Which action minimizes movement distance during crossarm changeout?

• A. Keep old crossarm in place
• B. Installing the temporary crossarm close to the old crossarm
• C. Raise the load with no temporary crossarm
• D. Deenergize entire circuit

Answer: (B)

Minimizing the distance you have to move is the goal, because it reduces the time and effort required to transfer lines and hardware from the old crossarm to the temporary and then to the new one, while also lowering the likelihood of slips or mistakes. Placing the temporary crossarm close to the old crossarm keeps the work within a small, manageable reach, so you can move components with shorter steps, maintain better control, and stay within a safer working envelope. This proximity also helps keep equipment stable as you swap arms, reducing the chance of tangling conductors or losing balance.

Keeping the old crossarm in place forces you to cover a larger distance to get everything where it needs to be, which increases fatigue and the potential for errors. Raising the load without a temporary crossarm would require reaching farther and handling a heavier, less stable arrangement, increasing risk. Deenergizing the entire circuit, while it might remove the live-work hazard, doesn’t address the goal of reducing movement distance and adds unnecessary downtime and complexity.