attachments sag below their clearances.
When to Do It
- After anchors are set and recorded (AE-06 Anchors).
- Before the strand is tensioned. Guys go on first so the pole is held when the load arrives (29 CFR 1910.268(n)(9); owner spec).
- Next step: AE-08 Strand Placement and Tensioning.
Roles
- Foreman: checks guy size, attachment point, insulator and guard requirements against the design.
- Lineworker: installs the guy attachment, guy strand, grips and insulator, and takes up the slack.
- Ground worker: makes up the anchor end, installs the guy guard and keeps the public clear.
Equipment and Materials
- Bucket truck.
- Down guy strand of the designed size.
- Preformed guy grips matched to the strand size.
- Guy strain insulators where required.
- Guy guards (color, length and placement per owner spec and the NESC).
- Bonding clamps and bond wire of the type and size in the owner’s standard.
- Come-along or strand puller, and a voltage detector.
Safety
Procedure
- Install the guy attachment on the pole near the load it opposes, per the design.
- A guy attached well below the strand lets the pole bend between the two.
- Run guy strand of the designed size to the anchor.
- Terminate with preformed guy grips at both ends.
- Use the grip made for that strand size, and apply it per the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Install guy strain insulators where the power owner or NESC requires them, at the position the owner’s standard shows.
- Effectively ground the guy (bond it to the pole’s grounding system) or insulate it, per the owner standard and the NESC.
- Where the design insulates the guy, do not bond across the insulator. A bond around it defeats it.
- Where the owner standard bonds the guy to the pole ground, test the vertical ground for voltage before you touch it, then make the bond with the clamps and wire the standard shows.
- Where the owner standard bonds the guy to the strand, make that bond once the strand is dead-ended (AE-08), and record it then.
- Take up slack and tension the guy before tensioning the strand.
- Tension to the owner’s standard (per owner spec), so the pole stays plumb when the strand load arrives (29 CFR 1910.268(n)(9); owner spec).
- Install a yellow guy guard where people or vehicles could contact the guy, per owner spec and NESC.
- Use sidewalk guys or span guys where an in-line down guy cannot be placed, per the design.
- Check that the pole is plumb, or raked as the design shows, before moving on.
Hold Points
Records to Keep
- Guy size and attachment height at each guyed pole.
- Locations of guy insulators and guy guards.
- How each guy is bonded or insulated, with a photo of the bond or insulator.
- Photos of each guy at the pole end and the anchor end.
- Any change from the design guying, approved by the engineer.
Common Mistakes
- Guy below the load. The pole bends at the attachment and loses strength.
- Missing guy guard. People walk into unmarked guys, and mowers and vehicles hit them.
- Missing insulator where required. An energized guy can reach the ground end.
- Guy neither grounded nor insulated. If it contacts power, it can stay energized with nothing to trip the power owner’s protection.
- Guys tensioned after strand. The pole leans as soon as the strand pulls, and it rarely comes back plumb.
- Wrong grip size for the strand, which can let the guy slip.
Standards and References
NESC (IEEE C2)for guy insulators, guy grounding and guy marking.- Owner construction standards for guy sizes, attachment, insulators and guards.
- Guy grip and insulator manufacturer instructions.
29 CFR 1910.268for work on poles near power.MUTCD Part 6for temporary traffic control and high-visibility safety apparel.- OSHA 29 CFR Part 1926 for construction work, which 29 CFR 1910.268 excludes (1910.268(a)(2)(i)). Your employer’s safety program says how to comply.
On the Map
- Down Guy: steel strand from the pole to the anchor that balances unbalanced tension.
- Preformed Guy Grip: the helical dead-end at the pole and anchor ends.
- Guy Guard: the yellow marker on the lower guy.
- Guy Strain Insulator: installed where the power owner or NESC requires one.
- Span and Sidewalk Guys: guying used when an in-line down guy is not possible.
- Corner Pole and Bisect Guy: an angle pole guyed on the bisector of the line angle.
- Anchor and Anchor Rod: the ground end of the guy.
Related Tools
Not applicable: no FAHMY tool covers guying.
AE-07 · Field Checklist
Checklist
0/9items ticked
Tick each procedure step and hold point as the crew completes it. Ticks stay on this device only. They are a personal aid, not a hold-point release or a project record; follow the owner’s sign-off process.
OSP Map · Pole Detail
On the Map
- Down GuySteel strand from the pole to an anchor that balances the line’s unbalanced tension.
- Preformed Guy GripHelical dead-end that terminates the guy strand at the pole and at the anchor.
- Guy GuardYellow marker on the lower guy where people or vehicles could walk or drive into it.
- Guy Strain InsulatorInsulating link placed in a guy where the power owner or NESC requires one.
- Span and Sidewalk GuysGuying used when an in-line down guy and anchor cannot be placed.Drawn in the plan view
- Corner Pole and Bisect GuyAngle pole guyed on the bisector of the line angle.Drawn in the plan view
- Anchor and Anchor RodScrew, expanding, plate or rock anchor set below grade in line with the guy load.