Zhoukou, Henan: Guardians of Live-Line Work in the Blazing Sun

At 7:50 a.m. on July 30, as the first searing ray of sunlight pierced the mist, this reporter arrived at the site alongside the engineering vehicle of the Live-Line Operation Team from the Distribution Operation and Inspection Center of State Grid Zhoukou Huaiyang Power Supply Company. Near Longhu New Town Community in Wangdian Township, Pole 1 of the Longhu New Town Branch of Bin 18 Panel Wangdian Line stood silently, with a potential hazard from aging A-phase wire clamps threatening the afternoon coolness of nearby residents. Work tools were inspected by team leader Jian Zhang, who emphasized to his crew at the pre-operation briefing, “Safety protocols are lifesavers; every step must be ‘anchored’ to the regulations!” At that moment, a battle against high temperatures and time to eliminate live-line defects was about to commence.

Beneath the blazing July sun, Huaiyang has remained in a relentless “scorching” mode. Air conditioners have become “life-sustaining devices” for thousands of households, while field water pumps serve as “lifelines” for farmers to combat drought and protect autumn crops. At the forefront of ensuring power supply, the “little yellow men” – as the Live-Line Operation Team of Huaiyang Power Supply Company are nicknamed – strictly implement the “Three-Year Fundamental Improvement” initiative for work safety. Clad in thick, airtight insulating suits, they climb scalding electric poles and conduct precise operations beside high-voltage lines, forging safety with their sweat and safeguarding the coolness of homes and the hope of a bountiful harvest with unyielding resolve.

“Electrical testing completed; no live voltage confirmed! Shielding measures in place!” At the base of Pole 1 in Longhu New Town, work supervisor Yunsen Duan, holding a walkie-talkie, spoke in a loud and resolute voice. Up on the pole, Jian Zhang and his partner Ming Zheng were encased in yellow insulating “armor”. Inside the suits, the apparent temperature spiked instantly to over 50°C, with sweat pouring forth immediately, fogging their goggles and streaming down their cheeks and spines. Every movement felt extraordinarily heavy, yet their operations remained steady as a rock: the tester made precise contact, insulating blankets were layered meticulously, and shielding tubes fit seamlessly… “No matter how hot it gets, protocols cannot be skipped; no matter how urgent, steps cannot be rushed! Safety is both the bottom line and an inviolable red line,” Jian Zhang stated briefly during a break, articulating the team’s ironclad rule. For over 20 consecutive days, they have worked intensively outdoors for 8-12 hours daily, executing safety protocols with the precision of a fine instrument. Over 100 potential defects have been eliminated, with zero operational errors.

After the hazard in Longhu New Town was successfully addressed under the morning sun – ensuring the stable operation of air conditioners for over 2,000 households at noon – the team grabbed a hasty meal and hurried to their next assignment: the depths of farmlands in Qilao Township. The Qi 13 Panel Qinong 3 Line here bears the responsibility of irrigation and drainage for vast surrounding farmlands. Prolonged drought has left farmers in acute anxiety; three hazards must be eliminated, and a tie switch installed to enhance the line’s mutual supply capacity, ensuring water pumps can draw “life-saving water” at any time.

Noon sunlight was at its most intense, with the open fields offering no shelter. Metal components on the poles were scalding to the touch; work clothes beneath the insulating suits, repeatedly soaked and dried, were crusted with a layer of white salt. Binbin Tong, a ground support staff member, had his back completely drenched in sweat, yet his movements – handing tools and pulling ropes – remained brisk. To minimize disruption to farmland irrigation, live-line operations were chosen, meaning they would have to endure prolonged “sauna-like” conditions. Sweat dripped continuously, evaporating instantly on the parched ground. As time ticked away, each step of the switch installation advanced arduously under the extreme heat.

When the setting sun withdrew its last glimmer, the engineering vehicle’s headlights lit up the fields, becoming the most prominent marker under the night sky. At 8:00 p.m., with the final bolt secured, the installation of the tie switch on Qi 13 Panel Qinong 3 Line was successfully completed. Young employees Feng Huang and He Yuan carefully removed the insulating shields and descended slowly. The moment the insulating suits were taken off, sweat – like water from a sponge that can not be wrung dry – dripped from their trouser legs onto the ground, leaving them looking as if they had just been pulled from water. Yet their fatigued faces broke into smiles of relief.

“Seeing the lights on, air conditioners running, and water pumps delivering water makes all the hardship worthwhile,” Jian Zhang said hoarsely after a full day of high-intensity work under extreme heat. This 12-hour ordeal, soaked in sweat – from the morning light of Longhu New Town to the nightfall of Qilao Township – stands as a vivid epitome of the efforts by the Live-Line Operation Team of Huaiyang Power Supply Company to eliminate defects during summer and ensure power supply for drought relief. Their work clothes, repeatedly marked by salt crusts,embody the burning commitment of “Electricity Serves the People”; the safety barrier they have built with their bodies safeguards the “cool line” for urban residents to spend the summer comfortably, and more importantly, the “lifeline” for drought relief and autumn crop protection across vast farmlands.

In the heatwave of Huaiyang’s summer, this fearless “live-line iron army” is using their hottest sweat to deliver the most solid and reliable electricity for thousands of glowing lights and abundant harvests. (Tian Miao, Zhu Huijuan)